One of the Hindi film staples that got lost in the wave of rom com was the hero’s dialogue with god. The market dynamics are such that these days the hero has to be an alien to visit a temple. And the supporting cast’s religious identity comes forth only when the director has to show them taking a rigid or fundamentalist stand. Director Kabir Khan breaks this mould to generate a set of characters who wear their faith on one sleeve and humanity on the other with no friction in between. The moulvi is not averse to saying Jai Shri Ram and the simpleton hero believes that being Hanuman is not such a bad label in Pakistan as well, for the monkeys that he greets in temples are found in mosques as well!
The film is a good old school melodrama where messaging is more important than the form, where eyes go moist even when you know things are going larger than life. It is because Kabir takes the generous leap of faith from the ground of reality where India and Pakistan stand today. He underlines the importance of inclusiveness in these divisive times as a devout Hindu boy, the son of an RSS member, sets out to help a mute Pakistani kid to find her way back home.
Pavan Chaturvedi/ Bajrangi (Salman Khan) is embodiment of that common man, who often follows rituals and not the religion, who makes perceptions about the people of other faith without actually knowing them. What happens when the other happens to be a cute child? As Bajrangi sets out to find the girl’s mother, the film deals with stereotypes that we grapple with in our daily lives. How we associate the colour of skin with a particular caste, how we judge people by their food choices. Like PK , here Bajrangi reels out the name of Indian cities to figure out where she belongs to, not realising the limitations of the man made borders. The innocent scene gives the film its depth. Kabir had dealt with the impious divide in the name of religion in New York as well but that seemed far, a realistic issue caged in a rom com. Bajrangi is simple, more next door and hence has more agency among those who face the divisive forces on a daily basis.
The best part is when the narrative crosses borders; it doesn’t change its colour. Munni/Shahida doesn’t get reduced to a mute metaphor for Pakistan. Bajrangi continues his tryst with truth and Pakistanis don’t come across as habituated by people from another planet. In stringer Chand Nawab (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) he finds an ally who judges Bajrangi by his intentions and not his faith.
Average Salman fans must be in shock when in the second half Bhaijaan doesn’t get a chance to flex his muscles for Kabir prefers to engage with public sentiment rather than in indulging in making a star statement. With Salman playing the bhakt of a mythical superhero, Kabir has all the licence to turn him into a one man Army, but he resists the temptation slaying the ghosts of Gadar kind of hate cinema in the process.
Cutting down on his macho act, Salman proves that given a chance he could play the mama of melodrama as well. In little Harshali, he has a perfect foil, somebody, whose guiltless facial expressions are skilfully milked by cinematographer Aseem Mishra.
The fights are few and far between and the writers have played with this change in a fun away. In a masala entertainer the Hanuman song and the selfie song would have been two separate entities but here they are merged into one, cutting down on servicing the fan. It is Adnan Sami’s qawwali, again a genre that has lost its place in Hindi film narratives that is the highlight of the soundtrack. And as it comes at a lost and found space, the irony is palpable.
Nawazuddin shines in the role of a stinger in search of real stories. As Chand he reflects the plight of independent journalists in the hinterland. He has got the most potent dialogue of the film where he says how news business feeds on hate stories.
Addressing Muslims as Mohammedan, an almost archaic English word, is not only odd but irksome considering the film is set in Delhi/ Uttar Pradesh. The use of Shahid Afridi for Indo-Pak relations has outlasted its comic value. Kareena Kapoor’s presence is cosmetic and so is Bajrangi’s love angle and with lack of serious obstacles in the part of Bajrangi in the second half, the sweet Eid gift threatens to become diabetic towards the end but Bhaijaan is any day better than the different versions of Dabangg . Go savour!
