With Vakeel Saab releasing later this week, there's going to be a lot of discussion about Power Star's "mass". This will be in addition to the discourse around the sidelining of its female characters, with Kalyan playing their savior. So, before you indulge in verbal ping-pong about the rights and wrongs of remaking the Hindi drama Pink with an actor whose image is larger-than-life, here's a list of his massy scenes and songs that you can dive into.
When a moneylender tries to buy a hotel, by hook or by crook, from a woman, Siddhu (Kalyan) intervenes and uses his muscle power to thwart the operation. It's a funny, action scene that reminds his opponents about his status. Posani Krishna Murali's passive-aggressive behaviour helps the scene land on the mark right.
Can songs also be massy and show what a star is capable of doing in a non-masala potboiler? If we're talking about Chiranjeevi, then we can easily mention his dance moves. But when it comes to actors like Kalyan and Mahesh Babu, they bring other things to the table, such as charisma and exuberance. In the song, "Travelling Soldier," Kalyan (as Subhash) sweats hard to become a kickboxer.
This interval scene in Jalsa is still remembered by the fans of the actor because he delivers a monologue that describes his character's hardships. The dialogue doesn't appear like it's been written by somebody else, even though that's exactly what happens in mass hero movies. This single scene has more "mass" than some of the action dramas he has been a part of.
"Nuvvu Nanda aithe, nenu Badri… Badrinath, aithe yenti?" is still a catchphrase in many Telugu households. The popularity of this phrase emerges from the embers of Sean Connery's flamboyant utterance, "Bond… James Bond." If you remember that iconic scene from Dr. No, then you must also be aware of the flexibility of that phrase. "Siddhu… Siddhartha Roy," from Kushi is just another example.
You might find a couple of Hindi words in Telugu songs every now and then, but if you're listening to a full-length Hindi song from a Telugu film, then you are probably a lover of "Ye Mera Jaha." This song lives rent-free in the minds of many hardcore movie-buffs because it's catchy and presents Kalyan as a youth icon.
In this remake of the Hindi blockbuster Dabangg, Kalyan straddles the line between playing a roguish cop and running some sort of a parallel government. The OTT-ness in the line, "Naaku koncham thikka-undi, kaani daaniki-o lekka-undi," is perfect for an action drama. Along with such ebullient one-liners, Gabbar Singh also has many comedy scenes that work well.