Although Saudi Arabia strives to attract global attention not only with oil, tourism, and sports, but also with global cinema, the new Arabic action-thriller 7 Dogs, created by directors Adil Al-Arbi and Bilal Fallah, was released in India. The presence of Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt made it special for the Indian audience; however, the question arises: why couldn't 7 Dogs produce the expected effect despite the star cast, scale, and action?
In this international thriller, the main roles are played by renowned Egyptian actors Karim Abdel Aziz and Ahmed El-Ega. The plot revolves around Interpol agent Khalid (Ahmed El-Ega) and former criminal Ghali (Karim). They are forced to unite to destroy a ruthless criminal syndicate called '7 Dogs'. This syndicate distributes a dangerous synthetic drug called 'Pink Lady' worldwide, and to dismantle this network, they must pass through dangerous routes in different countries.
Naturally, when discussing a global drug syndicate, it was necessary to link it to India. In the film, Sanjay Dutt takes on the role of 'Ranjit,' who heads this Indian criminal business. However, what the directors did is baffling. Sanjay Dutt, who previously portrayed a formidable character in films like 'Agneepath', 'KGF 2', 'Leo', and 'Dhurandhar', completely lost his powerful delivery, appearance, and demeanor in this film. In '7 Dogs', the character Ranjit looks less like a dangerous mafia boss and more like someone constantly vlogging and fond of eating chocolate. Imagine a person running a nationwide drug business being presented as Inspector Kabir Nayak who is making 'noise.'
Salman Khan, whose face was the main face of the film's promotion in India, ended up playing a minor informant named 'Johar' in a very humble neighborhood, working as a hairdresser. His role is written so weakly that it raises doubts. This is Salman Khan's first role that seems completely ineffective. In one scene, the director shows him in a suit, and in the next, he is driving a car, which is illogical.
Directors Adil and Bilal tried to include Salman and Sanjay Dutt in the film, but they failed to fairly convey their star status and personality. Both major actors appeared extremely weak and helpless on screen. Judging by the scenes shot in Mumbai, it is evident that all of this was filmed on a green screen. Neither the locations nor the background people looked like real residents of Mumbai.
The music could not save the film. To add some local flavor and Bollywood mood, the creators used the hit track 'Kaam 25' by Divine and the popular rap 'Run It Up' in the soundtrack. But when the core plot and characters are so shaky, even background music cannot save a sinking ship. Overall, '7 Dogs' is a very mediocre film where even big stars like Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt could not show anything outstanding.
