By Stutee Ghosh

At one point in Gabbar is Back, a fierce looking Akshay Kumar looks his villain in the eye and yells – “I am a bigger brand than you.”

Really! That’s probably the most honest line in this 130 min long saga. Brand Akshay is back. This time playing the eponymous hero of Gabbar is Back. Directed by Telugu film director Krish, this is a remake of A R Murugudoss’ 2002 film Ramanaa.

Akshay Kumar’s Gabbar might share his name with one of Bollywood’s most memorable antagonists, but that’s where all the similarities end. Our angry, bearded Gabbar couldn’t be least bothered with the Jais and Veerus of this world.

He is instead a man on a mission – killing the bad guys so that the good ones can live hassle-free. His prescription for the epidemic of corruption in our society is unadulterated vigilante justice. Gabbar is unforgiving and ruthless when dealing with the corrupt. However when he comes face to face with beauties like Kareena Kapoor and Shruti Haasan he doesn’t really have any qualms about breaking into an elaborate song and dance.

The story of Gabbar is Back is simple, the storytelling is pacy but not spectacular. The first half introduces us to Gabbar’s style of intricate planning to fish out corrupt government officials and his unsparing pursuit of cleansing the system by killing the corrupt. Real estate baron Patil, played by Telugu actor Suman Talwar, gives Gabbar a good fight which has enough steam to last till the end.

This hero vs villain fight unfolds against the backdrop of a huffing and panting Police department. Chief Jaideep Ahlawat and Constable Sunil Grover do what they can in the limited screen time they have at their disposal. The whole drama, however, climaxes with Gabbar’s diatribe right at the end against the ills of our society. It’s long, preachy and unimaginative making us wish the film would get over soon. So apart from some gritty action sequences that have now become an Akshay Kumar staple and a few engrossing scenes like the hospital corruption scene in particular, the over the top dialogues, jarring background score and wafer thin plot hardly give us much to rave about.

Gabbar is Back is strictly for die-hard Akshay fans who would go anyway to watch their favorite Khiladi Kumar play. For the rest of the discerning janta be warned.

I give it 2 out of 5 QUINTS.