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The Story
Frame:
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a story of a mute girl who is accompanied by her
mother to the wish fulfillment Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah in Delhi hoping for a
miracle to happen that would make her able to speak. The story takes a turn
when the mute girl is stranded in India alone and how she comes in contact with
a villager who is an ardent devout of Bajrangbali. The film holds you in
suspense whether the girl will ever be united with her parents who leaves in a
not-so-friendly country called Pakistan.
Cast: Salman Khan (Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi), Kareena Kapoor
Khan (Rasika), Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Chand Nawab), Harshaali Malhotra (Shahida), Sharat
Saxena (Dayanand), Om Puri (Maulana), Rajesh Sharma (Police Officer)
Genre: Drama
Direction: Kabir Khan
Produced
by: Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh
Production
Company: Salman Khan Films, Kabir Khan Films
Story by: V Vijayendra Prasad
Cinematographer: Aseem Mishra
Music: Pritam Chakraborty, Komail Shayan, Julius Packiam
Film
Editing by: Rameshwar S. Bhagat
Distributors
: Eros International
Theatre Release: 17th July, 2015
Language: Hindi
Duration: 159 minutes
Reviewer's
Thumb Mark
Bajrangi Baijaan stands apart from the rest of the recent past releases
of Salman Khan. One may not find Salman Khan's six abs being flaunted and the
shirt-ripping biceps, and Sallu appearing on a customized expensive sport bike
from the blues in this movie. The credit goes to Kabir Khan for his craft and
astuteness in keeping away the usual Salman Khan histrionics and often repeated
super-hero acts from this movie. It seems it has worked in favour of the movie
in drawing in people outside the hard-core Sallu fan club into the theatres. Kabir
Khan once again strikes the right chord with cinema lovers after Kabul Express,
New York and Ek Tha Tiger.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the story of a speech-impaired girl Munni (Harshaali
Malhotra) from a nondescript village in Pakistan, who finds herself lost on
other side of her country's border. Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi aka Bajrangi
Bhaijaan turns guardian angel for this six-year old girl who clings on to him
for he is the only one, whom she can trust. Pawan, a devout Hanuman bakht, relies
completely on 'Bajrangbali' for whatever he thinks, speaks and acts. Bajrangi
Bhaijaan's act of bowing before every monkey with folded hands everytime he
come across one and addressing it as Bajrangbali is real fun. The bus ride of
Pawan from his village Pratapgarh in Haryana narrating his reason to visit
Delhi is quite hillarious; especially his life with his father. According to
Pawan, his father a school master always wanted him to be an all-rounder. And Pawan
repeatedly disappointed him in all those fields he was made to enrol by his
father - Wrestling, attending Shakha (Hindu Outfit), Education etc., and when
he finally qualifies in his school exam his father fails him by being contained
in a garlanded photo frame hung on the
wall.
When the newspaper headlines speaks of cross-border tensions and visa
rows in our day-to-day life, here in this movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan dares to
cross the border to reunite a hapless mute girl with her family, brazing all
odds - religious, familial and societal constraints. This film is worth
mentioning because it is distinct in its portrayal by staying away from the
usual jingoism and being rhetorical
against the neighboring country. And Salman Khan blends very well in his act as
Bajrangi Bhaijaan, who struggles with his religious and ritualistic beliefs to
stay committed to his vow to make Munni reach her country by 'Being Human'.
Kareena Kapoor as Pawan Chaturvedi's father's friend's daughter has
nothing much to offer in this film but she is the source of strength to
Bajrangi to go ahead with his determination to safe-guard Munni. She has a near
cameo appearance in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The film generates quite many laughable
moments when the duo (Rasika & Pawan) tries to decode the identity of
Munni. For instance, there are some
scenes where Pawan says that Munni could be a Brahmin because she is too fair
and in another scene where he finds Munni having fried chicken at his neighbour's
home, a shell-shocked Pawan tells Rasika that she might be a Kshatriya because
they eat meat and also have fair skin. The film depicts the religious
prejudices we hold in our daily life beautifully by walking on a tight rope of
not hurting religious sentiments. It's interesting to watch Rasika's (Kareena
Kapoor) and Pawan's love blossoming under the watchful eyes of Dayanandji
(Sharat Saxena) Rasika's father. There is no 'fevicol' item songs and it is
definitely a well thought decision to keep such distractions away at least in
this movie.
When the movie is about to drag the entry of Chand Nawab (Nawazuddin
Siddiqui) as a small time TV reporter brings in fresh energy by his amazing
performances in the second half. Chand Nawab is funny at the same time a
trusted companion who is impressed by the selfless act of Pawan whom he
christens as 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'. The duo's dialogues are thought provoking,
like in one of the scene Chand Nawab asks Pawan that who will help him in a
foreign land like Pakistan? As expected from an ardent devout like Pawan, he
tells Chand Nawab that his Bajrangbali
will help him (Bajrangi hummari madad karenga). Chand Nawab unable to resist
from laughing asks Pawan - "Yahan Pakistan mai bhi" (Even in Pakistan?).
Chand Nawab who was never taken seriously by his employers catches both the countries'
attention by his video clip that goes viral. Chand Nawab and Bajrangi Bhaijaan in
the safe hands of an ace director like Kabir Khan manages to make the viewers
overlook huge loop holes in the plot. In the second half, logic takes a back
seat but I think the viewers may not mind it because they know it's Bhai's film.
The real star of the movie is Harshaali Malhotra who plays the role of
Munni aka Shahida from Pakistan. Harshalli's innocence and her angelic expressions
catch the viewers attention. She is the soul of the movie and the real showstopper.
There are some characters who are worth mentioning and they are - Meher
Vij who plays the role of the mother of Munni. She moves you by her act. Her
grief of losing her daughter and she being so inconsolable makes you struggle
to hide your tears that appears at the corner of your eyes; Om Puri as the
Maulana, exudes positivity by being open to appreciate the culture and
pleasantries of his neighboring country.
'Bhar Do Jholi Meri" qawalli by Adnan Sami is good.
The most significant twist is the climax of the movie and I would suggest
you to savor it in a nearby theatre because I have no intentions to spill the
beans. A word of caution - "Please keep your thinking hats home to enjoy
the message conveyed through Bajrangi Bhaijaan".
In short, Bajrangi Bhaijaan is definitely
an entertainer with a strong socially relevant message for the brethren - Indians
and the Pakistanis. Watch this movie because this year Sallu's Eidi is too
tempting. It dares to bridge the gap between religions, food preferences, castes
and nationalities. How I wish and
pray that let it be so in reel and real life too.
Life Connoisseur Movie Rating: 3.5/5
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