This will probably change with time and maybe it won’t overtake PK but for the moment I am happy it did so well. Why? It’s the first bollywood movie ive watched in cinemas and been excited to watch since 2012. If my Pakistani friend had not told me it was worth watching and that it would be emotional/heart warming/tears inducing i may not have seen it. That would have been a loss. So alongside bahubali and bin roye i added it to my list. I didn’t have many expectations but it completely awed me. what I liked most was this was the simple message of human relationships between the Indian and Pakistani characters. It wasn’t about government/militaries/politics. Even the few scenes of the border showed that even there there can be a humane side.
I didn’t want to overtake the last thread so i made a new one.
Spoilers*
My favourite characters are without doubt the Pakistani characters of Nawazuddin who plays the real life Pakistani journalist Chand Nawab and Munni, the 6 yr old girl from Pakistan.
I really want the film to do well so more such movies can be made exploring human relationships on either side of the border. This is maybe why i have watched it multiple times. Online some of my closest friends, who i consider family, are from Pakistan and living in Pakistan. From Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Bahwalapur, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Hangu and Sindh. I feel i can relate to the film because one day we hope to meet each other even though border/visas can pose issues initially. In beginning we both had misconceptions about each other but when we got to know each other those melted away. So in a way i feel like when watching this movie i am also taking a journey across the border. So in a way some people may say this film is idealistic but in other ways it is realistic as many Pakistanis and Indians do develop such friendships abroad like in the movie. I am lucky to have made such friendships online both on GS and elsewhere. Not only do i feel enriched by having them in my life but also my Urdu, Pashto and Sindhi vocab has expanded. I do talk about these newfound friendships to any Indians or Pakistanis i meet who may have misconceptions. I don’t want to give much away but best part is watching the characters transform in second half when they realise misconceptions they once held were not true. One day Inshallah I will.
‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ breaks the record of ‘Dhoom3’ to become the second biggest Bollywood film - The Times of India]('Bajrangi Bhaijaan' breaks the record of 'Dhoom3' to become the second biggest Bollywood film | Hindi Movie News - Times of India)
