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Bajrangi Bhaijaan

STARRING: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan,NawazuddinSiddiqui, Harshaali Malhotra, Om Puri DIRECTOR:Kabir Khan

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Bajrang Bali ki Kasam, the muchawaitedSalman Khan Eid release, Bajrangi Bhaijaan isa far cryfrom the regular SalmanKhanfilms.Though packedwith a fewself-glorification scenesandafar-fetchedplot, thisfilm, fora change, issensible.It's alight, emotionally-packeddrama that touches your heart.

It isthestory ofPavanKumar Chaturvedi aka Bajrangi Bhaijaan, a sincere devotee ofLordHanuman, who takesitupon himself to reunite a mute 6-year-old Pakistanigirt, Shahida, who he calls Munni, with herfamily across the border.

Whatmakes thisfilmstand apart among Salman'srepertoire isthathe plays thesaviour Bajrangi Bhaijaan with conviction of asimpleton andwins hearts instantly when he makes up his ".iill on 041-435-4999 mindto do no wrong.So muchso thatwhenheis questioned, "Tum bahadur ho ya bewakoof', he hasno answer.

SalmanKhan ishis usual light-hearted self, doing what comesnaturally to him. But, fortunately thosescenesareso wellamalgamated into the screenplay that, even the frivolity displayed, seems like an extension of his character andgains credibility. Histrialsand tribulationsare endearing and you are one with him in hismission.

With not asingle word ofdialogue to mouth, little Harshaali asShahida, foors youwith her expressive eyes, especiallyher forlorn look.Your heartmeltswhen she clings on to Salman and you chuckle when she is playfully naughty or yearns to eat non-veg.Shesharesa strong on-screen chemistry with Salman and probably that'swhy the film iseffective.

Every other character in thefilmis well-etched.NawazuddinSiddiqui as ChandNawab,a freelancesmalltown broadcast journalist, who trails Bajrangi Bhaijaan while he isinPakistan, performscompetently. He adds a comic tinge to hischaracter with ease, displaying hisversatility asan actor.

Kareena playsSalman'slove angle, Rasika.She hasaminisculerole that doesnotgo beyond the perfunctory glamour quotient.

SharatSaxena asRasika'sfather Dayanandand the actresswho plays Shahida's mother have their screen moments.

OmPuri in aspecial appearance as the Moulvi iswasted.

The premise ofdirector Kabir Khan's film maysound like asimple road journey, but the tale unfurls with ample adventurous excitement laced with humour, melodrama and cinematic libertywhich includessome tacky and stereotypicalscenes.

On the technicalfront, thefilm, with decent production values,hasa realistic approachsansthe glossinessof a block buster.

Aseem Mishra'scinematography captures thewide-sceniclandscapes and the close up of the tear dropfalling fromSalman's eye, effortlessly.

Thesongs, thoughwell-meshed into the script, don't leave an impact on thenarration.Thefirstsongwith the lyrics, "Chai beta selfie le le re" which introducesSalman,iswell choreographed. Whereas, the other song with the lyrics, "Bhook lagi bhook lagi, zoron ki bhook lagi (ChickenSong), withsome yodelling,hasa racy tune of anoft-heardKonkani/ Marathi remix, but ischaotically choreographed. Boththesesongscaterstrictly to front benchers.

And the Sufisong "Bhar dojholi meri," featuring AdnanSarniusedin one of the episodic climax, is exhilarating, but lost in the mayhem of the sequence of events.

ApartfromSalman, watch Bajrangi Bhaijaanfor itsstrong message oflove andbrotherhood bonding,whichisso relevanttoday.