Director: Kabir KhanMovie: Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Cast: Salman Khan, Harshaali Malhotra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kareena Kapoor
Genre- Drama
The Eid releases in Bollywood are always a much awaited moment. There have been incidents of ego clashes dicussed by taboloids about top heroes vying for the same Eid release date. This year’s release is Salman’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan. I recall hearing him on a popular radio channel claiming that this was the noblest character he had ever played on screen. Well, if not the noblest Bajrangi Bhaijaan is undoubtedly a
Pawan Chaturvedi (Salman Khan) aka Bajrangi is a big fan of Lord Hanuman. He finds a speech-impaired child (Harshaal Malhotra) who takes a liking to him. Assuming she got separated from her parents he decides to figure out a way to take her back to her home. But following a series of incidents he realises that she is from Pakistan and without a visa and passport there is no way he can take her back. Will he abandon a little girl to her misfortunes or will he put all on stake to stay true to his promise to her?
Now, to begin with I am not a Salman Khan fan. The only movies were I possibly love him are the ones by Rajshri Production which is also because I love these big family dramas. But nor do I despise him, so I assure you of an unbiased review. So to tell you honestly, this is by far one of the best Salman Khan movies that I have seen. And instead of the tough, blow-delivering hero, Salman plays a softer character which is hard to buy but not all that indigestible. The highlight of the movie is 6 year old child actor Harshaali who plays the role of a speech impaired child from Pakistan. A fairly impressive actor, she will keep you glued onto the screen by her adorableness. Infact, all the child actors in the movie are a pleasure to watch on screen. Kareena Kapoor has a limited role as Salman Khan’s love interest but it is still a relief to not see central plotline get sidelined by their love story. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as usual is an audience’s delight. He has a substantial role post interval and he brings in a flavour to his every movie that is very typical to Nawazuddin. Overall the movie boasts of a good casting by director Kabir Khan.
Cinematography by Aseem Mishra is a pleasant and some of the shots of Kashmir are breathtaking as always. My favourite song in the movie is a Sufi mix, ‘Bhar do Jholi Meri’ sung by a shockingly thin Adnan Sami, who has a special appearance in the movie. This movie has a steady storyline and despite a few unjustified occurrences here and there, there are very few instances where the movie stops making sense. I, for that matter, loved the storyline which neither showed Pakistanis as monstrous (wo)men nor as a country of terrorists or fools rather just another country with people like you and me.
I will give a thumbs up to Bajrangi Bhaijaan. It is sure a tearjerker but will have you smiling through it. This is truly a memorable Eidi. Eid Mubarak Doston!
My Verdict: ***
