Introduction
Remember the content magic that elevated the Baahubali franchise to absolutely new heights? It was veteran writer K V Vijayendra Prasad whose pen unfolded magic on screen with a story that resonated with the entire nation. Although it was primarily the father-son (K V Vijeyandra Prasad and S S Rajamouli) duo behind the Baahubali franchise's success, K V Vijeyandra Prasad also wrote a film for Salman Khan which went on to become Khan's highest grossing film worldwide! Directed by Kabir Khan, 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' starred Salman Khan, Harshaali Malhotra, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead roles, while Rajesh Sharma and Sharat Saxena starred in supporting roles. This was Salman Khan's first non-action film in seven years (since Yuvvraaj in 2008) and no one probably thought that a film like this, which doesn't suit Khan's personality at all, would become his worldwide highest grosser, will win a National award winner, and also, would bring out his career best performance! Stick along as we present to you the Anniversary rewind review of this emotional entertainer, which completes ten years of it's release today!
Basic Plot
An Indian man tries to reunite a mute Pakistani child, with her family, who's lost in India.
Positives
Direction and Writing
If it was one man, who could make an unbiased film that has the ever sensitive topic of 'India-Pakistan' at it's core, it was definitely Kabir Khan! Known for directing films which carry complex and sensitive themes, with a documentary touch; like: Kabul Express (2006), New York (2009) and Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Kabir Khan once again proved his caliber with Bajrangi Bhaijaan! The direction has been spot on and so have been the character layering. The character development and their writings have been really strong with each of them having their own share of obligation and responsibility, all of which add to the film's purpose and gravitas. The character arc of Salman Khan and Harshali Malhotra has been brilliant in particular, as you see the two starting from no one, becoming friends in the process, developing the uncle-niece bond, and finally ending at a father-daughter duo! The development of the drama has been excellent, and while this is a very detailed film that focuses on ideological differences, mental complexities, and cross border poor diplomatic relations to top it all, you will be surprised to know that Bajrangi Bhaijaan isn't a slow film by any means, and instead, provides a wholesome emotional entertainment. Even the small nuances like 'veg non-veg' problems, 'strict family issues', and 'religious differences' have been subtly but intricately established with the engaging and dramatic writing. The staging of majority of the scenes have been solid and the showstopper of them all has to be the climax!
Talking specifically about the writing, K V Vijayendra Prasad is just flawless with his pen. The screenplay setting has been very good indeed and the conflicts have been set up really well. The USP of the writing lies in the fact that Prasad does not try to experiment with the narrative and the flow of the story and instead, he uses his genuine commercial sensibility to keep things minimal and straight-forward, for the mainstream public to enjoy. There's no concept of non-linear-ness, or even unnecessary complexity, and rightfully so, as those could have stunted the film's acceptability among the masses. The dynamism in the story is something to cheer for; it's so simple, so obvious, yet, so damn effective! The subtle humor in the writing ensures good laughter, without breaking the intense and significant theme that the film possesses.
Lead cast Performances, Music, and Technicalities
Cast performances really do steal the show in spite of an already well written story backing the film throughout it's runtime. Salman Khan plays Pawan, a naive, underconfident, and a religious man from New Delhi, born and bought up in a strict Hindu family. Despite the absolute contrast with Khan's off screen persona, he convincingly manages to seep into the skin of character and shines surprisingly high! Harshali Malhotra deserves a special mention for all the right reasons; she's played her character very well. The sign language tropes that Pawan uses to communicate with Harshali's character 'Munni', are designed very well with the plan to resonate them with the audience easily, and the strategy works as intended. Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Chand Nawab comes onto the screen almost after the first hour, only to showcase his acting prowess that continues till the climax. This is the main trio who get the film going, and while all the characters are shown to start from scratch, you will surely be in awe towards the end of the film about how well the chemistry between the three has worked. Siddiqui's arc is specifically refreshing; much like a dream, where he overcomes his struggling phase as a journalist, gets a solid story without anyone's help, which in turn, helps Pawan with his mission of rejoining Munni with her family. Too good to be true, but also, too enjoyable for sure! The intended vibe of a foster father and her daughter, with an uncle, trying to reunite the girl with her family in foreign land, is nicely achieved, especially due to the heady concoction of a flawless writing and towering performances.
Helmed by Pritam, the music album has emotional songs, party number, romantic track, and even a qawwali, which shows the dynamism of the composition. The songs are placed in good positions in the screenplay that don't hamper the flow of the writing and instead, boosts the gravitas of the film. The editing by Rameshwar S. Bhagat has been quite nice as you don't feel the length of this almost 160 minutes film. The scenes are cut well and it's fascinating how a story of this magnitude is effortlessly told under 160 minutes, without compromising on emotions. Convincing has also been the camera work by Aseem Mishra who has captured some breathtaking landscapes of the valleys in Kashmir. The scenes that have been shown as Pakistani villages were shot mainly in Rajasthan and film sets, which seem quite believable, courtesy the camera work. Even the production design needs a mention for the same.
Underwhelming Aspects
Subjective nitpicking
I don't really like to focus on unimportant details just to find faults, but I found a couple of issues that needed mentioning. While, Om Puri delivers a stand out performance, and the supporting cast, consisting of Meher Vij, Sharat Saxena, and Rajesh Sharma does pretty well, it's Kareena Kapoor Khan whom I found a bit under-utilized. I mean, se does well, helps Pawan, gives him confidence, and even goes against her strict family to support Pawan, I wished her role was a tad longer and a few more moments of hers were added with Khan, as the chemistry is just non-existent here (which was also exactly the plan it seems). Secondly, I found the border-crossing scene quite funny and childish. I mean, no matter how big of a 'Bajrangbali' devotee you are, you just cannot afford to take permission of the guards at international borders for illegal trespassing and later apologizing to them. The guards hear his story in a nutshell and even allow him to trespass. I mean, come on. The rest of the film is so serious but how could you include a scene like this director Khan, even if showing Pawan naive was your priority?
Conclusion
Imagine it's 17th July, 2015, and you are watching Salman Khan's bang-on bhai level slow-mo entry scene (typical Eid trope)in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, only to find that the story which follows is entirely different from what Salman Khan has tried over the years. You would have surely been skeptical at first but that is where director Kabir Khan's conviction came into play. This is a film with a heart at it's core that defies cultural differences, religious ego, and even cross border tensions to remind all of us, that above all is humanity! With spot on performances, excellent direction, a simple but engaging screenplay, good music, and a worthy technical department to top it all. A non-action Salman Khan Eid release, which lets the narrative drive the story forward in spite of being commercial to the brim, is a rare Bollywood gem that is seldom produced. As 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' completes ten years today, let us hope that films like these get a response similar to this whenever they release in the near future! 'Munni anaath nahi hain. Agar hoti to Bajrangbali bata diye hote' says Salman Khan in the film, and hats off to his loving devotion to Bajrangbali, as he was absolutely right!
Watch Out For
- Cast Performances
- Writing
- Music
- The emotional climax
WTF Rating
8/10