Jai Ho

"In all honesty, I'm confused about how to evaluate Jai Ho. Because it's not a film. It's a cartoon. So, to point out that the story is laughably ridiculous or that the characterisation has no depth seems churlish. After all, you can't go to see a cartoon and then complain about its disconnect with reality."

"Despite the hamfisted direction (at one point Suniel Shetty shows up on a highway and starts shooting people with a goddamned tank), the film's main problem is that Jai Ho isn't about being a samaritan or paying it forward; it's about a man who can smash the system all by himself. Not entirely relatable, nope."

"It might have its heart in the right place, but the brain appears to be missing. For all the references to the aam aadmi and the solutions it offers to inspire change, this film ultimately is about the victory of a man who lets his fists do the talking. Muddled message there."

"All said and endured, here's the sort of average product which is immune to criticism. Say anything you honestly feel, down the decades it has been huffed – so what? That doesn't make a jot of a difference. Correct. However, that doesn't mean you can't express your take. You may be in a minority of one or two, but you can't help feeling that Salman Khan, like most of his peers, could do with immediate re-invention. Repetition and excess can sell. Unpleasant question: but for how long?"

"Jai Ho is a tale that is about as exciting – and just as empty – as the spiel of a politician going to the polls."

"`Jai Ho' could have been a pure and simple `Dabangg 3'. It's not. It's not even a no-holds-barred South remake either. Jai's 'aam aadmi' catches traction only a moment. In the rest, he goes back to snarling and kicking and scowling."

"...the worst thing about Jai Ho is neither the lousy jokes nor the turgid songs, it's the antiquated and aggressively stupid attempts at emotional wrangling. You get gaudy dramatic music when a woman receives an urgent kidney transplant from her son in law. You get a 30+ year old 'brilliant' college student who commits suicide because of a traffic jam. You get a set of goons who gel their hair, drive posh cars, wear gansta hoodies, play rap music and boast about raping women."

"On the whole, a noble, well-intentioned message narrated in an entertaining format in a Salman Khan movie, who, as we all know by now, is the much endeared hero of the masses, makes JAI HO a sure-shot winner. In fact, it won't be wrong to state that JAI HO easily ranks amongst Salman's better films. This one has the potential to emerge a Blockbuster at the box-office."

"It's all a vehicle to enhance Salman's image as the messiah of the downtrodden. He is one helluva angry man who's not just anti-establishment but anti-antipathy. He implores the public to rise and revolt against humbug. Coming from a star with so much clout, that's quite a hard-hitting message. Regrettably, the episodes to show the superstar-hero's concern for humanity are text-bookish and illustrative."

"The film is a family entertainer which gives us hope for a better future. An ardent Salman Khan fan will watch this film, as well as those who hold love for Bollywood and cinema in their bosom, should not miss out on this one. A film that will bring a smile on everyone's face. One that is not to be missed!"

"Salman's close friend Aamir Khan had aptly said in Agenda Aaj Tak that Salman Khan is the only star in Bollywood. Whatever antics he does in his films from tearing off his shirt to wearing inverted glasses, everything becomes a fad."

"Three-and-a-half stars for that and for the effort put in by Salman Khan to send a very positive and uplifting message through a medium he knows best. Just imagine what would happen even if a small percentage of his fans start doing what he is asking!"

"A Salman Khan film is an amusement ride, don't take it too seriously! Watch it with his fans and you will know what I mean!"

"The dialogues are simple and connect well with the audiences. The action sequences have been shot well and the cinematography is clean and impressive. Kudos to the Khan brothers for pulling off a film like 'Jai Ho'."

"Sparking an optimistic hope of a Utopian world. Sohail presents our 'Hero of the Masses' fabulously - with all Salmanisms perfectly in place. The premise pompously alerts us of cliches and trappings of a commercial masala fare. The screenplay is not as inspiring as the noble message, the story cuts into too many episodes and the underlying idea is repetitive."

"Quite easily, this is Salman Khan's Gadar – with a unique concept, of course. Look out for his intricate dance steps in the 'Baaki Sab First Class Hai' song. It's also refreshing to see Tabu on screen after long – she makes you wonder why she does such few films."

"Lacking the quirky fun of Dabangg or Ek Tha Tiger, Jai Ho simply furthers Salman's Being Human status. However, it still scores over all of Salman's works put together for its ability to translate the common man's simmering anger into a Utopian and satisfying climax. A definite not-miss!"

"This one is about Salman Khan, all the way. So if want to laugh and be entertained this weekend, go watch Jai Ho!"

"...the script in itself is more a sitting duck refusing to help the hulk-like Salman push the film anywhere close to what a film with a proper Salman-script combo could have. Our word - Salman Khan fans will love this film and others might just about be entertained, but to expect this film to be the next Munna Bhai is a Utopian thought."

"Purely as a superhero film, Jai Ho works on far greater levels than, say, a Krrish 3. Petty powers like flying, web-spitting palms or acting aren't required, because the man has hands. And they're not the 2.5-kilo version. He even has legs that can kickstart an ambulance."

"Mr Khan has been the undisputed action star for a while but with Jai Ho the actor is keen to expand on his Being Human avatar and force on viewers a social message. Don't accept the gratitude of those who you help, instead ask them to help three people in turn. Given that audiences didn't react to these words of wisdom in the theatre and instead cheered and clapped when Khan tore his T-shirt and screamed and broke bones of his many opponents, we don't know how much of it will be soaked in."

"Salman Khan's box-office draw is indisputable but you can't circumvent every rule in the book and hope to just ride on star power. The least expectation from a Salman film is that despite it's complete disregard for logic, it will succeed in entertaining but 'Jai Ho' fails even on that account."

"Jai Ho is so sloppily put-together, you wonder if footage of the actor taking a nap over two hours would have been more entertaining. It will, however, ensure the prophecy expressed in one of the songs – "Apna kaam banta, bhaad main jaaye janta" – comes true for its producers in the form of a fat cheque."

"...talking about or analysing this movie might be a futile exercise, considering that even as I write this, there are scores of 'bhaifans' out there beaming inside a theatre and enjoying themselves, no matter how bad the film is. We can only hope they are inspired to help three people like their bhai instructed them to. Something good has to come out of everything."

"The film appears to be a massive PR fillip for Salman—working on his image of a do-gooder with a volatile temper. The film and his image feed off each other. There's also some token nationalism forced in for good measure. You'll get a lot of Salman Khan here, but an entertaining movie, you will not."