Begum Jaan Movie Review : Vidya Balan delivers a solid performance, along with ceeti-maar dialogues!
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| Poster of Begum Jaan. |
Director - Srijit Mukherjee
Duration - 2hr 15mins
Genre - Drama
Rating - 3.5/5
Plot - It's Independence day, 1947, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, the chairman of the Border Commission takes the decision of dividing India and Pakistan into equal halves. The administration asks Begum Jaan (Vidya Balan) to leave her brothel situated on the border, as it's one half is falling in India and the other half in Pakistan.
Review - Director Srijit Mukherjee is revisiting his Bengali film Rajkahani (2015). He took a good story to revisit because even 70 years after India-Pakistan's partition, anything around it still piques interest. The story of the film deals less with the horror of partition and serves more as an ode to the spiritedness of Begum Jaan, who was widowed in her childhood and sold to a brothel.
The Kings, administrators and the commissioners are hooked onto the pleasures provided by Begum Jaan's girls. So, Begum manages to keep a front foot here. Till, Cyril Radcliffe, the chairman of the Border Commission, draws the line of partition here.
Vidya Balan delivers a solid performance, she invests full in her character of Begum Jaan. Her raunchy dialogues will surely get whistles and shouts. The film has a few dull moments, but that won't make you loose out your interest in the film. Begum Jaan's courage is infectious though. Vidya Balan resembles a lioness whether she is defending her body or boundaries. The cinematographer made a great effort to capture the India Pakistan division with close-ups. The music of the film is composed by Anu Malik, though the music album is okey according to the film. Vidya Balan is an excellent actor, she takes the whole film on her shoulders and she succeeds in it. On the other hand, Gauahar Khan and Chunky Pandey too delivered solid performances.
Final Words - If you like stories related to Indo-Pak partition, women's war against patriarchy, then this one is definitely for you. One Time Watchable, No! You can watch it twice, for Vidya Balan and Team! Go For It!
In Depth Ratings -
Direction - 3.5/5
Story - 3.5/5
Dialogues - 4/5
Music - 2.5/5
Visual Appeal - 3/5