Jul 27, 2014 07:35 PM
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Since 2009, Eid has become synonymous with a big-budget Salman release. Last year, the slot was taken over by Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express but this year, Salman Khan is back with a bang, with Kick. The promos promised loads of stylized action, tons of entertainment and larger-than-life feel. And Kick does fulfill most of the expectations. Although it falters in the second half, it’s definitely a film to watch, especially on the BIG screen!
The story of the movie: Devil(Salman Khan) has wreaked havoc in the lives of several influential people in Delhi. Himanshu Tyagi(Randeep Hooda), a top cop who has never suffered defeat in his career, takes up the challenge of nabbing Devil. However, the task isn’t easy as nobody knows how he looks because he wears a mask. How Devil’s love interest Shaina(Jacqueline Fernandez) and the eccentric Shiv Gajra(Nawazuddin Siddiqui) get involved in Devil-Himanshu’s cat-and-mouse game forms the crux of Kick.
Kick surprisingly has a not-so-explosive start, unlike the recent Salman releases, though the opening credits are beautifully done. Salman Khan makes his epic entry after almost 10 minutes. And this time, it’s all done in a comic manner. Yet, viewers won’t be disappointed and it’s hilarious and exhibits Salman in his full glory. The fun continues as Salman Khan teaches a lesson to the goons in a café and when he gets jailed. These three scenes together easily form the best part of the film. However, the sequences thereafter too add to the fun and the film goes on to another level when the Devil sequences commence. The train-bicycle shot has already become a cult and it’s great to watch it on the big screen. The intermission point is quite surprising but worth a watch!
Sadly, the film becomes unconvincing in the second half. Shaina’s decision to take Devil to her house didn’t seem very acceptable. In fact, Shaina gets sidelined as new characters get introduced and the cat-and-mouse game reaches its peril. The couple with the daughter ending their life just didn’t seem sensible at all. Even Dhoom 3 had the father needlessly ending his life but somewhere, the execution was such that many viewers didn’t care for it. However, in case of Kick, the direction falters especially in the second half and hence the flaws easily stand out. However, the second half too has its moments. The Devil-Himanshu scenes and all scenes of Shiv Gajra are quite fun. The final scene is funny and will be loved for sure.
Salman Khan, as always, is superbly entertaining and doesn’t let down the audiences. He’s in a much better form than his previous film Jai Ho and one can see that he’s actually enjoying essaying the role of Devil. While it is fun to see him dancing, singing, fooling around, performing action and romancing, Kick also shows off his villainous avatar in few scenes and it’s too good! Its high time Mr India 2 is put back on track and Salman Khan is asked to play the negative lead as he can rock as the villain!
Jacqueline Fernandez looks stunning and does a fairly nice job, although she doesn’t get much to do in the second half. Randeep Hooda looks suave and delivers a bravura performance. In fact, he maintains a very strong position even in front of Salman Khan and this surely proves his worth. That he’s a capable actor is known but with Kick, he proves that if given an opportunity, he might pull of a biggie single-handedly as well! Nawazuddin Siddiqui is flawless and raises laughs as he brings alive his character’s eccentricities. And it’s a pleasure to see that the actor, who struggled so much, is finally getting a chance to play such significant roles in a biggie! Way to go!
Saurabh Shukla(Brijesh Mehra) adds to the humour quotient and so does Sanjay Mishra(Ram Avtaar Rathi). Mithun Chakraborty(Devil’s father) brings the house down in his entry. Both he and Archana Puran Singh(Devil’s mother) leave a mark, despite having small roles. Sumona Chakravarti(Vidhi) and Kevin Dave(Jignesh) are effective. Manita Malik(Vidhi’s MLA mother) does fine. Vipin Sharma(Vishnu Gajra), Baby Diya Chalwad(Jhumki) is adorable. Riya Vij, who played the lead role in Gippi, is seen in a brief role as Shaina’s sister and is decent. Nargis Fakhri is strictly okay in the Devil song. Others are good.
Music is neatly amalgamated in the narrative and thankfully, there aren’t too many tracks. The best is undoubtedly Jumme Ki Raat followed by Hangover and The Devil Song. Julius Packiam’s background score is exhilarating and just perfect for such a film. ANL Arasu and Stefan Richter’s action makes for a great watch, but somewhere doesn’t match up to the standards set by Dhoom 3. Ayananka Bose’s cinematography is appealing and same goes for production design. Rajat Aroraa’s dialogues though not as legendary as Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai add a lot of weightage to some of the crucial scenes. Screenplay(Rajat Aroraa, Keith Gomes, Sajid Nadiadwala, Chetan Bhagat) is brilliant in the first half, especially the manner in which the narrative moved back and forth. However, in the second half, it could have been much better and much convincing. Same goes for Sajid Nadiadwala’s direction. The execution in fact seemed disjointed and incoherent because of which some of the sequences didn’t quite make the desired impact. If the narrative was smooth and a bit more time was spent in establishing the crucial details, the impact would have surely been better.
Some of the best scenes:
Shaina-Himanshu’s conversation in the train and café
Devil’s entry and the animation sequence
Devil bashes goons in the café
Devil in the police station
Devil’s robberies in Delhi
The intermission point
Shiv Gajra’s entry
Drama at the function in Poland and the scene thereafter
Himanshu meets Devil in the bar(the ‘saat samundar paar’ bit is hilarious!)
The climax
The final scene
On the whole, Kick is an entertaining ride and boasts of a terrific first half, superb action and funny scenes and excellent performances from Salman Khan, Randeep Hooda and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It stands out from the rest of the Salman films as well – right from his entry scene to the climax – the focus is not just on Salman but also on the story and other significant characters in the narrative. Sadly, the second half is unconvincing and it really affects the impact. Nevertheless, its overall fun and it won’t be surprising if it turns out to be the biggest hit of Salman Khan’s career!
