Bodyguard DVD Review

MOVIE DETAILS

Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Hazel Keech
Director: Siddique
Producer: Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Agnihotri
Music: Himesh Reshammiya, Pritam
Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed, Neelesh Mishra

THE FILM

When Bodyguard begins, it seems like a regular love story in the making. Salman is hired by Kareena's father (Raj Babbar) to protect her from feudal enemies (Mahesh Manjrekar, Aditya Pancholi, Chetan Hansraj). Of course it is known from beginning till the end that this band-of-brothers would be beaten to the pulp and Salman won't allow a single scratch on Kareena's body. However beneath the exterior of this action packed setting, there is a delicate love story in the running that reminds one of the soft-hearted Salman that one saw once during the 90s.

So enter Salman from the days of Bandhan, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Hum Saath Saath Hai etc. where he could do nothing wrong and was always there for his loved ones. Not just that as he spoke every word only after going through it in his mind and never once mouthed anything that could be offensive to anyone, be it the ones known or unknown to him. Off late due to his Dabangg, Wanted and Ready image, one expects him to throw smart one liners at every juncture and be his goofy best with ample funny antics at display. However he takes a turn which is quite pleasant to say the least.

This means that even when he is following around Kareena in her college or trying to find the identity of the mysterious caller who is trying to woo him over the phone, one never sees him indulging into any buffoonery. In fact to compensate for that lost element, there is his friend named Tsunami who does the needful. On the other hand Salman keeps it all gentle and turns more and more easy going and all soft hearted as he starts feeling deeply in love with the caller. What starts of as a prank from Kareena (while seeing resistance from her friend - Hazel) takes serious proportions as the dilemma between loyalty and true love intensifies.

Now this is the point from which Bodyguard takes an altogether different run because instead of focusing the film on Salman's screen presence and presenting him in a way his audience wants, writer-director Siddique lets the story do all the talking. For Kareena too it becomes a good enough platform to showcase her true calibre as an actor, especially after relatively much light hearted 3 Idiots and Golmaal 3. With Bodyguard, and especially during the second half of the film, she reiterates loud and clear all over again the reason why she has been ruling from the top for so long.

As for Salman then well, this is indeed one of his most likeable performances for a long-long time. He is there in practically every scene of the film and modulates his body language, dialogue delivery and overall mannerisms for the requirement of the role. As for the action sequences, it is visible that he has gone through a lot of physical stress, especially if one considers the ones that have been set on a dance floor and then finally towards the pre-climax when he takes on Aditya Pancholi hands-on.

Does the movie show a dip anywhere? Not really though one does feel during the first half of the film at least that there is quite some time being spent on the entire build up. Also, the mischief around mystery calls seems a little too simplistic considering neither Salman nor Kareena can be expected to get into such childish pranks. Also Kareena's initial annoyance with Salman seems a little unjustified considering they had hardly met and the man was just doing his job. Moreover Salman's reference to Raj Babbar as 'Maalik' seems out of place in today's times.

Technically the film is reasonably polished, especially during the action sequences though due to its overall simplistic nature, Bodyguard hasn't been presented as an overtly flamboyant experience. Songs have been placed well in the film though eventually it is the sound of Himesh Reshammiya's 'Teri Meri' stay on with you long after you are through watching the film, more so because it also forms the part of the background score. Special effects could have been better though as the miniature helicopter sequence in the pre-climax doesn't just seem forceful but also loses impact after it is overdone with no results.

Amongst actors, while Salman and Kareena shine in their parts, the only other actor whom you actually take home is Hazel. Present in almost every scene with Kareena, she is much more than just her supporting buddy. Raj Babbar just passes muster while one wishes there was more of Pancholi. Mahesh Manjrekar is surprisingly out of place this time around while Vidhya Sinha is almost unrecognisable in a role that could have been done by any TV actress. Asrani is totally wasted as well and so is the case with Sharat Saxena.

DURATION

The film's duration is 130 minutes

SPECIAL FEATURES

- Making of the Movie and Songs

The 'making' segment here isn't as polished as one would have expected but is engaging nonetheless. The good part here is that throughout it's near 30 minutes duration, it is 'on the sets' with no rehearsed/edited interviews that otherwise turns out to be routine. A major part of this making is set around the campus in which the film was shot with everyone from Salman, Kareena, Hazel and other supporting cast sharing their experience of Bodyguard while the film was being made. Also, one can pretty much see Salman in his real self as he fools around with the other cast and crew members while bringing out his mischievous side. Of course when it comes to the making of the songs, there are usual talks around 'When Salman is on your side, you know that results would be good'. Yeah of course, these days we keep hearing that way too often!

TECHNICAL DETAILS

- 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation

- Subtitles - English & Arabic

- Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo

PRICE

Rs. 299/=

CONCLUSION

When Bodyguard had released, word in the town was that it could never go wrong because of one major reason - 'Salman wave is on'. Oh yes, of course that's true. But then can just a wave be good enough for a film to sail through? Not really, because all said and done, it's an overall package that matters as well. In that context, 'Bodyguard' is pretty much a package deal in the offering. It has ample masala in it to keep Salman's core audience happy. But then it also has a soul to it that comes from Salman-Kareena love story, which ensures that there is lot more to Bodyguard than what one expected from the film based on the promos. It has a definite storyline to it and that ultimately turns out to be the film's strength.

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