Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Before the release Kabir Khan claimed that Bajrangi Bhaijaan would be a movie where you will see Salman Khan as very common man without any action. I was doubtful about that after seeing the trailer where we get to see the superstar doing some punches. But I must say that Bajrangi Bhaijaan surprised me totally by justifying the director’s statement. Yes it is true that somewhere down it is a bit over the top, but the way Mr. Khan has treated the movie in some key areas makes those emotionally exaggerated scenes kind of touching.

The story was clear from the trailer itself. A girl who got trapped in India after her visit to a Dargah gets the help from a young man named Pavan from India, who apparently is a Bhakth of lord Hanuman. Accomplishing this mission wasn’t that easy for this Bajrangi as he was quite adamant that he won’t do things that are illegal. How he manages to complete this promise he made to the girl is the basic story.

As I said, it is the astonishment of seeing a non-heroic Salman Khan (in the physical action sense) that surprised me. With the kind of less clichéd and partially realistic making style, Kabir Khan grounds the ambitious thought that actually is an issue between two countries. The movie begins in a slightly typical manner where we get to see an introduction song for Pavan aka Bajrangi and then there is this sudden romance between him and Rasika. As I said, Kabir who hasn’t followed the typical south formula in visualizing these things gives an okay feel to these portions. Where the movie scores is in its main journey. By having some nice subplots and conflicts with smart casting, those portions also becomes quite endearing. The climax is a bit too extravagant, but the kind of zero super heroism we get to see till that moment, makes that climax a well built one.

Salman Khan as I said is not the typical Bhai here. I won’t say he astonished me with acting, he did his part in the usual way he portrays a normal man. The second and most important performer is the small wonder Harshaali Malhotra. Well the movie doesn’t ask her to speak a lot, but to convey the pain just through expressions isn’t an easy job and the girl has done a fab job. There is a scene where she cries (when she wakes up in India) and it was a heart touching one. Nawazuddin Ziddiqui who didn’t get much time in kick, gets a really lengthy character with enough space for him to perform. Well his intro was taken from that famous funny footage of an actual Pakistani journalist. Kareena Kapoor Khan isn’t really an integral part of the movie but the actress was fine in portraying that role. Om Puri in his totally new getup performed effortlessly. The other supporting cast also had some good performers. Special mention to the actress who played the role of the girl’s mother.

It is Kabir Khan’s treatment that gives a very less cheesy feel to the movie. If you observe the movie from a large perspective, it is very much an impossible thing. But by adding certain reality and less masala to the idea, Kabir succeeds in keeping things somewhat digestible. Script had some nice subplots which drives the movie forward and the dialogues were also fine. Music from Pritam sounds really good along with the film.

So to sum it up, Bajrangi Bhaijaan has that surprise of being a really good experience with a delightful heroism that doesn’t come out of super heroic attitudes or gravity defying stunts. The rating for Bhaijaan is 3.5/5.