316. Bharat; movie review

BHARAT
Cert 12A
155 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, bloody images, threat

At last - after ten years of watching his Bollywood movies, and two hours and ten minutes into his latest one, I might have discovered why there is such a fuss about Salman Khan.
Previously, I couldn't see past the regular miscasting, the tight scowl, the hunched-up shoulders and the strangely bulky physique.
But now, as Bharat was coming to its end, his performance was so emotionally charged, that tears fell down my cheeks.
When I had composed myself, I couldn't help wonder why I had to sit through so much overblown nonsense before I finally struck gold.
Anyway, the shiny metal was soon tarnished. Within five minutes, Salman was again suspending belief by beating up a weapon-wielding gang of motorcyclists when he was meant to be a man of 70.
I have read that playing a septuagenarian was 'out of his comfort zone' but it struck me that he is far nearer to that age than the shy bachelor types he often portrays.
I digress.
In Ali Abbas Zafar's movie, he plays the title character whose life is played back from Partition until 2010.
The story begins in the late 1940s when Bharat, his mother (Sonali Kulkarni) and siblings are split up from his sister and father (Jackie Shroff) as they hang on to the last train to leave what became Pakistan.
The traumatic parting shapes Bharat's life as he goes on through myriad dramas before taking over a shop in Delhi which is threatened with demolition for a mall.
Every step of the way, be it as a circus performer, miner or sailor he is accompanied by his best friend (Sunil Grover).
And for much of the time, he has his eyes on a potential romance with an ambitious young woman (Katrina Kaif).
At this point, I was about to bemoan how unlikely it would be for someone as beautiful as Kaif to be open to the gentle pursuit of the pocket battleship.
However, I have since read they were a longstanding item in real life!
I digress again.
The truth is that Bharat as been something of a flop at the box office.
That may be because Salman's character stretches credibility too far or it may be down to Zafar's laboured storytelling.
Except for 15 very good minutes, I found it unconvincing.


Reasons to watch: The emotion of its conclusion
Reasons to avoid: Another deeply unconvincing Salman Khan movie

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Bharat is based on the South Korean film Ode to My Father (2014), which traces the history of South Korea parallel to a man's life, spanning from the 1950s to the 2010s. It was shot in various locations, including Abu Dhabi, Spain, Malta, Punjab and Delhi.

Final word. Salman Khan: "The film Bharat, we have produced and we are very proud of. Bharat to me, is the place where I was born, the place where I will die. There is no better place anywhere than Bharat." India Today

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