Kabir Khan’s humanitarian drama about a good-hearted Indian man who resolves to take a little Pakistani girl home still brings tears to the eyes.
Was this Salman Khan’s career-best performance?
In the very aptly titled Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Salman actually slipped into a character named Pavan Chaturvedi. And he remained there. All through. Rarely have we seen Salman stay in character throughout the film.
The last time he played a character and not ‘Salman Khan’ was in Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger. There he kept slipping in and out of character. Not this time, buddy! Not in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. What we see on screen is an avatar of the innocent, God-fearing, upright and honest ‘Prem’ from Sooraj Barjatya’s cinema — a Hanuman Bhakt whose self-righteousness would have been boring had it been played by any other star actor.
We could say Salman plays the Son of Prem in Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Looking back on the experience, director Kabir Khan says, “It doesn’t feel like ten years because it’s still so fresh in our collective memory. Rarely does a week pass without it coming on television and people messaging me all over again about how much they loved the film. It’s a gift that keeps growing.”
Ironically, this wonderful message of cross-border peace raised the hackles of Pakistanis and they heckled Kabir when he visited the country after the release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
“They kept on ranting about how I had shown Pakistan in a bad light in Phantom and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. I tried to talk to them. But they were in no mood to listen. I really didn’t want to give any importance to them. I don’t think they were interested in reasoning or rationale. They knew the time of my departure. They were there all prepared for what they had to do. You can’t reason with the lunatic fringe. But I really don’t want to play into their hands. I am not going to get cowed down and be provoked into making statement against the country. Because the truth is, the common man is just not interested in any violence.”
“I was in Karachi for just one day. And it was all very friendly and hospitable… until this incident. The Pakistani people are warm and welcoming. It’s just a handful creating a vitiated atmosphere. There were just a handful of troublemakers at the airport. By the time I realized what was happening I was inside the airport. But I am not going to be intimidated by such attacks. Phantom was not the first political film I made. And Pakistan is not the first country that has shown hostility towards my cinema. I am sure to face more such situations in future.”
It’s a pity that Salman and Kabir had a thundering fall-out after Tubelight. Yes, Tubelight went wrong. But it was a brave failure. Why let failure dictate the choices in life?
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