#KisiKaBhaiKisiKiJaan review: Salman Khan starrer butchers physics, entertainment, sanity
There are several aspects that can go wrong in a film: the story and screenplay can dwindle, the characters can be half-baked, the pace can be languid, there can be a bewildering age gap between the primary protagonists, etc. All of this (and more) goes south in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, eventually reducing it to a crude, headache-inducing cinematic offering. We review.
'KKBKKJ' is the story of a man committed to family
There's a semblance of a plot in KKBKKJ. Bhaijaan (Salman Khan) has vowed never to marry so that he can completely focus on his three brothers and isn't "diverted." However, the brothers have girlfriends, and the only way they can enter the nuptial knot is if Bhaijaan marries first. Thus, they orchestrate Bhagya's (Pooja Hegde) meeting with Bhaijaan, and KKBKKJ follows their love story.
The film is excessively lengthy and all over the place
It's difficult to describe how atrocious KKBKKJ is and words can only cover so much. It reminded me slightly of Khan's multistarrer Ready, but unlike the Anees Bazmee directorial that reveled in its own goofiness and evoked genuine laughs, KKBKKJ isn't even in the same territory. It's not just the title that is all over the place—the entire movie is, too.
Another misfire of epic proportions from director Farhad Samji
Courtesy of Pop Kaun and Housefull 4, there is little we have come to expect of Farhad Samji, and here, he doesn't disappoint in disappointing us. If the bar was already low, it is now under the earth. A choppy screenplay, gravity-defying fights that refuse to end, an overbearing climax, and women being reduced to flower-pot roles—KKBKKJ is inked blue with Samji's signature style.
The illogical sequences override your sanity
I fail to wrap my head around why Khan wants to tear through whatever remnants are left of his legacy. His entry scene (sorry, physics), made me burst into laughter—a classic case of not laughing with the film, but at it. Who approved his hideous wig? Why were Khan's eyes drooping from exhaustion? What's with the endless songs? Several questions but very few answers.
Each scene is overpopulated with too many characters
Most of the scenes have more people than you can count and this overstuffed tendency both defines and derails the drama. The emotional problems are laughably cosmetic and the emotional sequences reek of artificiality; either way, you can't connect with them. Additionally, the very premise of Bhaijaan not initially wanting to marry because women supposedly break things apart is problematic at its very core.
A project for Khan's fanboys only
Khan is in almost every frame and the film is a playground for him (the actor and the character) to go full throttle vis-a-vis action. The film is a project of fanservice for Khan's fanboys—an extension of which are his three brothers and the locality that cheers for him with hoots of "10 rupay ki Pepsi, Bhaijaan se*y." I am not making this up.
The antagonist refuses to evoke any fear, leave a mark
I don't understand the choice of Vijender Singh as the antagonist when Abhimanyu Singh is literally right there, and even with hardly any dialogue, he has a much more commanding presence than Vijender—who is a huge miscast. In a film made only for its protagonist, nobody else gets any meat. If you're expecting any backstories or solid character arcs, please bury your hopes beforehand.
What's with the antiquated depiction of women?
Women in KKBKKJ exist only to play second fiddle to the men. Bhagya works in antique preservation but we never see her at work. Sukoon (Shehnaaz Gill), Muskaan (Palak Tiwari), and Chahat (Vinali Bhatnagar) are shown as women whose sole purpose is to marry Ishq (Raghav Juyal), Moh (Jassie Gill), and Luv (Siddharth Nigam), respectively. In Samji's world, women are reduced to their appearances.
Lack of good writing, so 'KKBKKJ' overcompensates with unnecessary sequences
The weak screenplay wastes way a lot of time setting the love story in place and when movies are preoccupied with lengthening the runtime, it exposes their weakest link—the lack of good writing and the inexistent nature of character arcs. This is exactly the case here. You don't really care about what's happening on screen after a point because it's either illogical or self-contradictory.
Save your money, run for your life!
Toward the climax, Khan says something along the lines of, "Some things are better theoretically than in practice," and he should have taken his advice during the conceptualization of KKBKKJ. Even cringe offers lowbrow entertainment, but the logical fallacies here burn through the screen and this overlong, undercooked, overall questionable film kills every ounce of your patience. My only favorite part? The end credits.
