When the movie ends, BODYGUARD Lovely Singh's story begins. That's how innocent a character he is and Salman Khan is action personified, playing abondhu in love and a maniac when it comes to performing his duty. Both characters balanced with the uncanny knack which he has been displaying of late. If Chulbul Pandey from DABAANG was dangerous, Lovely Singh is suave. There is no cockiness to this character which Salmanis generally associated with. He has stripped himself bare and allowed Siddique, first-time Bollywood director, to call the shots. Moreover, having Salim Khan as the script consultant certainly has its benefit. The gentle turn the story takes into being a powerful love saga is the shock value. The narrative, when it ends is also novel.

Two things are certain now. ONE. Salman Khan is the darling of the masses. TWO. Straight from the horse's mouth we hear that he and Katrina Kaif are no longer a couple. "Yeh Madam Katrina Kaif ki tasveer hai. Yeh assignment khatam ho chukka hai," says Salman as Lovely Singh the BODYGUARD when he is accidentally given a wrong photograph of the girl he has to guard. Watching the movie with the audience 'first-day-first-show' is the actual barometer of how the film will fare and this performance will to put to rest all those baying for Salman's blood. This guy had done a bloody good job. Mind you, I am no fan of Salman but cannot help applauding his performance in BODYGUARD, which has to be one among his best. The fans, that's another story. He had the taalis in full flow. Lovely Singh is lovely to behold. What starts as an exercise in fun to distract Lovely from his task, turns out to be tragic in the end. Divya (Kareena Kapoor) is aghast that her father Sartaj Singh (Raj Babbar) has asked Lovely to guard her. Divya is unaware of the imminent danger to her and in order to get Lovely off her back she doubles up as a phone friend calling herself Chhaya and professes her love for him. Lovely is bowled over.

 Divya's friend warns her that it is dangerous play with someone's emotions and before long Divya is madly in love with Lovely without him even suspecting who the real Chhaya is. From there, the story spins off beautifully. Salman's entry on screen is grand. A reminder of WANTED and DABAANG. He carries off the fight sequences with 'stud' ease. The dishum dishumera of the eighties is here to stay, refined by technology. What you feel is purely time pass in the beginning turns out to be an engrossing fare. It's Salman all the way with Kareena Kapoor bringing in the brilliance of Geet from JAB WE MET. Mention must be made of Tsunami, a character who entertains without being a jerk. Last Eid it was DABAANG, this Eid, it's BODYGUARD. A double whammy.