Calling all the uninitiated city-bred types whose limited knowledge about India's rural population begins and ends with outdated geography text books. To get the latest update on our villages, tune in to Professor K Murali Mohan Rao's Bandhan. Simple living, bullocks-toiling-in-fields, honest-to-goodness-sons-of-the-soil are out. Branded designer jeans (imported, no less), leather jackets, low-neck blouses (with skirts to match) and high-heeled shoes, thoroughbred horses and trendy havelis are in.

But don't let this superficial transformation fool you. Because Bandhan still has a 100 per cent filmi soul, and the story retains its copybook charm. There is the angel-hearted dehati belle Pooja (Ashwini Bhave), who breathes, eats, sleeps and lives for her little brother Raju (Salman Khan). When she gets married to a local heavyweight, Thakur Suraj Pratap Singh (Jackie Shroff), Raju goes with her as part of her dowry. And it's only afterthe wedding that she discovers her hubby too has a little sister, Jyoti (who missed the shaadi, we presume).

So her brother, and his sister grow up together. But since rural India is still very patriarchal and the Thakur has the last word on everything, his sister goes to the city to get an education, while poor Raju stays back to slave it out. Years roll by and it's time for Jyoti (Rambha) to come back with her baggage of hep clothes and modern wooing techniques to cast her spell on the brawny Raju.

And then, suddenly, the Thakur gets the seven-year-itch (a little too late in life, you'd think) and falls for the village nymph Vaishali (Sweta Menon). Naturally, Raju bhaiyya jumps to his poor sister's rescue and voices his protest to the Thakur, who doesn't really care. He throws Raju out, issues ultimatums to whoever bothers to listen, and even marries (?) Vaishali. Vaishali's brother (Mukesh Rishi) too throws in his hat and decides that he wants to marry Jyoti. So it goes on and on. Raodoesn't seem to operate in any particular time frame you can't figure out which era he's talking about. Neither do you know where exactly this village is situated. There's nothing spectacular on the technical front either. Anwar Khan's dialogues and Anand Raaj Anand and Himesh Reshmmiya's music leave you feeling completely helpless.

Jackie looks totally lost. Can't blame him, really his character oscillates between being snow-white and pitch black and back. Ashwini has little to do except shed endless tears. Rambha's role has even less to talk about. Bandhan's only saving grace is a spirited performance from Salman.

But even his whacky sense of humour and overpowering presence cannot salvage this sorrowful saga.