Begum Jaan movie review: Vidya Balan's acting abilities crumble under the burden of this over dramatic mess
Begum Jaan is a remake of 2015 Bengali movie, Rajkahini, and stars Vidya Balan in the main role
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Mahesh Bhatt and his home production, Vishesh Films, takes a break from Emraan Hashmi thrillers and go back in history to make a movie on the partition and the sufferings it caused to our ancestors. That's Begum Jaan for you. It is a remake of 2015 Bengali movie, Rajkahini, and stars Vidya Balan in the main role, along with a huge ensemble cast involving Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Pitobash, Chunky Pandey, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajit Kapoor, Vivek Mushran, Ila Arun, Mishti and Naseeruddin Shah. Srijit Mukerji, who directed the original movie, helms this one as well.
Here's our review of Begum Jaan.
What's it about
Before I get down to the review, I would recommend you to watch Ram Madhvani's brilliant short film on Sir Cyril Radcliffe, the man who drew the border between India and Pakistan on the western side - This Bloody Line. The reason why I am telling you this is because the late Radcliffe is made out to be an unseen villain in Begum Jaan, while in reality, he is nothing more that an unfortunate puppet for British to divide our country before leaving. Anyway, let's get to the plot...
In the year 1947, the aforementioned Radcliffe, who actually didn't have much clue about the country's topography, and drew a border which led to a lot of bloodshed on both sides. One unfortunate victim of this line was Begum Jaan's kotha that was situated in Punjab, far away from the villages. Begum Jaan (Vidya Balan) is the head of the 11 sex workers that live there, who is like their mother and disciplinarian at the same time. The kotha is under the patronage of the local Maharaja (Naseeruddin Shah), which gives Begum Jaan the gumption to take on even the police. So when the administrators from both India and Pakistan (Ashish Vidyarthi and Rajit Kapoor) ask her to evict the kotha, she stubbornly refuses to do so. When she continues to reject their notices and even threatens, the administrators resort to an extremely nefarious method to get her and her coterie removed, that end up disastrously for all involved.
What's hot
The premise for Begum Jaan is definitely hard-hitting and at the same time, also empowering at times, at least on paper. The partition was one of the saddest and also one of the most shameful periods in our history. Though 70 years have gone by, we still need movies that need to remind us what happens when we end up fighting with each other, something our political parties are making us do. Also, the movie wants to advocate that women's situation hasn't improved much either - they end up being the bigger victims when males fight over dominance and superiority. This fact is stated when the movie begins in 2016 when a woman is molested in the presence of her male friend, before the narrative shifts to 1947. There are some hard-hitting and gut-wrenching moments scattered here and there. One scene that comes to my mind when Begum slaps a raped girl multiple times to get a reaction from her. The scene where Begum Jaan challenges the administrators is also powerful. But the best moment for me was when Begum's girls celebrate India's independence, Begum is actually worried about the loss of income for the day, as she knows independence doesn't make any difference to their plight. But they are quite far and few. It really helps that Begum Jaan is wonderfully played by Vidya Balan. It is a real bold performance from the actress, after The Dirty Picture, and Vidya Balan has let go of her inhibitions to get into the skin of the character. Though the movie lets her scream, shout and abuse a lot, it is in the quieter moments that Vidya shines the best. Check out that scene where she mollifies the king or her smiling acceptance of her final fate - that's the class of her performance. Among the ensemble cast, Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Vivek Mushran and Chunky Pandey (what an evil makeover!) stand out. Naseeruddin Shah is very effective in his two-scene cameo, especially the scene where he places a creepy request to Begum Jaan. Some of the dialogues hit right at the sweet spot, while Anu Malik's score is a highlight, the Prem Mein Tohre song being creme de la creme. However, the placement of the songs leaves a lot to be desired.
What's not
The premise and some of the character depictions may be hard-hitting, but they are done some real injustice here by a omelodramatic and overbearing screenplay. In fact, it nearly undoes the good work done by Vidya, cluttering the movie with too many characters and unwanted subplots. The first half takes its own sweet time to get to the point, showing lengthy scenes of girls bonding with each other. It would have been great for character development, but the director's insistence on making the actors get into the theatrical mode, screaming and shouting at each other that we cannot relate to them at all. When I watched these scenes I couldn't help myself but remember Shyam Benegal's fantastic Mandi that shows you don't need to screech every time, just because you are playing a sex worker. Unfortunately, the director Srijit Mukherji believes that you need to actually scream and shout to get your point across each other. There are also scenes where Ila Arun's character narrates tales from history to a young girl where she imagines the lead female character to be Begum Jaan, that could have been cut out. Also, I found Begum Jaan to be a very shallow person, who couldn't let go of her ego for the sake of her co-workers. She wasn't born in that kotha, so she and her girls could have moved anywhere else and started their livelihood there. So her insistence on staying adamantly at the place at the cost of their lives sounds unjustified, and hence we just don't connect with their characters even in their darkest moments. Also why the writers want to show the administrators as victims of partition and yet make them kind of antagonists is beyond my comprehension. The scenes where they keep on blabbering about how the other person's community destroyed his become very cumbersome. The subplot involving the lovelorn prostitute (Pallavi Sharda) and the Master (Vivek Mushran) is added for shock value. Also I agree that men shown in the movie are complete a-holes, but male-bashing in Begum Jaan is a bit too much.
Speaking of shock value, I haven't seen the Bengali version so don't know how bold it is and whether the script justifies the boldness. But here, the bold elements are too in-your-face and unnecessary. There is a scene between Gauahar Khan and Pitobash, where she takes his hand and puts it on her private parts, while lecturing him about their significance. The scene may be well-intentioned, but it was quite forced and actually inserted between a far more interesting scene. The violent climax, save for a touching final moment for the girls, is quite less effective despite the bloodshed. However, the aftermath involving the characters of Rajit Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Rajesh Sharma will make you cringe in embarrassment.
What to do
Begum Jaan held a lot of promise for me after that scintillating trailer. However, the movie failed to replicate the trailer's tight framework, and instead, makes an overdramatic mess of such an important chapter in our history. It's a pity since Vidya Balan is really good here, and the premise looked promising on paper. Avoid Begum Jaan, unless you have a thing for overdramatic fare.
Begum Jaan movie review: A plot that could have turned into a powerful allegory turns shallow
Begum Jaan movie review: Vidya Balan film reminds you of older, better films. The whole concept of a brothel run by a crude, feisty madam is very much like Shyam Benegal's Mandi.
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Begum Jaan movie review: Begum Jaan could have been an impactful drama full of memorable characters, led by its leading lady, Vidya Balan.Begum Jaan movie cast:Vidya Balan, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajit Kapur, Gauahar Khan, Rajesh Sharma, Pitobash Tripathy, Vivek Mushran, Chunky Pandey, Naseerudin Shah, Pallavi Sharda, Ila Arun
Begum Jaan movie director: Srijit Mukherji
Begum Jaan star rating: 1.5 stars
The story of the bloody birth of India and Pakistan is so inherently full of drama that any telling of any part of it needs a great deal of skilled restraint. That crucial thing is thrown to the winds in Begum Jaan, based on Rajkahini, Srijit Mukherji's Bengali film. I haven't seen the original, but this, meant to be a remake, climbs up to a high-pitched melodramatic perch, and progresses in episodic lurches, never climbing down. Which is a pity because Begum Jaan could have been an impactful drama full of memorable characters, led by its leading lady, Vidya Balan. Dressed in flowing robes, eyes lined with kohl, puffing on a hookah, lording it over her ladies, pardon the pun, Balan plays a madam who runs a brothel, slam bang in the midst of all the action.
In the tumultuous days that lead up to the Partition, the location of the kotha' becomes an ironic inflection point - the house where a bunch of hookers sell their flesh without checking religion and caste is about to be divided, the line drawn by the British cleaving it down the middle.
The women, who live with an old dai'-like white-sari clad figure (Arun), a hefty, burly guard, and a jovial fellow (Pitobash Tripathy, one of the better things in the film) who is everyone's companion and one woman's (Gauahar Khan) love, turn fierce protectors of their turf. Just like the more respectable' citizens around them, they do not want their house divided.
Many elements in Begum Jaan remind you of older, better films. The whole concept of a brothel run by a crude, feisty madam is very much like Mandi - Shyam Benegal's excellent film. The ecosystem of that brothel and this one is similar too, but that one we believed in, and this one looks all dressed up for the next shot.
The casual cruelty of those in power, especially over women who are vulnerable (Naseer's raja' who is not just their patron, but is also a ruthless predator) is so much like Ketan Mehta's Mirch Masala (Naseer was in that one too).
There's a great deal of stiltedness and awkward dialogue between Rajit Kapur and Ashish Vidyarthi, who play the Muslim and Hindu officials, overseeing the drawing of the line, with faces peering at us from the sides of the screen. At first I thought there was something wrong with the projection, and then realized it was deliberate. Perhaps to emphasise the divide between two people, two religions.
The only one who seems to be totally in sync with the jerky heightened silliness of the enterprise is Chunky Pandey who plays a creepy bad guy, hired to get rid of the pesky prostitutes - if they won't go quietly, they will have to be forced out.
A plot that could have turned into a powerful allegory - you divide people at your peril, for no lasting gains - is run aground. And the climax is full of fire and faux brimstone and lots of speechifying, the ladies of easy virtue becoming a gun-toting fauj', before invoking a certain Rajasthani rani' who currently is the subject of a film with a troubled trajectory.
Such a waste of a talented bunch of actors. And of Balan, who tries hard to invest some feeling into a role which turns into a clich the moment the film opens.
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Begum Jaan' film review: An unworthy crusade
Vidya Balan leads a band of sex workers in this period drama, which loses steam because of its cluttered and heavy subtext
Begum Jaan is a classic example of a movie that goes on to win the battle, but loses the war.
The tale of a group of feisty prostitutes led by Vidya Balan resolutely clutching onto their home where they do their business seems like a trite battle to be launched when India was in the midst of dealing with the aftermath of a bloody partition by the British colonists. There's riots and carnage looming, but this film focuses on a singular chapter of how it affects 11 sex workers, who are living at the fringes of Punjab.
Their ferocious fight to salvage their home after they are slapped with an eviction notice so that their home could be razed to the ground and an India-Pakistan check post could be built seems like an unworthy cause to be attached to. The women seem like rebels without a worthy cause.
But that's not to say that the actors didn't bring their best to the table. Balan is stirring as the formidable boss of a group of loud, screechy sex workers. Her body language (effortlessly sexy) and her acidic dialogues on the nature of their trade is entertaining. She is dignified even while pleading with her royal client (Naseeruddin Shah) to employ his clout to ward off the eviction notice.
While the film has a number of talented actors, it's Balan who shines because her character is relatively strong. Her strange rapport with her employees is often a hit and a miss. The scenes in which they celebrate holi and eat together reflects an easy camaraderie, but their collective need to break out into an uncouth, screechy laughter is perplexing and grating. Naturally, attempts have been made to make Balan's character heroic. She's like the messiah of society's rejects and that isn't always convincing.
Pallavi Sharda, Gauahar Khan and a cherubic looking Vivek Mushran as an educated social worker support her main act ably.
While the first half is an extended version of the trailer and is laborious, the second half picks up pace considerably. The attempts of the establishment to smoke them out of their own domain is interesting, but somehow it's difficult to connect to them. The subtext of ruthless colonialism, the aftermath of partition of a fractured India and the rumble of Hindi-Muslim riots makes the film cluttered and heavy.
Watch this only if you are fan of Balan.
The details
Language: Hindi
Run time: 131 minutes
Director: Srijit Mukherji
Rating: 18+
Cast: Vidya Balan, Pallavi Sharda, Vivek Mushran, Rajit Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah
GN Rating: 2 out of 5.
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