It’s that time of the year. There’s this festival that takes place every year, which all and everyone come out of their homes to celebrate, unifying an entire country of 1.2 billion individuals, of all religions, as a people, though for the worthless task of whistling and howling at a God-by-popular-demand. We know that festival as Salman Khan. Coincidentally, Eid always seems to happen alongwith it, gathering some attention too.
There’s no mention required on
the general storyline of the movie. If you exist in India, and basically speak
with fellow humans, you will have already heard in detail about Bajrangi
Bhaijaan; from the neighbour, the colleague, the classmate, or in some cases,
the girlfriend. Such is the phenomenon called Sallu bhai.
It’s a futile job reviewing a
Salman Khan film. The people, who would actually kill to see the film, are the
ones because of whom the multiplexes run out of tickets for an entire week,
thereby causing problems for regular movie-goers, and leading to a late review (apologies).
This article is for those poor
souls who will probably wait a week (maybe two) for the crowds of Bhaivotees to
subside, and might rely on a good foreword before making up his mind. And it is
at this juncture where I step in to say – go ahead.
The film features some of the
signature cinematography and scenic locations expected from Kabir Khan.
Compared to most other Salman Khan films, the story has a much more realistic
tone to it (not too much though), seeking to bridge the turbulent gap between
Hindu and Muslim, as well as Hindustan and Pakistan.
Nawazuddin shines in his role of the
Pakistani reporter Chand Nawab, never staying in the sidelines, and manages to maintain
footing beside the towering star such as Salman. Kareena is, well, ordinary, and extremely beautiful as Rasika.
Salman churns out one of his more
effective performances by, surprisingly, being un-Salman, in the sense that for
once, his character is not the testosterone flowing, He-Man that most people
pay to watch. We see an affable, Hanuman-loving (and fearing) simpleton, who
doesn’t promise anything exceptional, other than an unshakable sense of duty,
and a belief in Bajrang Bali. There is minimal action, and the little that is
there, is correctly timed and justifies the narrative.
The best feature of this movie
though, has to be the little heroine, Harshaali Malhotra, who is probably the
cutest thing to have ever happened to Bollywood. The film tries to find a
possibility of peace among the various sects of today, through the eyes and
innocence of a little girl.
Though the film makes up for much
of Salman’s <previous> offerings, it is riddled with clichés that are
definitive of a 90’s masala film. For instance, everything seems to be an easy
task for Bajrangi Bhaijaan, with entire armies and border forces and
governments yielding to his glorious mission. These are moments where the film
tries to prove its soul, and it does; but in the process, a lot of
spoon-feeding is being done. After a time, the audience was coughing cliches - at least the more wary members.
It’s not the film’s fault
probably; the Bhaivotees wouldn’t have it any other way.
Verdict – 3 ½ out of 5 stars
When you go to McDonald’s, you
don’t expect a healthy salad. You expect a loaded hamburger with secret sauce, along
with deep-fried, oily and unhealthy nuggets on the side. Likewise situation
exists for a Salman Khan film, specially one such as this. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is
exactly what Salmaniacs wait for, year after year, with the added heart and
feel-good factor, and lesser oil for the more delicate palette.
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