Showing Pakistan in a new light, a human luminosity, Kabir Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan has not only won countless hearts in India, but also in the neighbouring country. With Salman Khan’s stardom as the driving force, the homecoming of a Pakistani child has made many Pakistanis very emotional, and tears are running amok in the theatres.
We spoke to a few of our friends in Pakistan, and here’s what they had to say about Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Almost twenty five years ago, Zeba Bakhtiar, a Pakistani took bullets to drop Rishi Kapoor back to his home in India. Now Salman Khan makes it up to all the Pakistanis by dropping home our Shahida. And what a payback I must say. I could hear the love ignited for Indians in the never ending applause that echoed in the Atrium Cinema in Karachi. I watched it on the day of Eid and it doubled the joy. I am happy that Indians will see a greener side of Pakistan’s natural beauty and understand that we are not all bomb & bullets. I have no shame in admitting that I shed a few tears in the climax scene. To me the best message was when Maulana saab gives shelter to Salman in the mosque and then bids him goodbye by saying ‘Jai Shree Ram’. So much to learn from that scene! Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the much needed positive breeze that has surely brought the twins closer.
– Sadiq Saleem (An accountant and entertainment journalist in Karachi)
I saw Bajrangi Bhaijaan at Centaurus Mall in Islamabad. Being used to Pakistan-bashing movies like Gadar or Border that would portray us in a negative aura, me and my mates were geared up to get a similar taste. But we were genuinely and completely surprised when the positivity was oozing out of the screen. This whole experience aroused a feeling of oneness with our lovely neighbour across the border. I also witnessed a handful of fair maidens dabbing away at their moist eyes in the theatre. In conclusion, Salman Khan has proven that he’s not just India’s but wholeheartedly Pakistan’s Bhaijaan too.
– Adnan Khan (A treasury manager working in Islamabad)
I watched Bajrangi Bhaijaan at Imperial Cinemas. It is an emotional, lovable film that projects a message of peace without demonising relations between Pakistan and India. Believe me, it is possible to find some equally hip mullahs in Pakistan. Moreover, Salman Khan is all about Being Human these days, and this is a film with a human touch.
– Aamna Haider Isani (She is from Lahore and is the editor of Instep at The News. She blogs at www.somethinghaute.com)
I share my date of birth with Salman khan. So, I have a special love for his movies. I booked my tickets way in advance to get the first show, a day before Eid in Vox Cinemas of the Emirates Dubai. In any Bollywood movie, you mostly watch men in blue crushing men in green in cricket. But Bajrangi Bhaijaan takes you by surprise when Afridi hits those sixes off Ashwin to give them a big win in the Asia Cup. That scene set the tone. When Salman is in Pakistan, you feel that partition was a mistake. Why are we divided by lines when we are so similar in cultures, values, traditions and everything else? This movie helps to diffuse the tension between the two countries and the fact that Salman is at the helm, the message is all the more impactful. The Being Human ambassador makes it very clear that humanity supersedes everything. I don’t like tears in my wife’s eyes but during the climax scene, I saw them flooding out and I just loved it.
– Saheras Muneer Sheikh (A finance professional from Larkana)
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is undoubtedly a lovely Eid present from our lovely neighbour, India. It’s one of the very rare films that show a balance between the two nations. I can vouch that every Pakistani has a soft corner for Indians and given the chance, we all would also go an extra mile to save their grace. The film boosts a total paradigm shift in our thinking. It has won our hearts and only Bhai could do this.
– Malika Merchant (An HR manager by profession, she is a Pakistani, currently living in Abu Dhabi)
I watched Bajrangi Bhaijaan a week after its release. And trust me, it is still getting packed houses, even for the midnight show. Apart from the emotional climax, I loved the little details spread all over the film. The love of cricket, the dialogue by Om Puri that a mosque’s doors are always open for everyone, the tears in Salman’s eyes when he finds Munni in a den of prostitutes and when Munni claps and kisses the Pakistani flag. Over all, it’s one of the best movies I have seen, with a positive message against the Indo-Pak backdrop; where there is no hatred, just love. Nothing is more important than humanity.
– Zuhair Javaid (A banker from Karachi)
(The writer is a journalist and a screenwriter who believes in the insanity of words, in print or otherwise. His Twitter handle is: @RanjibMazumder)