A remake of the Telugu film Stalin, which in turn borrows heavily from the 2000 Hollywood film Pay It Forward starring Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment, the Sohail Khan directed Jai Ho is worn-out.
Salman Khan plays Jai Agnihotri, a former army-man who tries to spread righteousness and goodness with the idea that when someone does you a good turn, rather than give thanks do a good turn towards three other people and in return ask each of them to do a good deed for three people, and so on.
Each character – and there are many – repeats the idea time and again (I wish I had kept count because it felt like the idea was repeated like eighty times).
Besides being a formulaic showcase of Salman’s talents for his millions of adoring fans as he dances, romances, jumps, pumps, roars and bares his chest, this film is also a great employer of several out of work actors.
It’s an ensemble cast headlined by Salman and Tabu as his sister, Daisy Shah as his arm-candy (and that’s all she brings to the table) and Danny Denzongpa as his enemy number one. Adding support are Ashmit Patel, Yash Tonk, Sana Khan, Suniel Shetty, Mohnish Behl and Nadira Babbar, among others.
Jai (Salman) represents the ‘aam aadmi’, the common man who is inconvenienced and affected by the whimsies and egos of politicians. But when the Home Minister threatens Jai’s family he discards all peace-loving thoughts and beats everyone to a pulp.
And finally he’s shirtless. It’s a scene clearly designed to play to the galleries – and it does. But then in the next scene when Suniel Shetty rumbles on to the middle of a highway, pushing an SUV off the road with his tank, the audience erupts in laughter.
The mixed message of the wannabe-human film is one of its major problems, compounded by forgettable music and repeated dialogues.
Jai Ho is one for diehard Salman Khan fans only.
Rating: **
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