Bajrangi Bhaijaan Reviews / BO Collections Thread 2 - Page 5

#BajrangiBhaijaan first day US: $7,00,000. No. 10 on box-office chart of North America.

Salman Khan's films tend to be loud, fast paced and wildly entertaining. More often than not, they cater to hardcore fans and logic takes a backseat. Atleast, that is the image that Salman has built up over the last few years. But before all this began, there was a time when Salman used to appear in films that tugged at your heart. Perhaps, Bajrangi Bhaijaan' is Salman's way of reminding his fans of that era. This is our review of the film.

Story :

Pavan Chaturvedi (Salman Khan) is a very kind hearted man who also happens to be a devout Shri Hanuman follower. He is so devout that he bows down to greet every monkey that he comes across. To make a career, Bajrangi moves to Delhi and this is where he falls in love with a local teacher named Rasika (Kareena Kapoor).

Bajrangi's simple nature and charm win Rasika over. But Bajrangi's life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a little girl named Shahida/Munni (Harshaali), who is lost and looking for help. Bajrangi gets the shock of his life when he realises that Munni is from Pakistan.

However, he decides to reunite her with her family and for this, he must cross the border. Crossing over into Pakistan is no easy task and there are many obstacles, prejudices and political hurdles that Bajrangi must cross, to succeed in his mission.

What happens to the little girl? What does Bajrangi learn along the way and most importantly, does he succeed in his mission? That is what this film is all about.

Plus Points :

- This is easily one of Salman Khan's best films in recent years. This is not a mindless action entertainer that is aimed solely at fans. This is a film that has a great emotional core and Salman shines through with a superb performance. He is endearing in many scenes.

- The little girl Harshaali will stay in your hearts long after you walk out of the theater. She has performed exceptionally well and her scenes with Salman are easily the best in the film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui lends great support as the journalist and he has some solid dialogues that he used to good effect.

- The film is both entertaining and thought provoking. The second half of the film is easily the best and Kabir Khan's direction is spot on here. He has used Salman Khan very cleverly in the film and some of the dialogues will draw whistles from the crowd. The film will bring tears from your eyes towards the end.

- Kareena Kapoor looks stunning and she has given a very good performance.

Minus Points :

- The film takes a while to get going in the first half and the run time could have been trimmed in this part to improve the pace of narration. A 20 minute trimming in the overall runtime can really make this film brilliant.

- The plot has loopholes and some of them are glaringly apparent. The solutions proposed for burning problems being faced today are way too cliched and simplistic.

Technical Aspects :

Cinematography is very good. The scenic locales are a treat to watch. Like I said before, the editing could have been a lot better. Dialogues are very good. Pritam Chakraborty has done a good job with the background score.

Kabir Khan has handled the film very well. He has portrayed Salman Khan in a refreshingly new way and that is what makes a huge difference in the movie. He has handled the emotional scenes in the film well.

Verdict :

Salman Khan's fans usually have a fantastic Eid. This year too, they are in for a treat. Bhai has delivered and Bajrangi Bhaijaan' is one hell of an emotional entertainer. Don't miss this film. After all, you don't get to see Salman Khan in such endearing roles very often these days.

Releaseday.com Rating - 3.5/5

Box Office Potential - Huge

Reviewed by Mahesh S Koneru