At one point in this trailer, Chulbul Pandey, the endearing vigilante cop played by Salman Khan, whips his belt from around his waist to cut the villains to size. A heroic moment awaits. But then, his pants fall off.
This feels a gag that belongs to the Rohit Shetty universe. It's a sign that the world of Dabanng is no longer going to just be about swagger and spats. Puerile humour will find its way into the narrative. Whether welcome or not, this is to be expected. For it is Prabhu Deva, whose films very much peddle in such humour and colour, who directed and co-wrote this movie (with Salman Khan, Dilip Shukla, and Aloke Upadhyaya).
Will this combination of Prabhu Deva humour and Salman swagger crackle like it did in 2009 with Wanted?
We find out December 20, 2019.
For the Dabanng purists however, this movie will also provide the origin story of Pandey's style of tucking his sunglasses behind his collar. There's a flashback sequence with Pandey's first love played by Saiee Manjrekar. There's also the ever resplendent Rajjo, played by Sonakshi Sinha with brighter neon saris. But hey, this is a Prabhu Deva film, after all.