Salman Khan-Pooja Hegde’s latest Eid release, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan has all the gloss but no ‘jaan’.
Cast: Salman Khan, Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh Daggubati, Bhumika Chawla, Shehnaaz Gill, Raghav Juyal, Siddharth Nigam, Palak Tiwari, Jassie Gill, Jagapathi Babu, Vijender Singh
Director: Farhad Samji
Writers: Farhad Samji, Sparsh Khetarpal, Tasha Bhambra
“Jab shareer, dil aur dimaag mujhse kehta hai bas bhai, no more, toh main kehta hoon bring it on,” says Salman Khan to one of the baddies in his latest Eid release, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ka Jaan.
Wait, is this one of the reasons why the Bollywood superstar has been a part of some poorly-written films in recent times? Well, the answer to this will always remain a mystery just like Salman’s character name in this Farhad Samji directorial! Because at the end of the day, it’s all about loving ‘Bhaijaan.’
What’s Yay: Salman Khan going ‘dishoom-dishoom’, dropping his shirt and doing just ‘Bhai’ things, the cute Maine Pyaar Kiya reunion on screen.
What’s Nay: Predictable story, lazy direction, forgettable songs
Story
Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan opens in Delhi where Bhaijaan (Salman Khan), a kind-hearted orphan turns into a one-man army when some mafia politicians try to vacate his ‘mohalla’ for their ulterior motives. Few minutes later, enter his three adopted brothers, Ishq (Raghav Juyal), Luv (Siddharth Nigam) and Moh (Jassie Gill). The boys already have their own love stories brewing and want Bhaijaan to give up his single status.
When Bhagya aka Bhagya Lakshmi (Pooja Hegde), a conservator of antiques from Hyderabad, walks into their ‘mohalla’, Ishq, Luv and Moh take it as a God’s sign and decide to ship her with their Bhaijaan. No prizes for guessing! Bhaijaan soon becomes Bhagya’s ‘Jaan’ and decides to meet her family who lives in Hyderabad to seek his lady love’s hand in marriage.
But there’s a catch! Bhagya’s anniya (Venkatesh Daggubati) is a non-violent man and to add more to it, there’s danger lurking around the Gundamaneni family in the form of a ruthless man, Nageshwar (Jagapathi Babu).
Direction
Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan rests on a wafer-thin plot just like its source material, Ajith’s 2014 Tamil action drama, Veeram. But instead of avoiding the loopholes from the original, writer-director Farhad Samji and his two co-writers make a mess out of the plot. The screenplay is all over the place.
It looks like the filmmaker wanted to celebrate Salman’s stardom but his wobbly direction and poor writing spoils the show for him. His ‘north meets south’ khichdi neither has any masala nor any tadka. Samji doesn’t take any effort to flesh out his characters. They appear and disappear from the scene only to let Bhaijaan do all the talking. The jokes in the film are banal and the forced melodrama fares no better.
There’s nothing subtle in this Bhai-land. So, the director also makes the crowd in the film to whistle for the hero because hey, it is supposed to be a ‘seeti-maar’ finale!
Performances
This is a role that Salman Khan can even pull off in his sleep! His Bhaijaan romances, sheds tears, pokes fun at himself, goes shirtless and beats the ‘rowdies’ to pulp… just like in every quintessential Salman film! You can’t deny that the man still has oozes some charm and swag even in a mediocre film like Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. All he needs to do is to pick up the right scripts.
After Salman Khan, if there’s anyone who has more screen space in this film then it’s Pooja Hegde. She looks pretty in every frame. Unfortunately, her acting chops seem a little inconsistent at places. But overall, it’s a good effort from her end.
We deserved more of Venkatesh Daggubati in this film! The man is simply wasted in his role as he barely gets any chance to show his skills except for a scene or two.
The other ladies- Bhumika Chawla, Shehnaaz Gill, Palak Tiwari and Vinali Bhatnagar end up as mere props in the movie.
Watching Satish Kaushik for the last time on the big screen leaves you a bit emotional. Raghav Juyal, Siddharth Nigam and Jassie Gill lack spark and barely contribute to the film.
Vijender Singh as one of Bhaijaan’s adversaries evokes many laughs than chills. The same holds true for Jagapathi Babu who has excelled as a villain in many films down the South.
Technical Aspects
V Manikandan brings some vigour on screen with his visuals. Mayuresh Sawant’s blunt editing scissors add more to the woes.
Music
If there was any award for the most random insertion of songs in a film, then Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan would easily pick up one. Farhad Samji doesn’t need any reason to make ‘Bhaijaan’ shake a leg. Also, none of the tracks leave an impact. Ram Charan drops in for a friendly cameo in ‘Yentamma’ song, but leaves you chuckling instead with his ‘Bhaijaan ki shaadi mein ram deewana’.
Verdict
Every time Abhimanyu Singh’s character finds himself in a sticky situation, he breaks into a ‘kahan phas gaya’. Watching Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Jaan gives you that similar feeling. No wonder, when Venkatesh Daggubati exclaims ‘The End’, it seems like music to your ears.
