Bajrangi Bhaijaan

First up, I am not a Salman fan. I am far from it to be frank. People usually associate this to the fact that I am a die hard Shah Rukh fan. That is a LIE. I really liked Salman Khan before all his movies turned out to have the same elements based in different settings. This movie though, is beautiful.
As an Indian, my opinion about friendship with Pakistan is conflicted. I really wish for cordial political ties between the nations and also for relations between the citizens to be as they would be between any two people coming from different nationalities. On the other hand, I hold a very different opinion when it comes to military and cricket. However, this movie just shows that fundamentally, Indians and Pakistanis are quite alike and I am not talking about the political scenario here. I am referring to the people. We are both strongly influenced by our culture, we grow up learning to dislike the other, cricket is our religion, we share the mountains and the desert, we have similar houses and lanes and villages and pretty much everything. The only real difference lies in the side of the border our grand parents and great grand parents chose in 1947.
Shahida, a 5 year old Pakistani girl who is deprived of speech, gets seperated from her mother in India while returning home from Delhi. Her family, absolutely distraught, hopes that maybe someone in Hindustan would turn out to be a godsend and help their daughter. Enter, Pawan aka Bajrangi. What follows is a beautiful journey. A journey that changed Pawan and Chand Nawab, their friend in Pakistan, that awoke two nations and made them realise that hatred will destroy them some day. But love is powerful. So powerful that an Indian vowed to safely take a Pakistani girl to her parents with great risk to his own life.
If you aren't even a little touched after seeing this movie, you're not human.
The acting ofcourse, was fantastic. A+ to each and everyone of them. Salman Khan with his transitions from grave to funny and back to grave was incredibly convincing. It was refreshing to see him portray an exceptionally ordinary man with the highest moral principles ever possible. He really is an angel in disguise. He gets you to believe that there really are people in this world who are as selfless and determined as Pawan. Kareena Kapoor may not have a lot of screen time but that in no way makes her unimportant. Usually in movies like these, a love interest seems absolutely unecessary. But this was not like that. She plays the role of a strong girl who stands up for what she believes is right. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has always been fantastic in whatever role he plays. This was no exception. He plays Chand Nawab, a Pakistani journalist struggling to get his reports aired on news channels. He has a huge impact on you. He can stimulate emotions within the audience effortlessly. And saving the best for the last, Harshaali Malhotra who plays Shahida. I cannot even begin to comprehend how a six year old can bring such a difficult role to life so flawlessly. And everytime you look at her, your heart will melt.
What with the worsening India-Pakistan relations, it is heart warming to see such a beautiful rendition of unity between the nations. This movie conveys multiple messages. It really is something to think about.