Too divergent, too long, too far...

Bajrangi Bhaijaan (My brother Hanuman devotee, Hindi; 2015)

On the victorious day of Eid, after winning over the pains of hunger and determination over evil thoughts, this film tries to impress upon the brothers and sisters on either side of the India-Pakistan that they are both not dissimilar!

Unfortunately, the Partition has happened too long ago. The direction that both countries have diverged too far too long for it to meet again. Maybe there is no harm in spreading the nice words of the season. If you put aside the loopholes in plots, time, space and distance, it is doable as a bridge between this nations of brothers.

Shahida, a mute girl of 6 years old, from the hills of the heartland of Pakistan, gets separated from her mother during a train journey to India for treatment. Unable to state her place of origin, she wanders around just to follow Pawan (Salman Khan), a simpleton and a devout die-hard Hanuman devotee. She gets accepted into Pawan's love interest's family, a strict Brahmin one. Things gets complicated when one by one Shahida (now christened Munni) starts doing things abhorred by the family - consuming meat, entering a mosque and blasphemously supporting the Pakistani cricket team!

Selfie Le Le Re

Realising that they have a Pakistani child in their household, Pawan tries to get her back to her home country. Unfortunately, a mêlée in front of the embassy forces the embassy to stop issuing visas. His attempts to send her back via an agent proved almost disastrous. Pawan managed to rescue Munni from a brothel in the nick of time.

It is then Pawan, in foolhardy, decides to bring the child back himself without any documents. Through unbelievable situations which defied international protocols, with the help of the power of internet, child is united with her family and Pawan, the simpleton who has nothing but his trust on Hanuman, the monkey-god as his saviour, is hailed as a hero.

A feel good movie. Just like Christmas-themed movies which gives hope to humanity and the magical nature of dreams, Bajrangi Bhaijaan spreads the euphoria of peace in a society deeply divided by religion, caste and politics... Eid Mubarak ho!

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