Brother Bajrangi: a moving comedy that bridges the gap between Indians and Pakistanis [Review]
Get ready for an emotional roller coaster ride in Brother Bajrangi, a deeply moving film that humorously reveals the cultural tensions between Indians and Pakistanis – people who live close to each other but are deeply divided over religion, diet, and cricket teams.
Salman Khan is instantly loveable as Pawan, a devout Indian who worships the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. He cracks the audience up as he bows to every monkey he sees, dresses up as a woman and stays stubbornly honest even when his life is at stake.
Pawan’s life is turned upside down when he meets a mute little girl (Harshaali Malhotra) on the street. After realising that she is from Pakistan, he decides to take her back to her home at all costs, even though he doesn’t have a visa to cross the border.
With the beautiful mountains of Kashmir as a backdrop, Brother Bajrangi is visually vibrant, full of bright colours to match its infectious Bollywood energy. But amid the light-heartedness, director Kabir Khan addresses social problems such as human trafficking, social stratification and police violence.
As you find yourself laughing and crying along with the characters in the film, you realise that we’re really not so different after all.