Bollywood actor Salman Khan is considered as the Box Office Sultan of Bollywood, thanks to his unprecedented record with Eid releases. In fact, out of his previous 10 films, 6 Salman Khan starrers were released during the Eid holidays and went on to become blockbusters at the Bollywood Box Office. Be it Dabanng (2009), Bodyguard (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Kick (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) and Sultan (2016), all films set the Bollywood Box Office on fire especially the last 2 films entered the coveted Rs 300 crore club as well.
This year as well, Salman Khan is back with another Eid release, Tubelight, where he has collaborated with director Kabir Khan for the third time after Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
However, compared to usual Salman Khan films, the pre-release buzz of Tubelight was not engaging, thanks to the not-so-engaging trailer. But trade is expecting much from Tubelight as barring Jolly LLB 2, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Baahubali 2 and Hindi Medium, none of the Bollywood films actually managed to rake in good moolah at the Box Office this year.
Also read: There’s only one way Salman Khan’s Tubelight can create a Box Office history. Find out
Will Salman Khan deliver yet another blockbuster with Tubelight? Can he score a hat-trick of Rs 300 crore Eid blockbusters after Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan? Tubelight jalegi ki nahi? Let’s analyse:
Tubelight tells the story of an innocent guy Laxman (fondly known as Tubelight by friends) who is waiting for his brother Bharat’s return from the Indo-China war. Both the brothers (played by Salman Khan and Sohail Khan) are emotionally attached to each other since they lost their parents at a young age and were raised by their uncle, portrayed by late Om Puri. One day, an army group comes for a recruitment drive for the Indo-China war and Bharath gets selected and eventually has to join the army for the so-called war by leaving Laxman along with their uncle and friends.
Will Bharat come back after the war? Will he meet Laxman and his uncle again? For that, you need to watch the flick.
Also read: Why is Salman Khan’s Tubelight called ‘Tubelight’?
Also read: Tubelight Live Movie Review: Salman Khan pulls all right strings of the heart with his simpleton act
First things first!
Tubelight is not a typical Salman Khan film where you can see the macho actor bashing up the goons and doing his signature style dance moves. In Tubelight, you will get to see the ‘actor’ Salman Khan than the ‘superstar’ Salman Khan. A charming face and an innocent smile, Salman Khan was adorable as Laxman aka Tubelight. The Bollywood superstar comes out as exceptional in emotional scenes and it’s good to see Salman Khan in a refreshing avatar delivering an impressive performance. Probably his second best performance as an ‘actor’ after ‘Suhan Kapoor’ from the 2006 film Jaan-E-Mann. He is the heart and soul of the film and manages to carry a smile on the audience whenever he appears on the screen.
Sohail Khan as Bharat is good, but his role is restricted in the film. His chemistry with Salman Khan, especially in the emotional scenes look like a natural bonding is a real treat to watch. Malayalam actress Isha Talwar makes a good debut with Tubelight and so does the Chinese actress Zhu Zhu and Master Matin Rey Tangu. Late actor Om Puri delivers a memorable performance in his last film and his advice speech to Salman Khan in the pre-climax portions will definitely melt your heart.
Salman Khan in a still from Tubelight (Courtesy: Tubelight/ treated by Chetan Kamal)
Another takeaway from Tubelight is its good choreography, done by Aseem Mishra, who brilliantly captures the beautiful locations of Ladakh and Manali. Pritam’s music is decent with Tinka Tinka Dil Mera, sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan standing out.
However, as a film, Tubelight works only in parts. It has a tacky screenplay jointly written by Parveez Shaika and Manurishi Chadha along with the director Kabir Khan. Though the director tries to include many emotional moments, most scenes seem half-baked. Also, the war sequences appear to be poorly executed and don’t connect with the film’s first half. Kabir Khan, quite sadly, fails to recreate the magic of Bhaijaan-Munni ‘s adorable chemistry with Salman and Matin Rey. What is also unfortunate to see is how a good actor like Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub seems to be completely wasted in the film.
Also read: KRK has watched Tubelight and here’s his verdict on the Salman Khan film
Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in Tubelight Trailer
If there’s anything more left for disappointment, it’s a perfectly miss-fit cameo by Shah Rukh Khan. Overall, Tubelight works only in parts due to an average first half and a better second half. However, Salman Khan’s performance as an adorable Laxman saves the day for Kabir Khan. At the Box Office, this Tubelight is expected to blink like Prem Ratan Dhan Payo after an excellent opening weekend.
Note: The review has been done by our correspondent from Middle-East where the film has been released a day prior in India
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