For someone who enjoyed Abhinav Kashyap’s Dabangg, the sequel is a disappointment, mostly because it offers nothing new. From the opening fight scene in a large garage/ warehouse (which is a rehash of the opening scene of part 1), Dabangg 2 simply takes the template of its predecessor and hits the refresh button.

So there’s an item number, a large choreographed song with Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan) and his cop colleagues, a ballad sung in the streets, except this time Chulbul is wooing wife Rajjo (Sonakshi Sinha) in the streets of Kanpur and there’s a slim conflict with a local heavy.

The goons in small town set films are always criminals who traumatize the locals, work their way into local politics and suppress the police, till a new inspector comes along and shakes things up. In this case, Chulbul takes on Bacha bhai (Prakash Raj). Why can’t we have some more interesting plots? At least Bacha bhai’s nasty brother Genda, played by relish by Deepak Dobriyal, adds some layers to an otherwise hackneyed story.

Till interval point the screenplay is simply about showcasing Chulbul – as his belt moves involuntarily; as he slips his sunglasses on and off his face, in and out of the back of this shirt; as he charms the local media; flirts with his wife etc. Chulbul is lovable, and charming, no doubt, but it’s not enough to build a two-and-a-half-hour long film on. A worthy antagonist would have helped, but the conflict with Bacha bhai gains momentum only post interval, which is the better half of the film.

Sonakshi Sinha has little to do and very little to show beyond the demure, traditional wife who sure can work a backless choli! Prakash Raj’s south Indian accent is a deterrent to him pulling off the part of a UP thug. Vinod Khanna and Arbaaz Khan do well as Chulbul’s father and brother, respectively. So it’s really left to Salman to be Salman and Chulbul and the sole reason to watch Dabangg 2.

PS: U/A is not an appropriate rating for this violent film

Rating: **