BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN

Director: Kabir Khan
Writers: Vijayendra Prasad
Stars: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali Malthotra
Strength: Story, Acting
Weakness: Long runtime, loose first-half
Runtime: 163 minutes
Rating: 4.5/5

Plot: A young mute girl from Pakistan loses herself in India with no way to head back. A devoted man with a magnanimous spirit undertakes the task to get her back to her motherland and unite her with her family.

Review: The film starts off with a Pakistani village household cheering for Pakistan while watching its nail biting crucial cricket match with India on television. Inspired by the ace Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, a to-be mother from the household names her daughter as Shahida (Harshaali Malhotra). The girl despite being beautiful and expressive does not speak a word, which worries her parents day after day. While travelling to Delhi, their train halts due to a technical failure and that's where she gets separated from her family. Then she meets the extremely God fearing Bajrangi (Salman Khan). He decides to help her but none of his family stands by him other than his fiancé Rasika (Kareena Kapoor). Pavan decides to brave all the odds and return her back to Pakistan. 

Director Kabir Khan captures the attention of audiences' right from first shot of this character driven film. The impeccable camaraderie between him and his lead star Salman Khan was seen in their last blockbuster film EK THA TIGER. This time round, the camaraderie has grown by leaps and bounds, which can be seen in this film. 

As far as the performances are concerned, absolutely no prizes for guessing that the film belongs to the one and only 'Bhaijaan' Salman Khan, who makes no mistakes in delivering an outstanding performance in this film. Kareena Kapoor Khan, on the other hand makes the most out of her screen space and leaves a lasting impression with her endearing performance in the film. And last but not least, the cutie who the internet is swooning over, Harshaali Malhotra, who is a sheer delight to watch in every frame that she is in. Despite being in her first film, Harshaali comes across as a thorough professional in front of the camera with her innocence, her smile and her superlative performance.

On the whole, this is the first Salman film in a long time that has managed to capture the audience this way. With its breath-taking acting, and captivating story, it is sure to keep earning at the box office and an absolute must watch.

Reviewed by Intisab Shahriyar