‘Bajrangi’ builds a bridge beyond borders

By no stretch of imagination is it a great film or even a path-breaking one.  Viewed even through the most generous eye, Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a high on tears-and-cheers melodrama that throws logic to winds.

Yet the buzz that Kabir Khan's Eid outing, the tale of a mute girl from Pakistan who finds a saviour in an Indian, is creating is almost deafening. Cash registers are ringing, diehard Salman Khan fans can't stop the wolf whistles and the chattering classes are agape and thinking aloud. 

Is it possible to have a title that marries two faiths? Nothing new one would say for we had Amar Akbar Anthony long back, but remember, they were three different characters. So the discussion becomes more pointed. How can a Muslim actor play a Bajrang Bali Bhakt, release it on Eid and not only bat for Hindu-Muslim unity but India-Pakistan bonhomie too.

The debate moves a notch further. Can cinema change bigoted mindsets and bring the two nations closer?  More so  since the chant of Bajrangi Bhaijaan is not only being heard all over India, where it raced past the Rs 100-crore mark  in  the opening weekend, but even across the border. 

Yes prior to its release in Pakistan, there were murmurs and apprehensions. Copyright issues over a qawaali, sensitivity of the cross-border subject and the business angle as the film clashed with their own star Mahira Khan's much-anticipated film Bin Roye and another Pakistani film Wrong No. The Censor Board of Pakistan finally did relent and pass the film, naturally, not before axing several lines including a Pakistani maulvi mouthing, “Kashmir ka ek chhotta sa hissa hamare paas bhi hai.” Yet as the film is being screened across the Radcliffe Line cinemas are believed to be houseful till July 27 it’s breaking records and the Twitter is abuzz with positive comments. Even the Sindh Board of Film Censor Chairman, former singer and actor Fakhr-e-Alam, tweeted: “In fact, Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the most positive film for Pakistan that Bollywood has produced in a long time. Totally unexpected.” Bollywood, as we all know isn't new to Pakistan. Even its seasoned actors and producers claim it runs in their blood and our stars, especially the three Khans, are very much their stars too.  Only Bajrangi Bhaijaan is not simply riding on the cult status of Sallu bhai. Rather, it has created new stars. Closer home we can't stop gushing over the angelic Harshaali Malhotra, in Pakistan it has woken them once more to their Nawab Chand, a TV journalist,  after whom Nawazuddin Siddiqui's stellar act in the film is fashioned. In fact, he is receiving as many congratulatory messages as our very gifted actor Nawaz who has been commended by the real Nawab too. Indeed, on ground zero along the Line of Control and International Border this might be that rare Eid when sweets were not exchanged and ceasefire violations marred the festivity. But on the silver screen, Khan's Eid treat is mending hearts like never before and building bridges. In a country divided by religion, Bollywood has always been the religion the whole of India subscribes to, the ultimate unifier cutting across religions. Can the same religion cement ties with nationals across the border with whom we are invariably at loggerheads? Perhaps, one is reading too much into the success of the film both sides of the border.  Or maybe the film's strong emotional connect is echoing the mood of the common man. As the highly exaggerated climax of the film shows, maybe people on both sides don't want any more conflict. If (a big one indeed) Kabir Khan has really caught the pulse of the people… are authorities on both sides listening? Salman has requested both Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi to watch the film. Will their hearts melt as in the case of ordinary mortals? Actually not just masses, even celebrities like superstar Aamir Khan have broken down after watching special screenings. Of course, hate mongers will see what they want to.  As the film proves to be a break out hit, the breaking news also is that Sindh Board of Film Censor Chairman, Fakhr-e-Alam has received threat to life and asked cinema owners in Pakistan to beef up security.   

Anyway there are very many spoilsports in this part of the subcontinent too. MNS' threat has stalled the release of Pakistani film Bin Roye which was touted to clash with Bajrangi. This misguided party led by the even more imprudent Raj Thackeray had warned of dire consequences if the Mahira Khan starrer movie was released in Maharashtra. Clearly, the India-Pakistan reality is far more complex than Kabir Khan would like us to believe and became evident the day the film was released.

Far removed from realpolitik, the syrupy narrative that he builds up onscreen in Bajrangi Bhaijaan might be at best wishful thinking if not manipulative drama. However, as the Eid Milan hosted by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit, in New Delhi has proved, Bajrangi Bhaijaan has become yet another rallying point for those on the warring sides. And that by itself is no mean feat. Kabir and Salman can take a bow for handing us out a message on humanity, even if it comes wrapped in a candy-floss package. If sceptics are not convinced by Kabir's flight of fancy, they can log on to the story of Pakistani national Hamid Imran, father of 13-year-old Nalain Rubab. Even after losing his daughter to a liver transplant operation in India, he wrote a thank you note to Indian doctors and pasted on his Facebook wall: “I love India.” Amidst the hatred and enmity, somewhere and in some hearts the India-Pak love story, which has nothing to do with love jihad, is being written with real emotions. And it's this emotion that Bajrangi Bhaijaan successfully taps into.. nonikasingh @tribunemail.com