'Dabangg' is turning point in my career: Sonu Sood

New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) He has featured in many big-starrers, but it is 'Dabangg' that has got actor Sonu Sood his due. He has earned rave reviews for essaying the corrupt politician, Cheddi Singh, in the cop comedy.

' 'Dabangg' has been a turning point in my career. It has taken me a step ahead and portrayed me in a different avatar. It has helped people know that I can do action also,' Sonu, 37, told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

Salman Khan plays the lead in 'Dabangg', but Sonu's performance was noticed and appreciated by audiences as well as critics.

'It feels really nice when you are recognised for your hard work. When you are not from the industry it is difficult to convince the people that you are capable of doing well. It feels great that after years, my hard work has finally paid off. I am receiving lots of film offers,' he added.

The actor played the lead role in Sooraj Barjatya's 'Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi' and he was also seen in sizeable roles in big-budget movies 'Jodhaa Akbar' and 'Singh Is Kinng'. The last two films were successful, but it didn't benefit him much.

Sonu was supposed to play Salman Khan's role but when the actor himself agreed to play the lead, he was offered Cheddi Singh's role.

Sonu made his Bollywood debut with 'Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh' in 2002 but was better noticed as Abhishek Bachchan's brother in Mani Ratnam's 'Yuva' (2004). He then went on to do films like 'Aashiq Banaya Aapne' (2005), 'Sheesha' (2005) and 'Siskiyaan' (2005).

A self-confessed fitness freak, Sonu is flooded with compliments for the six-pack abs he flaunts in 'Dabangg'. Asked how much hard work he put in to attain the sculpted body, Sonu admits he leads a very disciplined life.

'When you are acting alongside someone like Salman Khan, you have to be in great shape. I indeed had to work on my body. You have to be very disciplined.

'I dedicate three to fours hours daily on gymming and workouts. I also keep changing my workout schedule every 10-15 days. Sometimes I do cardio, sometimes kickboxing, which helps me stay fit.

'Diet also plays an important role. You need to cut down on carbs, high-protein and get used to non-tasty food,' said Sonu, who works out at True Fitness, the largest fitness and wellness centre in Mumbai.

It is often said that to have a good physique one needs to have non-vegetarian food, but Sonu says it's a myth. 'It is a myth that one has to feed on non-vegetarian food to build up those muscles. It is not true.'

Producer Arbaaz Khan has started work on a sequel to 'Dabangg'.

'In the sequel, I would be playing the role of the twin brother of Cheddi Singh, who will return to take revenge from Chulbul Pandey (Salman). Abhinav Kashyap (director) is working on the script. They plan to shift the film from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra,' he said.

Meanwhile, Sonu is gearing up for his next movie, 'Buddha', which has Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role.

'I play a cop in the film and you would be seeing me with a leaner yet muscular look. I have already started working out,' he said.

Dabangg – Movie Review

Cast: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Sonu Sood, Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Mahesh Manjrekar, Om Puri
Director: Abhinav Singh Kashyap

Dabangg Movie Review
Issme action bhi hai, emotion bhi hai, romance bhi hai, drama bhi hai. Issme Salman Hai. Yeh ‘Dabangg’ Hai. That’s right, before the first decade of the current Millennium comes to an end, ‘Dabangg’ has to be the first ever masala film after a long time that turns out to be the most unabashed display of star power. Really, all that you remember once the show of ‘Dabangg’ ends is Salman Khan.

The reason is simple. If one starts scratching the surface, there is an utter lack of storyline in ‘Dabangg’. All you get to see is one item sequence tied with another, sometimes not so successfully and at number of times successfully. And when it does tie up well eventually, there is no stopping back. You can’t get your eyes off Salman and this is what makes ‘Dabangg’ stand out as a quintessential masala film that has audience asking for more.

Salman Khan is our very own Robinhood Pandey who loots from the goons and discreetly distributes it amongst the needy. However, this Robinhood act of his just remains at the surface without taking over the proceedings. In fact to think of it, there is absolutely nothing that takes over the proceedings even once despite a dozen odd characters spread all over the narrative.

A mother (Dimple Kapadia) who loves her elder son but can’t side with him since he has her feelings intact for her second husband (Vinod Khanna) and their child (Arbaaz Khan). A quiet young woman (Sonakshi Sinha) who gets to know the name of her hubby only after getting married to him. A politician (Anupam Kher) who never quite comes on his own. A goon (Romeo) whose only job is to get beaten up whenever he establishes an eye contact with Salman. A cop (Om Puri) who comes across as a mere sidekick. Most of these characters barely stay on as peripherals even as Salman dominates the show.

Thankfully, the man who actually turns out to have a good screen time as well as screen presence is Sonu Sood who makes use of the opportunity that came his way with ‘Dabangg’. As a villain (who by the way loves to be addressed as a hero), he has a well defined character that basically comes on his own in the second half of the film and actually contributes to the overall plot.

Now that’s actually a big relief because honestly, the first half of the film is just a set of pieces that come together by coincidence and not intent. In fact it won’t be wrong to say that for the first 45 minutes at least, you end up wondering whether ‘Dabangg’ was actually the case of promos misleading audience into expecting something really phenomenal. Yes, there are some clap worthy sequences but still, an absence of a concrete plot means that you do tend to get a little flustered and also impatient. You do expect some drama to build up to a cause but all you get to see is Salman’s histrionics put on display.

However, things do take a turn for much better in the second half and as the plot thickens (to whatever extent possible in an out and out Salman show that ‘Dabangg’ is), the film begins to engross the audience. the game of tricks being played to make the two brothers (Salman and Arbaaz clash), the flashback sequence involving Dimple, the anti climax at Arbaaz’s wedding – just about everything ends up making ‘Dabangg’ a much enjoyable affair.

To add to that, music plays a big part in ensuring that ‘Dabangg’ stays on to be a lively affair. Short and sweet, each of the numbers come at just the right time and never cause an interruption in the narrative. The cherry on the top is the item song (Munni Badnaam) which is anyways the talk of the season.

Moreover, the best is reserved for the finale that makes ‘Dabangg’ an absolute enthralling affair for the masses. The extra long fight sequence involving Salman, first with a bunch of goons where his entire police forces supports him and later hand to hand combat with Sonu Sood makes ‘Dabangg’ a thrilling affair. Really, this is a complete ’seeti maar’ affair which is actually best enjoyed in theaters.

No wonder, ‘Dabangg’ is all set to work extremely well in theaters. All set to enjoy one of the best starts of the current year, ‘Dabangg’ has in it to enjoy a good innings, at least during the first fortnight. While this should be Salman’s biggest hit ever since ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’, it will also ensure that ‘masala’ movies won’t die in near future with more and more projects conceived on the same lines.

Dabangg

Cast: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Sonu Sood, Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia Director: Abhinav Kashyap Rating:** ½

Da-bang. D-Bang. More Bang For Your Buck. The relentlessly publicised Dabangg comes with the kind of near-forgotten buzz that used to get generated back in those days when there were only single screens, and opening Fridays would see box office windows smashed by surging crowds.

There’s the inimitable Salman spread across every inch of the stretch. There’s new girl Sonakshi who has the smoulder-and-sweetness that’s gone missing from Bolly-hopers these days. And there is the unparalleled Munni doing the badnaam thing in an item number which rocks the rafters.

With all the ingredients of a masala entertainer lined up, what could possibly go wrong with Dabangg? It mainlines Inspector Chulbul Pandey (Khan) who makes up for his sissy monicker by prefacing it with Robin Hood. As in Hamaara naam hai Robin Hood Pandey, pyar se log humein Chulbul kahte hain : he doesn’t actually say it, but you hear the echoes of that classic line when Chulbul Bhaiyya opens his mouth. That’s what Abhinav Kashyap’s directorial debut is-- an unabashed tribute to the 70s films set in small town India, where the hero was allowed a little naughtiness as long as he was the saviour of the poor, and a saint when it came to the women in his life, namely his mother and his legally wedded wife. The villain was given some wiggle room, but always had to lose in the climax, even if he was better built than the hero.