Gabbar Singh

Harish Shankar's 2012 Telugu film is a remake of the 2010 Hindi film Dabangg. A young man who leaves home after falling out with his stepfather returns years later as a police inspector working by his own rules and comes up against a local criminal network. The film is built on Pawan Kalyan's presence and was a large commercial success; the heroic template rests on a figure who bends the law in his own favour while staying likeable. Devi Sri Prasad's music was among the most popular albums of its period. What is troubling is making police violence into comic material and leaving the woman character as a function. Who it's for: viewers who like Telugu commercial action and Pawan Kalyan's films. Who it's not for: anyone who has seen the original, or troubled by police violence used as entertainment.