Dabangg 2 is an Indian masala film directed and produced by Arbaaz Khan. It stars Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead roles, with Prakash Raj playing the role of the main antagonist. It also has Vinod Khanna, Deepak Dobriyal and Nikitan Dheer in supporting roles. It is a sequel to the 2010 film Dabangg and is set in the city of Kanpur. The distribution rights were sold to UTV Motion Pictures for a price of 140 crore, the highest for a Bollywood film till date.

Development of the project commenced after the release of Dabangg, which became a commercial success. The main cast retained their roles except for Sonu Sood. Filming for Dabangg 2 commenced on 9 March 2012 in Kamalistan Studio in Mumbai. It is slated to release on 21 December 2012.

Cast[link]

• Salman Khan as Chulbul 'Robin Hood' Pandey
• Sonakshi Sinha as Rajjo Pandey
• Vinod Khanna
• Prakash Raj
• Deepak Dobriyal
• Nikitin Dheer
• Kareena Kapoor in an item Number
• Rajat Rawail
• Sourav Ganguly (the role given by Salman Khan)
• Manzel Uprety in an Item Number with Katrina Kaif

Production[link]

Development[link]

During pre-production, Arbaaz Khan confirmed the project: "Yes, there's a 110% possibility that we will start Dabangg 2, but when that will happen is yet undecided. See, Salman has several commitments to fulfill, so Dabangg 2 will take some time to start. But it's definitely on the cards."^[1] The main leads, Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha were cast to reprise their parts in the sequel.^[2] Sinha became the first actress to reprise her role in a sequel of a Bollywood film.^[3] Her main look was also taken from the first and consisted of a yellow saree, a long plait with flowers in her hair.^[4] Director Abhinav Kashyap was replaced by Arbaaz Khan as the film's director.^[5] Prakash Raj was confirmed to have been chosen to play the main villain.^[6] Kareena Kapoor was roped in to play an item number in the film,^[7] despite initial reports considering Katrina Kaif for the role.^[8]

Reportedly, distribution rights were sold to UTV Motion Pictures for a price of 140 crore, the highest for a Bollywood film till date.^[9]

Filming[link]

Shooting for the film was slated to begin in March 2012.^[10] The producers announced plans to shoot the film in Kanpur.^[11] A set depicting the city of Kanpur was created at the Kamalistan Studios in Mumbai, where the first schedule of the film was shot.^[12] The entire studio was rented for the film, making it a first in Bollywood.^[13] The phase consisted of shooting a qawwali song under neon lights.^[14] Following the shoot, filming is expected to take place in film city in Mumbai. The last schedule has been planned to be shot at Satara.^[12] Three days after the film went on floors, it was reported that Salman Khan replaced cinematographer, K. K. Senthil Kumar, with Aseem Kumar.^[15] A song titled 'Seeti Baja Ke' was choreographed as a dance number and considered as an equivalent to 'Munni Badnaam Hui' from Dabangg.^[16] Reports indicating that Salman would essay an important involvement in the director's role were dismissed by Arbaaz.^[17]

References[link]

Dabangg
File:Dabangg poster1.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Abhinav Singh Kashyap
Produced by	Arbaaz Khan Malaika Arora Khan Dhillin Mehta
Written by	Dileep Shukla Abhinav Singh Kashyap
Starring	Salman Khan Arbaaz Khan Sonakshi Sinha Sonu Sood Vinod Khanna Dimple Kapadia Anupam Kher
Music by	Sajid-Wajid Lalit Pandit
Cinematography	Mahesh Limaye
Editing by	Pranav V Dhiwar
Distributed by	Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd Arbaaz Khan Productions
Release date(s)	September 10, 2010 (2010-09-10)
Running time	125 minutes[1]
Country	‹See Tfd› India
Language	‹See Tfd› Hindi
Budget	30 crore (US$5.99 million)[2]
Box office	215 crore (US$42.89 million)[3]

Dabangg (English: Fearless) is a 2010 Indian action film, directed by Abhinav Kashyap and produced by Arbaaz Khan under the Arbaaz Khan Productions. The lead actors in the film include Arbaaz's elder brother, Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha. The film marks the debut of Sonakshi as an actor, Arbaaz as a producer and Kashyap as a director. It features Arbaaz Khan, Om Puri, Dimple Kapadia, Vinod Khanna, Anupam Kher, Mahesh Manjrekar and Mahie Gill in supporting roles while Sonu Sood plays the main antagonist. Malaika Arora appears in the item number "Munni Badnaam Hui".^[4][5] The film is set in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and revolves around a cop named Chulbul Pandey. Made with a budget of 30 crore and marketed at 12 crore, the film was shot primarily in the town of Wai in Maharashtra, while other major scenes were shot in the United Arab Emirates.^[6] The film set records for hype and awareness among the audience before release.

Dabangg was released on Eid, 10 September 2010 in nearly 1800 screens worldwide. The film opened to generally positive reviews and broke several box-office records upon release. The film set another box office record, grossing 80.87 crore in its first week, thus becoming the highest opening week grossing Bollywood film, overtaking the previous record of 3 Idiots. The film went on to gross 215 crore worldwide and Box office India declared it an all-time blockbuster in the second week of its release. It is the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2010 and, as of 2011, the third highest–grossing Bollywood film of all time.^[7] Dabangg went on to win several awards, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It was later remade in Tamil and Telugu.

Plot[link]

Chulbul Pandey, a young boy, lives with his younger half-brother, Makhanchan "Makkhi" Pandey, stepfather Prajapati Pandey (Vinod Khanna) and mother, Naina Devi (Dimple Kapadia) in Laalgunj, Uttar Pradesh. His stepfather is always partial towards Makkhi which constantly angers Chulbul.

21 years later, a scene shows a gang of robbers trying to steal money from a bank, when Chulbul (Salman Khan), now a cop, tries to recover the money by beating up the robbers. It becomes clear later that he keeps the money for himself. Chulbul, who calls himself "Robin Hood" Pandey, still lives with his family and does not have a good relationship with his stepfather and Makkhi. Makkhi (Arbaaz Khan) is in love with a girl called Nirmala (Mahi Gill), whose father Masterji (Tinu Anand) opposed the relationship. And, Chulbul falls in love with a girl named Rajo (Sonakshi Sinha), whom he chances upon during a police encounter.

A goon by the name of Chedi Singh (Sonu Sood) meets Chulbul and tells him that the people he beat up and stole the money from are party workers and that they were getting money for the party. But, he offers to forgive Chulbul on the condition that Chulbul start working for him. Chulbul flatly refuses.

Makkhi asks his father to arrange his marriage with Nirmala, but his father refuses saying that he needs money to repay the loans he took to make his factory, so he needs his son to marry a rich girl. Makkhi, in desperate need of money, steals it from Chulbul's cupboard, but is caught red-handed by his mother. He tells her that he intends to give the money to Nirmala's father, who in turn will return the money after marriage through dowry. Although his mother refuses, he reluctantly takes the money and gives it to Nirmala's father.

Meanwhile, Chulbul meets Rajo and proposes marriage. She rejects it saying that she has to look after her father, Haria (Mahesh Manjrekar), who is always drunk and she cannot marry while he is alive. Chulbul then comes home to find his mother dead. He goes to his stepfather to make peace, as he is the only family left. But, his stepfather rejects and despises him as an outcast. Chulbul is then attacked at the railway station by Chedi's men, when he is with Rajo and her father, but, he beats up all of them in a fight. He sees Makkhi buying new clothes at the market. On approaching him, Makkhi says that he is getting married to Nirmala and invites Chulbul to the marriage. Chulbul tries to convince Rajo's father to give his daughter's hand in marriage to him and to stop drinking. Rajo's father accepts and after Chulbul leaves, he plunges into a lake and commits suicide, as he knows that his daughter will not marry anyone while he is alive. Chulbul takes Rajo to Makkhi's exuberant wedding and realizing that Makkhi has stolen his brother's money to finance the wedding, marries Rajo in an informal ceremony. Nirmala's father, Masterji feels disgraced and cancels the wedding.

Makkhi beats up one of the workers in his factory due to an accident. The workers go to the police station along with his mother to file a complaint. But, instead Chulbul beats up Makkhi in public, thus disgracing him. Chedi Singh decides to take advantage of the situation and suspend Chulbul. He takes Makkhi and his father to the police station. But, Makkhi's father resolves the situation by accepting an apology from Chulbul. Chulbul meets Dayal Babu (Anupam Kher), the leader of Lok Manch, who also dislikes Chedi Singh. They both come to an agreement to keep Chedi Singh in control. Chulbul adulterates the breweries of Chedi Singh due to which some people fall ill and Chedi Singh is blamed. Chedi Singh is confronted by Chulbul who openly reveals to him that he adulterated the breweries.

To take revenge, Chedi Singh burns Makkhi's factory. Makkhi's father gets a heart attack due to shock and is hospitalized. Makkhi, in desperate need of money for his father's treatment agrees to do anything for Chedi Singh, without realizing that it was Chedi Singh who burnt his factory. Chedi Singh, orders him to deliver a crate of mangoes to Dayal Babu's house. But, unknown to Makkhi, there is a bomb in it. After he leaves the house, it explodes, killing Dayal Babu. Chedi Singh gives Makkhi a task to kill Chulbul. Makkhi, knowing that he would not do it, accepts it and meets Chulbul. He confesses to Chulbul that he was sent to kill him by Chedi Singh. He reveals to Chulbul that Chedi Singh made him plant the bomb unknowingly. Chulbul forgives him and reconciles with his stepfather. Makkhi meets Chedi Singh, who thinks that Makkhi killed Chulbul and reveals to Makkhi that he had killed Makkhi's mother. Chedi Singh is then informed that Chulbul is arriving with a huge police force. Makkhi reveals to Chedi Singh that he did not kill Chulbul. In a final battle, Chulbul arrives and takes down all the goons and rescues Makkhi. He then kills Chedi Singh in a fight after Makkhi reveals to him that Chedi Singh killed their mother. In a happy ending, Chulbul gets Makkhi married to Nirmala in the presence of their father, while, Rajo reveals that she is pregnant.

Cast[link]

• Salman Khan as Chulbul Pandey,'Robin Hood' Pandey
• Sonakshi Sinha as Rajo Pandey
• Arbaaz Khan as Makhanchand 'Makhi' Pandey
• Vinod Khanna as Prajapati Pandey, Chulbul's step-father
• Dimple Kapadia as Naini Devi, Chulbul's mother
• Sonu Sood as Chedi Singh
• Mahesh Manjrekar as Haria, Rajo's father
• Om Puri as Kasturilal Vishkarma, Chedi Singh's to be father-in-law
• Anupam Kher as Dayal Babu
• Mahi Gill as Nirmala
• Tinu Anand as Masterji, Nirmala's father
• Malaika Arora as Munni in the item number "Munni Badnaam Hui"
• Murli Sharma as ACP Malik

Production[link]

Casting[link]

Salman Khan, who had played several police roles in the past, including in his previous film Wanted, played the lead role. According to him, he was comfortable with it role because of his grandfather's involvement in the police department. The actor lost weight for the film as he wanted to look "ribbed" for the role. He also put on a moustache after consulting with his brother and prepared his hair to suit his role.^[8] For the former, he had to try out nearly fifty styles in a span of four months before commencement of the filming. Photo-shoots were held in order to finalize his look.^[9] Abhinav Kashyap, in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, revealed that initially he had considered a few others for the role of Chulbul Pandey but eventually changed his mind and roped in Salman.^[10] The film's antagonist, Sonu Sood, was reported to have claimed that he had been offered the role initially.^[6] Abhinav had seen Arbaaz in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, doing a cameo and approached him to be a part of the project. After reading it, he had instantly accepted to produce and star in it.^[10] Sonu Sood was selected for playing the lead antagonist. He revealed that his character was that of a "youth leader with grey shades."^[11] Mahesh Manjrekar was later roped in to play the heroine's father, even though he had plans to quit acting.^[12]

In April 2009, it was revealed that Sonakshi Sinha, the daughter of Shatrughan Sinha, had been signed for her debut role and would be playing the lead alongside Salman Khan.^[13] Salman had seen her at a function engaging in dancing and offered her the role.^[6] Speaking about it, she said that she had lost a weight of 30 kg over a period of two years in order to prepare for her character of a village girl by "a combination of proper diet and vigorous exercise". She also added that she had been "observing people and trying to pick up nuances" as a step of further preparation.^[14] Malaika Arora, who had performed a few item numbers in her career, most notably in Dil Se.., was confirmed to do the same in the film. This was the first of its kind in her home production.^[15]

Filming[link]

Dabangg's shooting took place primarily in Wai and the United Arab Emirates.^[6] The film's shooting commenced in September 2009.^[16] The cinematography was performed by Mahesh Limaye. The first schedule began in the town of Wai and continued for a period of 45 days,^[9] during which Sonu Sood, the main antagonist fractured his nose.^[17] A schedule, primarily involving a song shoot, was captured in the Khalid Bin Al Waheed station in Dubai, thus making Dabangg the first film to be shot there.^[18] Some scenes were also canned at the Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.^[19]

The film, involving around five action sequences, was choreographed by S. Vijayan, who previously served as the stunt director of Wanted, and shot over a period of 60 days. Later, special effects were incorporated into those scenes.^[20] In one of the scenes, the antagonist was required to be tanned too "look realistic."^[21] The film's songs were choreographed by Raju Khan and Shabina Khan,^[4][22] while Farah Khan choreographed the item number, "Munni Badnaam".^[23] The shooting was completed in early June 2010, and the film went into post-production.^[24] A party was held to commemorate the completion of the shooting and the success of the theatrical promo. It was attended by the film's main cast and crew.^[25]

Pre-release[link]

The film's theatrical trailer, running for about two and a half minutes was released on 23 July 2010, alongside Priyadarshan’s Khatta Meetha.^[26][27] The promo was an instant hit and increased the pre-release buzz surrounding the film.^[25] Dabangg was described as one of the most anticipated films of the year by the Indian Express.^[28] It was reported to have broken pre-release records for hype by Cinematix, a filming awareness product originated by Ormax Media.^[29] The special screening of the film took place at Film City on 6 September 2010.^[30] The premiere of Dabangg was held in Mumbai on 9 September 2010.^[31]

Release[link]

Dabangg released worldwide on 10 September 2010. It opened up across 1,800 screens in India and around 300 screens overseas.^[32][33] The film was also screened in Norway at an international film festival.^[34] The film's DVDs and VCDs were launched by the Reliance Big Home Video on 12 October 2010.^[35] The film was released on YouTube on 28 January 2011 for free viewing to audiences in India.^[36] The satellite rights of the film were pre-sold for a nominal 10 crore to Colors.^[37] A sequel to Dabangg, titled Dabangg 2 is currently in filming stage and has been planned for a release in 21 December 2012.^[38] The film was remade in Tamil as Osthe by S. Dharani with Silambarasan playing the lead role.^[39] The film is also being remade in Telugu as Gabbar Singh, starring Pawan Kalyan.

Critical response[link]

The film generally received positive reviews from critics, most of whom praised the performance of Salman Khan. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars in his review and concluded, "On the whole, Dabangg is a full on entertainer with three aces - Salman Khan like never before, stylish action and super music. Sure to fetch an earth-shattering opening, the film will create a pandemonium at the box-office, cementing the status of Salman Khan as the darling of the masses and making the distributors laugh all the way to the bank. It has Blockbuster written all over it!"^[41] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India awarded 4 stars while commenting, "For anybody who wants to know what is the on-screen definition of Bollywood, Dabangg is truly text book fare. It's loud, crazy, zany, exaggerated, larger-than-life, almost nonsensical, totally make-believe, comic book like, complete kitsch, generously peppered with the mandatory desi tadka (garnishing) of songs and dances that keep popping out of nowhere and is literally oozing with star charisma."^[40] Komal Nahta of Koimoi gave it a rating of 4/5 and stated, "Dabangg may be a routine subject but its other plus points will ensure that it proves a big hit from North to South and East to West. It will be loved by the masses and classes, the young and the old, the girls and the boys, the men and the women. Business in single-screen cinemas will be historic, of course, but collections in multiplexes will also be outstanding."^[42]

Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis rated it 4/5, remarking, "In spite of the film's ‘dated’ appeal, first-timer Kashyap gives Dabangg a novel treatment, which lends it zing. He plays to the gallery brazenly, but ensures the film is held together by a strong premise - that of a dysfunctional family that comes together in crisis. Dabangg is slightly mad, and terribly entertaining."^[43] Mathures Paul of The Statesman gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and commented, "Dabangg aligns itself with viewers frustrated by the nonexistence of uncomplicated heroism on screen."^[44] Abhishek Mande of Rediff gave the film 3 out of 5 stars while stating, "Dabangg is not a movie for non-Salman fans. But for those who worship him it's a film you simply cannot afford to miss."^[45] Anupama Chopra of NDTV rated it 3/5 stating, "It's the role of a lifetime and Salman Khan bites into it like a starving man devours a feast. He inhabits it fully, strutting and swaggering and even, spoofing himself."^[46] Sukanya Venkatgarhavan of Filmfare rated it 3/5 stating, "Dabangg rides totally on Salman Khan's magic.Had director Abhinav Kashyap cast a less popular actor, it’s doubtful the film would have the chutzpah that Khan has lent to it."^[47] Gaurav Malani of Indiatimes Movies rated the movie 3/5, saying that "As much as the film doesn’t care a damn for coming up with any innovative storyline. Like the intrepid Chulbul Pandey who tries to intermittently hide his soggy eyes behind his sunglasses, the film tries to camouflage its deficiency of substance with an abundance of Salman’s splendid style....Try to find a novel storyline and there is none in Dabangg. Try to find Salman Khan and there is nothing else."^[48] The film received a few mixed reviews from other critics. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN rated the movie 2.5/5, arguing that "Dabangg' is ordinary, at best average... Blame it on the disjointed screenplay if Dabangg works not so much as a coherent, consistent film, but as a string of set-pieces. As a result it feels way longer than its two-hours-and-five-minutes running time, and the climatic action scene that takes place outside the villain's den seems never-ending."^[49] Shobhaa De of the Bangalore Times was critical of the film, concluding, "Let’s hand it to Salman who has pulled off the stunts and pelvic thrusts. Nothing new there. But it is the naughty self-parodying, which is so camp, so out there, which delivers the biggest punch. What’s left for this guy now — all he needs is a cape. And he can call himself Superman."^[50]

Controversies[link]

Dabangg was the subject of several controversies. One of the film's songs, "Munni Badnaam Hui", included a brand name, 'Zandu Balm', in its lyrics, much to the displeasure of Emmami, the makers of Zandu Balm. A trademark case was settled by the producers and Emmami out of court and Malaika Arora Khan was later roped in to for an official ad campaign promoting Zandu Balm.^[51] Activist Rajkumar Talk filed a case in the Bombay High Court, demanding that the word "Hindustan" be deleted from the song and claiming that the censor board had not responded to his queries in regard to the "defaming" lyrics. He found them "highly objectionable" and "unpardonable" and labelled the song a "mockery" for the country, as a girl was "indecently" dancing in the presence of corrupted officers, which, according to him, threw bad light on the nation and "hurt the patriotic sentiments of every Indian".^[52]

Before release, critic and writer Shobhaa De called for a boycott of Dabangg, due to Salman Khan's comments on the 2008 Mumbai attacks. She criticised it as "arrogance, ignorance and plain stupidity." This sparked off a fight with the producers of the film via Twitter, later continued after her negative review of the film.^[53] Another controversy occurred when Anurag Kashyap, brother of Abhinav Kashyap tweeted that "Salman khan thinks he made my brother's life.. Hope he can do the same for his brother Arbaaz with Dabanng 2." This was taken as "slamming" Salman, and resulted in Arbaaz retorting back by referring to the comment as "attitude" instead of "gratitude". However, Anurag later apologised for his remarks, which Arbaaz accepted.^[54]

Box office[link]

Domestic[link]

In India, the film had a strong opening with occupancy ranging between 80-100% in multiplexes and nearly 100% in single screens.^[55] Box Office India described the film's opening as "earth shattering" saying, "despite bad weather in the North, the response was simply mindboggling."^[56] The film went on to break the record opening day collection of 3 Idiots netting 14.5 crore (US$2.89 million) on its first day of business, thus becoming the highest opener of all time across India.^[57] It netted 16.5 crore (US$3.29 million) on the second day of release, again breaking the all time second-day collection record set by 3 Idiots.^[58] The film continued its record breaking run at the box office, netting 18.5 crore (US$3.69 million) on the third day of release, bringing the total nett collections to 49.5 crore (US$9.88 million) at the end of its first weekend, the highest ever first weekend collections, overtaking the 38 crore (US$7.58 million) net record of 3 Idiots.^[59][60] The film netted 10.6 crore (US$2.11 million) on Monday,^[61] 8.6 crore (US$1.72 million) crore on Tuesday,^[62] 7 crore (US$1.4 million) on Wednesday,^[63] and 6 crore (US$1.2 million) on Thursday taking the total nett collections to around 81.5 crore (US$16.26 million) in its first week of release.^[64] It subsequently became the highest opening week net grosser, again surpassing the previous record of 3 Idiots.^[64] The first week distributors share of the film amounted to 50.15 crore (US$10 million).^[65]

The film continued its successful run at the box office during the second week of its release. It netted 6.2 crore (US$1.24 million) on the second Friday,^[66] 7.5 crore (US$1.5 million) on Saturday and 10.5 crore (US$2.09 million) on Sunday, for a 23.75 crore (US$4.74 million) second weekend, a drop of around 50 per cent from the opening weekend.^[67] The film netted 36 crore (US$7.18 million) in the second week, the second highest second week collections ever after 3 Idiots, taking the total nett collections to 116 crore (US$23.14 million) in just two weeks. The film thus surpassed the lifetime record collections of the 2008 Aamir Khan-starrer Ghajini and became the second highest grossing film of all time within just two weeks.^[68] The distributor share of Dabangg was declared to be 77 crore (US$15.36 million) — the second highest ever in Bollywood after Three Idiots, which made 99 crore (US$19.75 million).^[69]

The film collected 16 crore (US$3.19 million) during the third week^[70] and 6 crore (US$1.2 million) in its fourth week, taking the domestic net collections to 140 crore (US$27.93 million).^[71] The domestic nett collections in eleven weeks was 140.10 crore (US$27.95 million).^[72] It eventually progressed to 141 crore (US$28.13 million).^[73]

International[link]

The film opened to a positive response in the overseas markets as well. It grossed a total of US$ 4.20 million in the international markets at the end of its second weekend, being declared as a hit overseas by Box office India.^[74] In the United States, the film opened at No. 23, collecting US$628,137 from 62 screens in its opening weekend^[75] and $1,068,589 at the end of its second weekend.^[76] In the United Arab Emirates, the film collected 3.2 million Dirhams in the opening weekend,^[75] and $1,550,000 at the end of the second weekend.^[74] The film fetched up a $5.50 million total, making it the fifth biggest grosser ever in UAE with a $2 million gross.^[77] In the United Kingdom, the film opened at No. 12 collecting £332,673 from 41 screens in its opening weekend.^[75] and £570,566 by the end of its second weekend.^[74] In Australia, the film collected A$126,000 from 14 screens in the opening weekend,^[75] and A$272,909 at the end of its second weekend.^[74] In Mauritius and South Africa, the film collected US$25,000 each in its opening weekend.^[75] In Fiji, the film collected US$20,000 in the opening weekend.^[75] In other territories of Europe and Africa, the film collected $100,000 in its opening weekend.^[75] The final overseas collections accumulated to US$ 5 million.^[78]

Awards and nominations[link]

Dabangg received various accolades in different categories in major film award functions in India. Among them, it won a National Film Award for the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It was awarded six awards at the 56th Filmfare Awards, including one for Best Film, seven Screen Awards, nine Zee Cine Awards and ten IIFA Awards.^[79]

Soundtrack[link]

The soundtrack of the film have been composed by the music director duo of Sajid-Wajid and Lalit Pandit of the famed duo Jatin-Lalit while the lyrics have been penned by Faiz Anwar, Lalit Pandit and Jalees Sherwani. Lalit Pandit did the song titled "Munni Badnaam Hui".^[80] The music was launched on 6 August 2010 in Delhi.^[81] The album contains five original songs, four remixes and one theme song.^[80] The audio rights of the film were sold for about 9.5 crore.^[82] In August 2010, the track "Tere Mast Mast Do Nain", as performed by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, reached #1 on the Official Asian Download Chart in the UK based on legal downloads in that country.^[83]

The track "Munni Badnaam Hui" is said to be inspired by an old Bhojpuri folk song "Launda Badnaam Hua Naseeban Tere Liye". Director Abhinav Kashyap accepted using the folk song saying that he himself being from Uttar Pradesh, was familiar with the song since his childhood so he suggested the very song to be improvised and rephrased to fit the film's requirement.^[84] Although some people have alleged that it is inspired from Pakistani song "Ladka Badnaam Hua" from the film Mr. Charlie (1992). However some plagiarism experts like Karthik S, says, "I can say that I could not find direct lifts at all. M Ashraf was perhaps trying to recreate the 60s Hindi film sound in his own way. That perhaps did not go down well in Pakistan."^[85]

Track listing[link]

Reception[link]

Upon release, the film's soundtrack received generally positive reviews from music critics. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama rated the album 3/5 and said, "Dabangg delivers what it promised. One expected a masala soundtrack and this is what one gets with a couple of item song sequences, a couple of theme tracks and two love songs which are actually the highlight of the film. A soundtrack that has something in store for mass as well as class."^[86] Atta Khan of Planet Bollywood gave it 6/10 saying, "Sajid and Wajid’s brand of music appeals to the mass audience because it’s simple, catchy, easy on the ears and fun. Dabangg further showcases their ability to connect with the mass audience".^[87] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare also gave the album a rating of 3/5 and said, "Overall, the soundtrack scores high on energy quotient. But its time Sajid-Wajid gave some thought to melody too".^[88]

The music of Dabangg performed well on the charts after its release. The songs, "Tere Mast Mast Do Nain" and "Munni Badnaam" became chart busters^[89] and entered the list of top 20 most frequently played songs on radio in India. As of 10 September 2010, "Munni Badnaam Hui" was ranked first on the list,^[90] while "Tere Mast Mast Do Nain" was ranked second.^[90]

See also[link]

Bollywood portal

• List of highest-grossing Bollywood films

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Dabangg at the Internet Movie Database
• Dabangg at Box Office Mojo
• Dabangg at Rotten Tomatoes
• Dabangg at Bollywood Hungama
• Dabangg's channel on YouTube

Salman Khan
Salman Khan walking the ramp for Sanjana John
Born	Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (1965-12-27) 27 December 1965 (age 46) Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Residence	Bandra, Mumbai
Other names	Sallu
Occupation	Film actor, television presenter and philanthropist
Years active	1988–present
Parents	Salim Khan Salma Khan
Relatives	Arbaaz Khan (brother) Sohail Khan (brother) Helen Richardson (step-mother)

Salman Khan (pronunciation : [səlˈmaːn ˈxaːn]; born Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan on 27 December 1965)^[1] is an Indian film actor. He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films.

Khan, who made his acting debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988), had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), for which he won a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He went on to star in some successful Hindi films of those times, such as Saajan (1991), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Karan Arjun (1995), Judwaa (1997), Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998) and Biwi No.1 (1999), having appeared in the highest earning films of seven separate years during his career.^[2]

In 1999, Khan won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his extended appearance in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and since then has starred in several critical and commercial successes, including Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Tere Naam (2003), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), No Entry (2005), Partner (2007), Wanted (2009), Dabangg (2010), Ready (2011) and Bodyguard (2011), which has become the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of all-time. Khan has thus established himself as one of the most successful actors of Hindi cinema.^[3][4][5]

Early life[link]

Khan is the eldest son of screenwriter Salim Khan and his first wife Salma (née Sushila Charak). His paternal grandfather was a Muslim from Afghanistan^[6][7] who came to India and settled in Madhya Pradesh, whereas his mother is a Marathi Hindu.^[8] Khan himself had once said that he is "half Muslim and half Hindu".^[9][10] His stepmother is Helen, a former actress, who has co-starred with him in a few films. He has two brothers, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan, and two sisters, Alvira and Arpita. Alvira is married to actor/director Atul Agnihotri. Khan finished his schooling through St. Stanislaus High School in Bandra, Mumbai, as did his younger brothers Arbaaz and Sohail. Earlier, he studied at The Scindia School, Gwalior for a few years along with younger brother Arbaaz.^[11][12]

Career[link]

1980s[link]

Salman Khan made his acting debut with a supporting role in the 1988 film Biwi Ho To Aisi. His first leading role in a Bollywood movie was in Sooraj R. Barjatya's romantic family drama Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), one of India's highest grossing films.^[13] It earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, as well as his first nomination for a Best Actor at Filmfare.

1990s[link]

1990 saw one film release starring Khan, Baaghi: A Rebel for Love. The film was a box office success,^[14] followed by four hit films in 1991, Patthar Ke Phool, Sanam Bewafa, Kurbaan ^[15][16] and Saajan.^[17] Despite these early successes, nearly all of his 1992–1993 releases resulted in box office failures.^[17]

Khan returned to success in 1994 with his second collaboration with director Sooraj Barjatya in the romance Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, co-starring Madhuri Dixit. This film was the biggest hit of that year, and turned out to be one of Bollywood's highest-grossing films ever, becoming the fourth-highest earner of all time.^[18] In 1995 he starred in Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun alongside Shahrukh Khan.^[17] The two played brothers who are reincarnated after being killed by family enemies. The film was the second biggest hit of the year, and his role of Karan once again put his name among the nominees for the Best Actor award at the Filmfare, which was eventually won by his Karan Arjun co-star Shahrukh Khan for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.^[19][20]

In 1996, Khan performed in two movies, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directional debut Khamoshi: The Musical, a box office failure, but critically acclaimed; and Raj Kanwar's action hit Jeet. He had two releases in 1997: Judwaa and Auzaar. The former was a comedy directed by David Dhawan where he played a dual role of twins separated at birth.

Khan worked in five different films in 1998, his first release being the comedy Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya opposite Kajol, one of the biggest commercial successes of that year. This was followed by the moderately successful drama Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai.^[17] Khan played a young man who has to take a child who claims to be his son, under his custody. Khan's performance in the film earned him several positive notices and favourable reviews from critics. He rounded of the year with an extended cameo in Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for which he earned a second Filmfare Award under the Best Supporting Actor category.

In 1999, Khan starred in three films: Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United and Biwi No.1, two of the highest grossing films that year;^[21] and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which earned another Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare.

2000s[link]

In 2000, Khan acted in films including Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega . Chori Chori Chupke Chupke addressed the issue of surrogate childbirth; Khan played the role of a rich industrialist, who hires a surrogate mother after his wife becomes infertile. Critics noted his turn towards a more serious role, which reportedly had more substance in comparison to his previous roles.^[22][23] In 2002 he starred in the delayed release Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam.

For Tere Naam, (2003) Taran Adarsh said of him, "Salman Khan is exceptional in a role that fits him to the T. He breathes fire in sequences that demand uneasiness. But beneath the tough exterior lies a vulnerable person and this facet in particular comes to the fore in the latter reels. His emotional outbursts are splendid..."^[24] He subsequently continued his success at the box office, with comedies like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) and No Entry (2005).^[17] Khan's work in 2006 included Jaan-E-Mann and Baabul .

Khan started 2007 with the ensemble film Salaam E Ishq. His next release Partner did very well at the box office, receiving a blockbuster verdict.^[25] He next appeared in the Hollywood movie, Marigold: An Adventure in India which told the love story of an Indian man and an American woman. Khan starred in three films throughout 2008, all of which underperformed.^[26]

Khan hosted the second season of 10 Ka Dum in year 2009 which turned out to be even more successful than his first season as host of the game show in year 2008. The show got very high TRPs for Sony Entertainment Television and according to reports, the show helped Sony TV regain its third position in the Indian television ratings.^[27]

Khan's first film of 2009, Wanted directed by choreographer turned director Prabhu Deva. In the same year, he appeared in two other films, Main Aurr Mrs Khanna and London Dreams. While London Dreams doing average business, only due to the uninspiring music, but Main Aurr Mrs Khanna made 21 crores through DTH Premiere.^[28]

2010s[link]

Khan's first release of 2010 was Anil Sharma's commercially and critically unsuccessful film Veer. His next release, Dabangg, was produced by his brother Arbaaz Khan, and released on 10 September 2010. It made a record opening at the box office^[29] and Box Office India declared it an all-time blockbuster.^[30] For his performance in Dabangg, Khan received a Star Screen Award for Best Actor and a Stardust Award for Star of the Year – Male and was nominated for his sixth Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Anupama Chopra from NDTV wrote about his performance, "It's the role of a lifetime and Salman Khan bites into it like a starving man devours a feast. He inhabits it fully, strutting and swaggering and even, spoofing himself."^[31]

Khan's first release of 2011 was Ready which released on 3 June. The film broke several box office records and is currently the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. He next appeared in Bodyguard. Upon release, the film became an all time blockbuster at the box office,^[32] with Khan's performance receiving favourable comments from critics and is currently the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. ^[33]

Personal life[link]

In 2004, he was voted seventh-best-looking man in the world and the best looking man in India by People magazine, USA.^[34] Khan has been involved in several charities during his career.^[35]

On 11 October 2007, Khan accepted an offer from Madame Tussauds wax museum in London to have a wax replica made of himself. His life-size wax figure was installed there on 15 January 2008, making him the fourth Indian actor to have been replicated as a wax statue in the museum.^[36][37]