Bodyguard (2011 Hindi film)

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave a score of 4/5 and said "BODYGUARD works for varied reasons – it has a simple, captivating story with a dramatic twist in the tale, the chemistry between the lead actors is poor but the music is well juxtaposed in the narrative. But its biggest USP is, without doubt, Salman Khan. He carries the film on his broad and brawny shoulders and that alone is the imperative reason for watching this film."[14] Komal Nahta of Koimoi, while praising the performance of Salman Khan, gave it a rating of 4/5 and wrote, "Bodyguard will prove to be a hit because of Salman Khan's performance."[15] Zee News gave the film 4 stars and praised the directorial skills of Siddique: "Kudos to filmmaker Siddique to have presented Salman Khan in a way never seen before! And the action sequences are breathtaking."[16] Oneindia.in awarded the movie 4 stars and stated, "Overall, Bodyguard is a good masala entertainer and it can be a perfect time-passer for this Eid and Ganesh festive seasons. Salman's fans should not miss to watch this movie."[17] Samay Live gave it 4 stars and wrote; "There are stunning events of twist in the film which will keep you stay with your seats till the end.[18] Shivesh Kumar of IndiaWeekly awarded the movie 4 out of 5 stars.[19] Kaveree Bamzai of India Today awarded the movie 3 stars and stated: "Anyone who has watched Khan's recent movies will recognise the signs – a killer dialogue which will be remembered till the next blockbuster is manufactured, a signature ring tone, and a pre-fight ritual-in this case, it is taking off his watch.[20] In his review for The Times of India, Gaurav Malani wrote: "Salman Khan is cool and convincing in the title role. His subdued act and charming innocence wins your heart. Kareena Kapoor is likeable ... Bodyguard doesn't catch you off guard. But it's a decent entertainer nonetheless."[21] Phelim O'Neill of The Guardian praised the technical aspects of the film and awarded three of five stars: "Bollywood movies have improved dramatically in technical terms over the last few years. Here the fight and stunt sequences are afforded as much care and attention as the song and dance scenes; it's all top-notch stuff."[22] Daily Bhaskar awarded the movie three out of five stars and wrote: "Salman, Kareena and Siddique serve a good Eid biryani for the audience by blending romance, action and comedy."[23] Shubha Shetty-Saha of MiD DAY gave it two and a half stars saying, "The film is obviously not expected to be intellectually stimulating. But to give it due credit, it provides loads of entertainment, the kind you may have come to expect of a Salman Khan film."[24] Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave it 2.5 of 5 stars and stated: "A standard entertainer with generic ingredients like action, emotion, romance, comedy, song and dance, the Hindi remake of Malayalam super-hit Bodyguard is like a mediocre Pizza Margherita that's gone stingy on the mozzarella, bland on the sauce with nothing except a half-crunchy base and uneven scattering of basil leaves."[25]

The film also received a few negative reviews. Andy Webster of The New York Times said "If only the film's archly slick director, Siddique, had adopted the same winking attitude toward the romantic arc. A twist near the end sends this contrived movie into a maudlin stratosphere from which it doesn't recover. But at least, in Ms. Keech's supporting presence, understated yet palpable, we sense a performer of emerging, and remarkable, star power."[26] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The film, a remake of a South Indian hit, may end up as another blockbuster, like most Salman films have been doing in the recent past. Yet, sadly, this one's mostly bluster."[27] Sonia Chopra from Sify gave the film 2.5 stars and said "Bodyguard is endurable (and I say this without any condescension) for those who can forgive the haphazard story and be happy enjoying the songs and watching Salman and Kareena onscreen."[28] Saibal Chatterjee from NDTV gave the film 2/5 stars and concluded that "If you value the mop on your scalp and the grey cells in your head and want guard yourself against this potentially mind-numbing body blow, give it a miss. Better be safe than sorry!"[29] Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis gave it 2 stars and wrote: "Salman is charming as ever, and the fact that he’s playing a slightly different character would have actually worked to the film’s advantage if it was backed by a better script."[30] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave it 2 out of 5 stars and called it a lazy remake.[31] Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times panned the film giving it one and a half stars. He argued that the film "for more parts, is a sappy romantic pap".[32] Shubra Gupta from The Indian Express also gave it one and a half stars and said "'Bodyguard' can also safely be called in which Salman Continues to Give Us Those Ones."[33]

Upon release, the film opened to a phenomenal response at the domestic box office and packed cinema halls, "witnessing 100% occupancy across shows", according to The Economic Times.[34] Box Office India reported that "Bodyguard has smashed all records"[35] and the film went on to become the highest opener of all time across India, grossing ₹213 million (US$3.0 million), thus breaking the record of Dabangg (2010).[36] The film grossed an additional ₹173 million (US$2.4 million)[37] and ₹133 million (US$1.9 million) on its second and third day respectively, bringing the total nett collections to ₹520 million (US$7.3 million).[38] On its fourth day of release, it netted around ₹148 million (US$2.1 million),[39] and ₹188 million (US$2.6 million) on its fifth day, taking the total nett collection over the extended five-day weekend to ₹855 million (US$12 million).[40] The film continued its successful run at the box office netting ₹85.8 million (US$1.2 million) on Monday,[41] ₹65 million (US$910,000) on Tuesday,[42] and ₹55 million (US$770,000) on Wednesday.[43] The total nett collections of the extended nine-day first week were ₹1,095 million (US$15 million).[44] During its second weekend, the film raked in another ₹140 million (US$2.0 million) nett.[45]Bodyguard netted a total of ₹1,609.5 million (US$23 million) in India at the end of its run.[46]

Meanwhile, the film grossed a record-breaking 1.1 million Dirhams on Tuesday, its opening day in Dubai,[47] making it the highest opening day ever.[48] The film collected $1.25 million in four days, and $1.7 million in six days in the United Arab Emirates.[49] In the United Kingdom, the film ranked at number 9 in the UK Top 10,[50] and collected an impressive £64,000 on Tuesday, its first day of release, though it was a limited release with screens at only 32 cinemas. On Wednesday, a full release in 51 cinemas raked in £195,000, making it the highest opening day ever for any Indian film,[48] and breaking the box office record for week-day collection set by My Name is Khan.[50] The film grossed £840,000 in six days. In the North America, the film collected $295,000 on its first day of release,[49] and $3.8 million in four days.[50] In Australia, the film collected $100,000 in three days, and $250,000 in five days.[49] In Pakistan, the film collected Rs. 5 million on its first day of release.[51] In the overall overseas market, Bodyguard grossed $3.8 million in four days,[52] while the total collections amounted to $5.25 million over the extended weekend.[53] As of 4 January 2012, the film has grossed $8.3 million from all overseas markets.[54]

The melody of the song Teri Meri is inspired from the very old carols representing spiritual singing of Orthodox Romanian Church tradition, usually sung on Christmas Celebrations by many Orthodox Christians (which can be Romanian celebrities, such as Cleopatra Stratan in 2009[56] or Paula Seling in 2009[57]/ priests in 2008[58]/ or sung by normal people) to express their joy for Christ`s birth. Carols preserves some of the oldest Romanian poetic achievements being inspired from Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, occupying an important place in the creation of Romanian people.[59]

The translation of the original Romanian spiritual song "La Vifleem Colo-n Jos" lyrics should be emphasized and compared with the Indian version, since for Christians Orthodox may represent a blasphemy the fact the copyrights of the melody were taken and changed the lyrics of something which it is not owned.

Lyrics from original Romanian carol: "Down there at Bethlehem The sky burns brightly The most pure one gives birth today to Christ She gives birth in the stall of the oxen To everyone’s Emperor The most pure one, sits and cries slowly She neither has swaddling clothes to wrap Nor clothes-to-wear for the baby of Emperor Do not cry, my mother! Do not cry, my mother! Swaddling clothes we will give you, Virgin, to wrap the holy baby At Bethlehem down there."

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Bollywood Hungama	[60]
Filmfare−	[61]
Rediff	[62]
Indo-Asian News Service	[63]

Upon release, the album received mixed reviews from critics. Joginder Tuteja from Bollywood Hungama gave it 4 out of 5 stars, concluding: "The music of Bodyguard has in it to be hugely popular amongst audience as it has everything for everybody. For the lovers of conventional music there is 'Desi Beats' while for Salman's fans there is the title track 'Bodyguard'. And then for those who are hunting for melody which boasts of a much longer shelf life, there is 'Teri Meri' and 'I Love You' (by Pritam) which are all set to rule the charts in days to come."[60] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare awarded it 3 out of 5 stars and wrote: "Himesh, despite being a little rusty, is back in action and let’s hope he continues what he is best at and keeps his acting ambitions under check."[61] On the other hand, Rediff gave it −5 stars and wrote: "Box office possibilities aside, the soundtrack is not write-off material but nothing to write home too with only awful, average and alright on its menu."[62] Similarly, Ruchika Kher of the Indo-Asian News Service also gave the album 2 stars and noted: "On the whole, the album is quite average. Though none of the songs is very bad, there isn't any that really stands out and grabs attention."[63]