Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Harshaali Malhotra
Direction: Kabir Khan
Ratings: (3.5/5)
Year after year, Salman Khan wins hearts with his mere appearance on the silver screen. And no matter what else a film has got to offer, everything fades in front of the aura of Salman The Superstar, Salman The Superhuman. However, Kabir Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan is not quite in that bracket. It does have Salman, sure, but he's hardly the driving force of the film; contradictory POVs be damned. What shines through more than anything else in this film are two people - Nawazuddin Siddiqui and child artiste Harshaali Malhotra.
" Surat dekhi hai iski ," asks Salman's Pavan Kumar Chaturvedi to a policeman in a police station, while trying to explain Munni's (Harshaali) plight. And by the end of this near-three-hour film, the girl's face is among the things that stay with you.
To Salman, then. In Bajrangi Bhaijaan, apart from just being Salman Khan on screen, Salman acts. Khan has tears running down his cheeks, and emotes through his eyes. And of course, since he's Salman Khan, he needs to send dozens of people flying into the air. And he needs to break into a dance at the drop of a hat... even while waiting for his food at a dhaba. Kareena, for her part, doesn't have much to do in this film. She plays Pavan's ladylove well, but hardly makes an impact.
Speaking of impact, the only other actor who manages to match Nawaz in the film is Harshaali. Her eyes are a dagger through the heart. She makes the viewer smile and cry with equal ease. And she does it without speaking a single word in Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
However, at a quarter-short-of-three hours, the film feels quite long, despite Salman. The first half slogs by, and the numerous songs don't help the pace of the film. It is only after the intermission that Bajrangi Bhaijaan picks up speed. The cinematography is par excellence. The valleys of Kashmir are breathtaking. From the verdant green of the hills to the crystal clear streams, Aseem Mishra's camera leaves out nothing. Pritam's music is a medley of tracks ranging from peppy to soulful numbers to qawwalis. Zindagi Kuch Toh Bata deserves a special mention.
In all, Bajrangi Bhaijaan works for both a Salman fan and a non-fan. The film is essentially make-believe, but you want to believe. Therefore, even as Pakistan and India violate ceasefire and fire mortar shells at each other, somewhere you want to believe that a Bajrangi can cross borders for love.
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