Kick Movie Review by Taran Adarsh

kickRating: 4.5

Okay, let’s get one thing straight: Salman Khan’s movies are critic-proof. The naysayers or those baying for his blood may frown on the slipups and blemishes in his movies, point out gaping plot holes, accuse him of opting for remakes rather than original concepts, slam him for using his superstardom for masala entertainers… but you cannot overlook the fact that when Salman saunters on screen, he sets it ablaze with his charm and magnetism.

The star-performer carries the weight of the entire film comfortably on his broad shoulders. Everything he does on screen is emulated by his fans pronto: styling, hair style, killer dialogue, dance steps et al. Referred to as ‘Bhai’ by those close to him, he is now the ‘Bhai’ or the iconic on-screen characters he has portrayed over the years — Prem, Radhe, Chulbul Pandey, Lovely Singh, Tiger — for zillions of fans across the globe.

Salman, the star machine, is the Pied Piper of Hindi cinema. He *doesn’t* promise path-breaking or art house cinema. The focus is on those three magical words: Entertainment, entertainment and entertainment. And that’s what matters to a wide majority of movie-going audience.

Sure, the charismatic star’s newest outing KICK is a remake of the super-successful Telugu film KICK [2009; directed by Surender Reddy and starring Ravi Teja, Ileana D’Cruz and Shaam]. But there’s a world of a difference between KICK, directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, and Salman’s last few entertainers. This one’s more stylized, has opulence and gloss reeking in every frame and is very international in terms of execution.

However, the prime question remains the same: Is KICK Blockbuster material? Yes, of course!

The premise of KICK, first! On a train journey in Warsaw, a pretty psychiatrist, Shaina [Jacqueline Fernandez], meets Himanshu [Randeep Hooda], a police officer from India, for an arranged match. They share their pasts with each other.

Shaina shares the story of her ex-boyfriend Devi Lal Singh [Salman Khan], a guy who lived only for ‘Kick’. She talks about his madness and their whirlwind romance, until one day he breaks up with her for a new kick and walks away, never to return. Himanshu tells her about his glorious escapades and that he has finally met his match — an intelligent thief.

What they don’t know is that their stories have one thing in common — Devil. He returns back into their lives under a new guise of having lost his memory. Behind it all is a deeper mystery and an uncompromising mission…

KICK marks Sajid Nadiadwala’s rendezvous with direction and though the debutant director may have looked Southwards to choose the story, when it comes to executing the written material, the inspiration is clearly the West: the larger-than-life Hollywood fares. Having produced over a dozen movies till date, Sajid has abundant experience and expertise and knows precisely how to use the familiar tropes to his advantage.

Sajid conjures up a world that combines visual brilliance with several knockout episodes. Like Salman, Sajid too has a one-point agenda: Entertainment. No wonder, Sajid and his team of writers ensure that they need to offer more to the astute viewer than what has been witnessed thus far, since the promos have raised the bar and multiplied their expectations. That explains why the cat and mouse game [played between Randeep and Salman] doesn’t follow the tried and tested rules, while the conflict between the Samaritan and the antagonist [Salman and Nawazuddin Siddiqui] steers clear of the conventional configuration. As a matter of fact, the frantic twists and turns in the storyline are proof that Sajid and his writing team are keen to offer the audience that extra dose of entertainment which would make KICK a kickass entertainer.

KICK has the magnificence [in terms of production values] that was lacking in Salman’s previous movies. This is a big ticket movie and Sajid, who has produced larger-than-life extravaganzas in the past, makes sure every frame appears luminous, tasteful and eye-catching. Be it the spectacular locales of Warsaw or the classy sets, the DoP [Ayananka Bose] acts as an aide and encapsulates the plush, up market look with competence. The spectator also gets an international feel during the high-octane stunts, action and chases, which garnish the goings-on magnificently. The train stunt is already the talk of town. Also, the chase in Warsaw, with Salman driving a bus, makes you gasp in disbelief.

I’d like to make a special mention of Rajat Aroraa’s dialogue. The wordsmith gives the film several clapworthy lines, which are sure to become legendary. The best line is, of course, ‘Mere baare mein itna mat sochna, dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein nahin’, which comes at a crucial point in the story. The lines delivered by Nawazuddin are super too and the sequence with Salman towards the climax will be greeted with whistles and claps. Take a bow, Rajat!

Any hiccups? Yes, of course! The first half could’ve been tighter. A few sequences have been stretched at times [Salman and Mithun in the bar]. The songs deserved better situations. The romantic track, in the second hour specifically, could’ve been more persuasive.

The soundtrack remains true to the genre of the film and the popularity of ‘Jumme Ki Raat’ and ‘Yaar Na Miley’, which appears twice in the film, enhances the overall impact.

To state that Salman is the soul of KICK wouldn’t be an exaggeration. He’s committed, charming and competent, so much so that it’s difficult to take your eyes off him. Post DABANGG, those who felt that the actor’s movies lacked a cohesive script to match his superstardom, are sure to feel satiated with KICK, since the film has it all and does utmost justice to Salman’s aura. In fact, the film gives him the platform to exhibit his range as an actor/star and his real-life role of a good Samaritan/humanitarian further. Rest assured, the fans and the fanatics — even those who aren’t — are in for a treat!

Randeep Hooda is supremely efficient, delivering a performance that stays with you. And this is a huge compliment, since the film is a Salman show from commencement to conclusion. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a powerhouse of talent and KICK gives him the opportunity to cross over to the commercial league. Nawazuddin is simply outstanding, essaying his part with gusto [don’t miss his typical laugh, it will definitely catch on big time]. In fact, it won’t be erroneous to state that along with Salman, Nawazuddin will walk away with plaudits after KICK.

Jacqueline Fernandez does very well, although her diction needs to be worked upon. She looks great and her dance in ‘Jumme Ki Raat’ is sure to stun you. Mithun Chakraborty is in top form yet again. The sequence with Salman towards the concluding moments stay with you.

The supporting cast — Saurabh Shukla [good], Sanjay Mishra [awesome], Vipin Sharma [super], Archana Puransingh [alright], Kavin Dave [first-rate], Sumona Chakravarti [perfect] — each of them contribute well to the proceedings.

On the whole, KICK is a paisa vasool, seeti-maar entertainer. Get ready for a Tsunami called KICK at the ticket window. It is sure to rewrite box-office records. Salman fans, rejoice. KICK is a sure-shot B-L-O-C-K-B-U-S-T-E-R. To quote a dialogue from the film: ‘Woh apni Eidi lene zaroor aayega’.

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5 Comments
  1. alfa.one 10 years ago

    hope it is record breaking movie!

  2. DABANGG_NIINJA 10 years ago

    sputnik bro plz ise post karo mai kar nhi pa raha
    Kick Has Extraordinary Start Considering Pre Eid

    Friday 25 July 2014 11.30 IST

    Box Office India Trade Network

    Kick has taken an excellent opening of 70-75% on average. The start is extraodinary considering it is is pre Eid. Some places have taken that 90-100% start but other places are lower. Despite it being Pre Eid the opening is similar to the initial of Dhoom 3 and Chennai Express but those films maintained well throughout the day even on the odd show timings.

    This will be tough for Kick as many multiplexes have lower rates in the morning so that brings in a big audience and Muslim dominated cities will see lower collections after the first day first show craze subsides at single screens. The opening in the morning is like a 30 crore nett plus first day but as mentioned above pre Eid is likely to hit it at some point of the day.

    Krrish 3 was released on pre Diwali and the initial of Kick is far better than that film and if the first day collections come out over 25 crore nett it will be phenomenal.

  3. aryan 10 years ago

    Kick Movie Review by Rajsen

    Kick is Salman’s best film in a decade

    In the world of harebrained Bhai films, Kick is the best made and the most fun, says Raja Sen.

    It was bound to happen.

    At some point, a canny producer was sure to realise that all that matters in the kind of movies Salman Khan does nowadays is Salman Khan.

    After looking at, for example, Bodyguard or Ready — hideous, tacky eyesores that nonetheless rule the charts — it was only a matter of time before he’d see little need for an expensive, credit-hogging middleman and chuck this “director” fellow out.

    Blasphemous, I know, but with films like this, it’s hard to argue.

    I remember a Mithun Chakraborty interview many moons ago where the actor — speaking of his heartland-conquering B-movies — described a continuity error, a fight scene where he was wearing a red shirt in one shot and a blue shirt the next.

    The director asked Chakraborty to reshoot but he laughed off the idea, saying it should be released as it was, and that his audience bothered only about him, not trifles like that.

    He was right, the film was a hit, and, alarmingly enough, our biggest blockbusters today seem to run on the same principles. Especially those that star Salman.

    It is a pleasant surprise, thus, to see producer Sajid Nadiadwala taking his directorial debut seriously, making sure every part of the engine is slickly oiled.

    The loopy script coasts along breezily, Ayananka Bose’s cinematography is lush (and frequently more artful than you expect from a Salman project), the girls are considerably attractive, and — perhaps most importantly — the film smartly avoids the self-serious drivel that can ruin a shamelessly silly action film. (Case in point, the ponderous Dhoom 3, Kick, in one line, is basically Dhoom done right. But more on that later.)

    The plot is threadbare enough to not matter.

    Shaina, a psychiatrist narcissistic enough to wear her name on a chain and depressive enough to turn ‘sex’ into ‘sorrow’ while playing Scrabble, is lamenting the loss of her lover.

    She tells her new suitor, a cop, about her ex, a guy called Devi Lal who did anything for kicks. (Including, presumably, always refer to them in the singular.) Devi quirkily won her over, but things soured and he dumped her, and she’s oh so heartbroken.

    The cop, Himanshu, tells Shaina he can empathise, because he too has someone in his life: a masked master-thief he just can’t get a hold of. (Ahem.)

    No points for guessing the man of their dreams is the same. Salman Khan doesn’t often bother to act these days, swaggering through most of his parts without any consistency, yet he seems to be playing this Devi/L properly and in character, perhaps freed by the insouciance of the anything-goes role.

    Even in weak scenes, his screen presence is extraordinary. He’s clearly having a blast not having to mouth lewd lines or take his shirt off.

    Every now and again, Kick delivers flashes of that gleeful spontaneity we saw in him back in Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya when he was hopping around one-legged in a chicken-coop calling himself Murgaman.

    Kick perfunctorily skips through most of the emo stuff — inevitable scenes showing character motives and changes of heart — in its quest to find the shiniest Bhai moments.

    The film is predictable, the script is lazily convenient, and yet there’s a surefootedness in the way Nadiadwala jauntily carries on increasing the tempo, piling on the Khan.

    His cinematographer shows some masterful framing and composition, capturing the energy of the moment very well most times, and at other times making things look very pretty.

    Jacqueline Fernandes looks good as a bimbette taken in by Khan and, despite her unfortunate dialogue delivery, isn’t ever around in stretches long enough to be grating.

    Mithun (yes, he of the red/blue shirts) plays Salman’s father; Nawazuddin Siddiqui makes bottle-popping noises with his mouth and borrows Manoj Bajpai’s Aks laugh to play villain; and Randeep Hooda is the cop who intriguingly enough appears to be quite turned on by the crook he’s after. If all that sounds trashy, well, it is.

    But it’s mostly fast enough to feel like a blast. At its worst — and there are more than a few scenes that are too long, too mawkish — Kick is at least entertainingly cheesy in a drinking-game sort of way.

    It’s never objectionably bad, and that hasn’t been said about a Salman Khan film for around fifteen years.

    While on the 90s, there seem to be peculiar (but again, amusing) tributes of some sort: a kooky flashback about Salman’s childhood is animated a la Def Leppard’s Let Get Rocked; and an item song starring the ravishing Nargis Fakhri takes place in some freaky netherworld equally fit for both Alisha Chinai and The Undertaker. It’s almost trippy.

    The rest of the film is The Salman Khan Show.

    The Dhoom movies provide a pretty valid parallel, and I don’t just mean the basic cops-and-robbers template.

    The first Dhoom was merely a fun action film; the second amped it up with massive stars, more bling, louder stunts, better bikinis.

    Dhoom 2 didn’t even try to make sense — a man was dressed up as a Grecian statue in one shot and a watchman in the next — but it looked so captivating we were blinded by its gloss.

    Dhoom 3, unfortunately, tried way too hard; it stole a plot, added in melodrama, slowed down its chases.

    The result was an utterly unremarkable car-wreck.

    Kick, therefore, is the Dhoom 2 of the Salmaniverse.

    It looks good, moves fast, shows off its superstar. In the world of harebrained Bhai films — Dabanng included — Kick is the best made and the most fun. If you’re a fan, you just hit the jackpot.

    Rating: 3/5

    https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/review-kick-is-salmans-best-film-in-a-decade/20140725.htm

  4. dwnpiyush 10 years ago

    My comment on the film: It is a spectacularly entertaining film, the best Salman film of this current phase, by far. The best elements of the original film have been taken and treated with such finesse and depth that it becomes a different film altogether, despite having the same structure for most parts. The second half is beyond good, the characterization is amazing. I saw it in a single screen, the audience went wild as expected, but the best thing was when people were asking others to maintain silence as it was difficult to hear the dialogues when the narrative was at its most engrossing in the second half. Generally this never happens in a Salman movie. The movie delivers more than what it promises, most certainly. Nawaz’s character and his battle with Salman becomes the premise, with Hooda in between. Rajat Arora has done a fab job. The songs too are awesome on screen.

    The funniest thing is that the haters will believe and share the Mihir Fadnavis piece (of shit) amongst others, and then, if they do see the film (whenever that happens), they well have their things zapped.

    All in all a desi movie with a really opulent vidheshi treatment. There is great cinematic liberty taken at places, but that’s the case with all movies of such genre. In my view the movie beats the Dhoom series hollow, that too with ease. Salman fans would be thrilled to bits. The generally audience that loves the movie going experience will be beyond satisfied. Many naysayers will be pleasantly surprised. And the haters (and Salman bashers) would… well… think of something bad to say anyhow!

    • FS 10 years ago

      Will watch it tomorrow evening. Looks like finally he has worked with the right crew if not script.

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