Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan Review: It’s a Salman Khan movie

Kisi ka bhai kisi ki jaan is a Hindi movie released in cinemas. It is directed by Farhad Samji and stars Salman Khan, Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh, Bhumika Chawla, Jagapathi Babu, Vijender Singh, Shehnaaz Gill, Raghav Juyal, Palak Tiwari, Jassie Gill, Siddharth Nigam

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan Review

Frankly, the toughest assignment, even for veteran critics, is to review a Salman Khan movie for what it is. It is impossible to critique it dispassionately, especially if one had seen it along with his multitude of fans. The celebratory atmosphere and the rambunctious fun at the theatres can skew the viewing experience. And if the film is even half-decently made, it is impossible not to enjoy it. But arriving at this mean, the half-decent is tough.

For the director, to helm Salman Khan is equally an arduous task. There are certain elements that virtually gatecrash into a Sallu Bhai film — foot-tapping masala songs, over-the-top fights, loud comedy, some sentimental moments, and punchy dialogues. Add to the mix some double-entendre exchanges to cater to the lower common denominator. The screenplay has to fit itself somewhere amidst this crowded plate. 

But, of course, this is a predicament for the directors of all-star vehicles. Down south, in Telugu and Tamil, which have their larger-than-life stars, they have patented these types of movies. No wonder Salman Khan has made quite a few remakes from Tamil and Telugu — films like Kick, Bodyguard, and Wanted readily come to mind. 

Salman Khan has once again gone that much-travelled route of remakes for Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, his Eid release after a gap of four years. It is a reprise of the 2014 Tamil hit Veeram, which starred Ajith Kumar. For those of us who saw Veeram and felt it to be an overblown entertainer, watching Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan is sobering. In this sense, it is an even more extravagant version of Veeram.

The presence of Telugu star Venkatesh perhaps adds more masala to the proceedings. The only difference from the original is that the heroine’s father’s character has been changed to be her brother. Aside from this minor tweak, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan sticks to Veeram for the most part but amps up the masala meter to near maximum. Everything is played up, and there is a minor riot — of dance, fights, emotions, and comedy.  

The plot is about Bhaijaan (with this name, who else but Salman Khan), who is against marriage as he had to give up his love due to circumstances. He lives with his three brothers, Moh, Ishq and Love (Jassie Gill, Raghav Juyal and Siddharth Nigam). The brothers are all brawn and are known to settle issues with fisticuffs and violence.

Unbeknownst to Bhaijaan, the three brothers are in love with Muskaan, Sukoon and Chahat (Palak Tiwari, Shehnaaz Gill and Vinali Bhatnagar). Arrives into the gaggle of hidden romance and overt fights, Bhagyalaxmi (Pooja Hegde). After some fun and frolic-filled exchanges, the Andhra lass and Bhaijaan fall for each other.

Bhagyalaxmi has a brother, Annayya (Venkatesh) and a sister-in-law (Bhumika Chawla). Annayya is against violence, but Bhaijaan and his brothers know only that. And into this, there is an interesting surprise element involving the past of Annayya and his family. But in the way it is narrated, it doesn’t matter. Bhaijaan and his brothers have to save Annayya’s family but without resorting to fights openly.

Salman Khan does what is expected of him. Fights, romances, makes jokes, does suggestive dance movements – everything in capital letters. Pooja Hegde as his love interest, has to go through the motions of looking good and making her presence felt in a few scenes. Venky as Annayya (making his Bollywood comeback after his 1995 film Taqdeerwala) has nothing much to do. The gaggle of brothers and their love interest add mirth to the scheme of things. But this is where the Tamil original scored — the humour was enjoyable and organic. Here it is a bit forced.

The villains (Jagapathy Babu, boxer Vijender Singh) have nothing new to do except get beaten up by Bhaijaan and his brothers.

There is a special appearance by Bhagyashree, her husband Himalaya Dassani and actor-son Abhimanyu Dassani, and a hat-tip to her debut film with Salman, Maine Pyar Kiya. 

The music and dance, popular on the internet, are typically garish and beats-filled. The fights by Anal Arasu are typically physics-law defying and bruising. Director Farhad Samji, the remake specialist, has not attempted anything funky.

The point is that Bhaijaan is a Salman Khan movie and can be set in motion even by Chat GPT.

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