It is EID, so a very happy EID MUBARAK to all of you. Enjoy the festivities that this special occasion brings. Also, if it is EID, then there has to be the event of the year also with it. A Salman Khan film release… so double mazaa.
Produced by Salman Khan himself along with Director Kabir Khan, this maiden SKF’ venture Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a simple story of love- lost and found. A 6 year old Pakistani girl Shahida loses her way in India whilst on a religious tour with her mother. That girl finds her way to the local simpleton, Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi, son of Diwakar Chaturvedi. The girl’s innocence and her speech impairment, win their way into Pavan’s soft heart, who after trying to hand her over to the local authorities, finds himself becoming the unexpected guardian of the sweet child.
We are informed Pavan is on a mission to collect funds so he can move into his own house as per the condition set by his girlfriends’ dad, Sharat Saxena, his girlfriend being his landlord’s daughter, Rasika, Kareena Kapoor Khan. As events would have it, they finally realize the girl’s origins and decide to send her back home. When all legal recourses fail, they try an alternate approach, which only exposes Bajrangi to the dark underside of human beings today. Being Human himself, he makes it his single agenda to drop the girl home safely.
In their journey, the duo find numerous people on both sides of the border, some who sympathise with their cause, whilst others doubt them. Will let you discover the rest.
Aseem Mishra has done a beautiful job capturing the beauty of Kashmir, like no other film has in recent times. The one aerial shot of the crowd crossing the train tracks and many more such vivid shots in the deserts of Rajasthan are simply breathtaking.
The content is king here. So full marks to the writing team of Kabir, Kausar Munir for additional dialogues, Vijayendra Prasad, Parvez Shaikh and Asad Hussain. Editing by Rameshwar Bhagat of this 160 minute film is also good, never making you once feel that it is too long.
Music by Pritam is good, very good. Not in terms of ringtone good, but good to the ears. Besides the chartbuster Selfie and Adnan Sami’s Qawaali, which is sure to give you goosebumps, you will leave the cinema humming, the KK rendered, beautifully written by Kausar Munir, Tu Jo Mila.
Kareena looks radiant in her short role, short because in terms of screen presence, her role seems to be longer than the ever reliable Sharat Saxena’s by only her duet.
Rajesh Sharma as Hamid Yusuf, the Pakistani cop with a conscious lends excellent support. So does Om Puri in his cameo. Both of these guys leave a mark.
The film belongs to the little girl, Harshaali Malhotra, who will leave you teary eyed everytime she is on screen. The girl has a twinkle in her eyes and an innocence which is lost in today’s commercial child actors. Full marks to the casting team for this discovery. The girl is sure to steal your heart from the word go. She is the actual heroine of the film and deservedly so.
From the minute, he enters post interval, the film belongs to and is carried forward by the powerhouse of talent called Nawazuddin Siddique. His 2 minute entry scene, cannot be matched by any Khan, Kapoor or Singhs in the market. Post interval it is he who makes things happen and leaves such a strong mark, be it his desperate earnesty, which he brings so effortlessly on screen, or his determination on doing what is right. Even in his interactions with Salman, not once does he let you feel that he is in awe of the aura surrounding Bhaijaan, it is a relationship between equals.
Kabir Khan proves that he is a director worth much more than what Bollywood has treated him with. He takes a simple story, takes THE superstar of today, adds the innocent charm of a sweet girl, blends it with the talent of one of today’s finest actors and presents you a topical sheerkorma, to celebrate Eid, which will only leave you asking for more. Not only does he go over the top in the climax, he does so in such a brilliant fashion that you don’t even question the actual possibility of such an event happening. You just are so drawn into his subject. Minute things by him, will make you realise how much he pays attention to the little details. For example, a dress being bought by Kareena and Salman from the local vendor, is exactly what you find Munni wearing in a scene later. Even the separation scene is shown so realistically that you realise that this could happen to you too. The film speaks of cross border unity, without going into the rhetorical jingoism.
Salman Khan has finally shown what he is capable of. He is the star who is going to draw in the audiences, people who just want to see Bhai. And he gives them just that. So you see Salman in a first of his kind, different avatar. He doesn’t go over the top with silly comic routines or tears his shirt due to the force of water. He plays his age, an average simpleton who is fondly called ‘zero’ his father due to his success rate in all things that matter. Salman doesn’t present himself in a goofy spoof, rather he plays his part with great maturity. Something which the common man can relate to.
This by far is definitely Salman Khan’s best performance and best film till date.
Something NO ONE SHOULD MISS.
RATING : 4/5
By: Yusuf Poonawala
