Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) Review!!

Synopsis – A young mute girl from Pakistan loses herself in India with no way to head back. A devoted man with a magnanimous spirit undertakes the task to get her back to her motherland and unite her with her family.

My Take – Die hard fans of Salman Khan are probably the most loyal set of people out there, they stand by him in his thick or thin. I have to admit, I am not a Salman Fan, well frankly keeping all prejudice about his personal life aside, I loath the kind of cinema he represents, a section which condemns creativity. Despite that I haven’t missed any of his Eid releases, be it the terrible Bodyguard or the watchable Kabir Khan directed Ek Tha Tiger. Salman Khan as an actor has limitations, we all know that. Have those precincts ever made any difference? No. Salman is not a method actor. He will never be Naseer or Aamir. I watch Salman Khan films to see whether he is better than his other films or not. Despite all the major success his films have been, I would personally not recommend them to anyone. But this film is not the typical ‘Salman Khan‘ film where he breaks into a song out of now where & beats up goons to the pulp. This is the kind of the film which pulls the strings of your heart, a film you would stand up & applaud. This is not an Anti-Pakistan film, as some people are making it out to be. The filmmakers have tried being reasonable as much as they could without ruining the plot requirements. They have shown the good and bad on both sides. The film also touched upon religious divide and there it has shown them more accommodating of the two religions. What it does communicate strongly is the secular message of modern India while promoting good ties with Pakistan.

The movie has blend of so many wonderful emotions, dialogues, screenplay which makes the whole plot just works. The story follows a mute 6 year old Pakistani girl Shahida (Harshaali Malhotra), who accidentally jumps off a train on route to Pakistan from Delhi, therefore leaving her lost in India. She then finds a man named Pawan Kumar (Salman Khan), who is a noble hearted Bajrangi devotee. At first with the help of his fiancee Rasikaa (Kareena Kapoor Khan), a teacher in Delhi, he tries to locate her home. But on finding out that her roots lie in Pakistan, he crosses the border & finds reporter Chaand Nawab (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). Does the girl get back to her family, and if so how is what forms the crux of the film. While the first-hour, set in India warms up, with defining its characters & shifting between songs, its the second-hour that takes the film to the epitome. The story shifts to Pakistan & the series of events that follow with its endearing protagonist & the child, are undeniably engaging & moving. And the climax, though slightly melodramatic, that too leaves an impact. Both the Censor Board of India and Pakistan has called this movie the most positive film ever made in Bollywood hinting the emotional message lied in the script. For instance, Fakhr e Aalam – head of Censor Board of Pakistan took it to his Tweeter saying that it is not a negative film and the most positive film ever made on an Indo-Pak topic. The film stuns you with its positive message of peace between Indo- Pak, but the film isn’t preachy or in your face at all. It actual tugs at your heart strings. This is a film in the Raj Kumar Hirani mould, a film with a heart, a message, a great script and a film that you wont forget once you leave the cinema halls. And to answer another question, no this is not a regular masala potboiler from SK,its way beyond that, its a game changer, its probably 2015’s best film to date. Somewhere in the film, a flaw or two with the plot does chafe the credibility from the setup, but it is all taken care with the introduction of a new character (Siddiqui) who is charmingly funny and really adds to the fun factor to the rest of the film. A tiny romance sub-story which reminds you of Khan‘s Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya (1998), Khan‘s religious innuendos which reminds you of a recent another Khan film (2014), and most of the songs shot with ugly choreography are some elements that may force the viewer to turn his/her head. In the first half, a good twenty minutes were spent on establishing the love story between Salman and Kareena. As the film lasted 163 minutes, cutting fifteen of those minutes and a song could have made the edit sharper and more gripping. The role could have been played by any actress. Salman could have been a married or single man in the film. It would not have had any impact on the final outcome. Yet, director Kabir Khan has attempted something which appeals mainly to the masses as well urban areas. He knew when to take creative liberty in best interest of the film (Armies of both countries being lenient on borders etc.) and knew when to make things look realistic (tunnels at the border, Samjhota express, Shahid Afridi etc).

Salman Khan has put in a genuine effort to emote and get into the skin of the role. The actor has put in one of his best performances. His demeanor as a simple villager is to the point, his performance towards the latter half of the film is strong. He has a very powerful scene in the first half at a brothel, where he struggled to convince on the emotions, but still did a better job than his recent films. Funnily, despite all the limitations Salman Khan has, I was unable to picture any other actor playing Bajrangi. This film did not need an actor, but needed Salman Khan the star to deliver and he has delivered! Kareena Kapoor is likable in a small but convincing role. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is just brilliant His intro sequence is a straight lift from Pakistan‘s very own Chaand Nawab is hilarious. Nawaz comes on screen only in the second half of BB and took the burden of carrying the film on his gifted shoulders. His chemistry with Salman is something seen very rarely between male leads of a film. Immaculate comic timing, perfect body language and expressive eyes, its just awesome! The real star of this film is Harshaali Malhotra, the child actor is probably the cutest kid to hit the silver screens. Despite her challenging role with no dialogues, she manages to completely overshadow Salman Khan! Super cute, super charming and super convincing! She is a tremendous actress and is beyond excellence for a child actor. On, the whole, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan‘ endorses the religion of Humanity, Love and Togetherness!!! It is an entertainer and inspires us to accept the diversity, culture and habits across the border and love them. Bajrangi Bhaijaan will definitely win your hearts. Must Watch!