Movie Review: Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Eid and a Salman Khan Release is almost synonymous now. Each year, we have been dished out badly directed mindless films cashing in on the superstar’s recent success; minting a lot of money at the Box Office. ‘Dabangg’ was fun while most others might have been plain torture for many (fans must have loved them). And that is why,‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ springs a pleasant surprise as it is among the very few well-made films the superstar has been a part of.

A six-year old dumb Pakistani girl Shahida (Harshaali Malhotra) finds herself lost in North India when her mother accidentally leaves her behind. She meets Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi (Salman Khan) in Kurukshetra. A ‘Hanuman-bhakt’, Pavan is a simple and honest guy who has no clue about the girl’s origin. He calls her Munni and takes her to Delhi where he has been saving money to marry Rasika (Kareena Kapoor Khan). After a series of incidents and wrong guesses, it takes an India-Pakistan cricket match on TV to determinewhere the little girl is actually from. Since passport and visa are not available for some reason, Pavan decides to take Shahida to Pakistan illegally so that he can unite the little girl with her parents. He meets Chand Nawab (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a freelance TV reporter in Pakistan who helps him a lot in his search.

Director Kabir Khan (‘Kabul Express’, ‘New York’, ‘Ek Tha Tiger’) tells us a simple story emphasizing on peace and humanity. His first film still remains my pick of the lot but this is definitely a good watch.‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ starts off really well; Salman enters and just when you think it’s going to be the same stuff he has been doing, you are mistaken. The director who did use the superstar’s image for the very pointless ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ drives across a point this time- Salman can’treally act but can be quite endearing if he is in a well-made film. So, there are no hideous-looking villains being punched and kicked by him.There are no catchy dialogues. He doesn’t tear off his shirt. He is beaten. You can well understand now that it isn’t a typical Salman Khan film. The movie does dip in the first half due to some songs but picks up again in the second half and what makes it even better is the relationship portrayed between Salman and the little girl. The director goes the Rajkumar Hirani way especially towards the last reels and there is too much of melodrama but it clicks to a large extent. Music is poor.

This is among the very few good roles Salman Khan has been cast in and his fans should like him here even more. He plays Pavan a.k.a.Bajrangi quite sincerely and the result is a performance which appears like he acted for a change. Kareena Kapoor Khan looks gorgeous as ever but has very little to do. Even then, she leaves a mark and proves what a fabulous actress she can be in a movie where she does not play a pivotal character. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is excellent as usual. He has the best lines and you will enjoy his comic timing. Om Puri in a cameo is good. But it is Harshaali Malhotra who steals the show with her angelic smile and innocence. She is the best thing about ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. The supporting cast is fantastic; each one acts well.

Watch it or not: Definitely! Doesn’t matter if you are a Salman fan or not.

At the Box Office: Do I even have to answer this whenever there is a big release with a huge superstar?

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!