As the title “Pasi Vadu Pawan Kalyan Ayyadu” flashes on the screen, we have an idea what the director is gonna do with his star that is to play to the galleries and boy did he play it and how. Gabbar Singh is a vibrant cinema that knows its strengths are the star it banks on and his fans who flock to see him in form. To manage both the feats and emerge triumphant is no mean feat for a two film old director and Harish Shankar has done it with élan by delivering a perfect pot boiler this side of the decade.

 Dabang or no Dabang, Gabbar Singh is a winner right from the word go as the only intention it was made was to entertain. Whenever the tempo seems to drop a bit, the director falls back on to the star power at his disposal and Pawan was in his elements after a really long time much to the surprise of his fans and sends them into elation with his trademark irreverence. The one-liners written appear to be cheesy sometimes but the conviction with which they were delivered makes them stand apart and resonate with the masses.

 There is nothing much to write home about the story or the screenplay, as everyone knows how they progress, thanks to the Salman Starrer. There were changes to the original, but we were far away from caring about the story, plot points or devices as long as Pawan was on screen, which was about 98% of the time. He literally owns the movie and every character was written to work around his aura either to enhance it or failing to negate it. The star revels on the glory and makes his merry way around in his characteristic swagger.

 And when we are talking Telugu Cinema, we can never forget the song and dance. Though the dances look a bit rehearsed and not very graceful compared to the regular Telugu Cinema standards, they were to their credit easy on the viewers eyes and the actors’ capabilities. When Gabbar is not fighting, mouthing one-liners or dancing his way around, he tries to woo Bhagya Lakshmi (Sruthi Hasan in a rather underwritten role again thanks to the flawed original).

 The film’s success lies not on the story or the plot, but on establishing the hero as the savior or the Robin Hood Pandey and apparently it succeeds. It has a star who is believable and charismatic enough to be larger than other characters and the story so to speak and life in general. For everyone looking for a gala time at the screens, this is the best bet for you this year by a very long shot.