Khan triumphs again with his devil-may-care action hero
KICK (9/10)
LIKE him or loathe him, there’s no denying that Salman Khan is a legend who, for decades, has entertained the masses with fantastic roller-coaster cinema.
He teams up with Sajid Nadiadwala, who makes his directorial debut after having produced monster hits such as Judwaa, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, 2 States, Heropanti and so on. This year, Khan and Nadiadwala arrive like a hurricane over Eid, a period Khan has dominated with blockbusters such as Wanted, Dabangg, Bodyguard and Ek Tha Tiger. This year the hurricane is Kick , which has to rank among the biggest releases of the year.
The trailer for the movie created mass hysteria — it was viewed an average of a million times a day in the first 10 days after it was uploaded.
Lavish praise from Bollywood for the action film kept that interest at fever pitch.
Khan plays the mischievous and daring Devi, who falls in love with a stunning psychiatrist named Shaina (Jacqueline Fernandez).
However, when they part ways, Shaina meets a dedicated police inspector who is hunting a flamboyant thief named Devil.
The worlds of the characters collide dramatically and chaotically, an unpredictable cat-andmouse game ensues and the film eventually wraps up beautifully.
Nadiadwala’s move to the director’s seat is slick: there are loads of adrenalinpumping moments, but the narrative never slackens.
Every frame and scene is carefully crafted with lots of imagination, creativity, style and strong visuals. From the action to the car chases and the song sequences, no money has been spared to deliver an elegant product that is fast and unpredictable.
And there can be no debate: this is Khan’s show, from start to finish. The fiery actor gives a brilliantly honest performance while looking hot enough — even though he is nearly 50 — to challenge the young brigade of Bollywood stars.
He and Fernandez have great chemistry and the Sri Lankan beauty delivers a sweet, tender performance, with her dance moves being among the many highlights.
Randeep Hooda and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are perfect in their interesting supporting roles.
Both are talented actors who manage to make an impression despite Khan’s dominance of the film.
Himesh Reshammiya works his magic with blockbuster songs such as
Jumme Ki Raat and Yaar Na Miley that are brought to life with colour, energy and spectacular choreography.
Although I doubt that this movie will win many awards, it’s perfect escapism for fans of Indian cinema and the perfect way for diehard Khan fans to celebrate their idol’s outstanding success.
To echo the words of the lead character in the movie — it really was “too much fun”.