Bharat Bhagya Vidhata Review

The Boston syndrome has been oft discussed as one of the hallmark theories regarding the human psyche. The controversy surrounding it rises from its implausibility. We reviewers also seem to be displaying the same syndrome, as for some time while watching Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata, I was actually appreciating the movie! Continuous exposure to third-rate crap seems to be mutating my sensibilities! But thanks to Shotgun Sinha's clichés, I was soon brought back to my senses and am once more capable of presenting what is called, I believe, the aankhon-dekha-haal.

The situation in Kashmir, it seems, is very bad. In the first place, we don't have much of it left. And what is left seems to be terrorized by Tom Alter's Hindi. Mohammed Jalaluddin Gazhnavi is supposedly the Deputy Chief of the Mujahed-E-Kashmir Front (MKF). Tom Alter stages a comeback again in one of those "Haam India ko udhaa degaa!" roles. But Puru Raj Kumar (Major Abdul Hamid) just won't let him. In the true sense of patriotism, he proves that what they can do, we can do better. Ol' Tom hams, but Puru has the whole pork-house at his mercy as he scarcely twitches a facial muscle while blowing apart the bad guys.

Then we have the baap of all of 'em, Shotgun Sinha, as the Home Minister M Suryavanshi. He went on and on about India till I was ready to fall at his feet, begging to be extradited to Kabul! And worse, there was his wife, Rukmini Suryavanshi (Jaya Pradha), who as the principal of a school made up with patriotic songs wherever he missed!

Then there is some relief as the Home Minister's son's love life gives the audience some time to recover. But those inane scenes and songs are too good to last. Mrs. Suryavanshi's school bus, which had started off on a patriotic pilgrimage with 40 kids in tow, is hijacked by Shabbeer's men (Chandrachur Singh in a role that couldn't strike a match to what he did in Maachis). And he is further disabled by Aslam (Shaadaab Khan, the son of the legendary Gabbar who is scrabbling around in one of his dad' shoes, trying to find out what a fit means).

Next we have terrorist flashbacks, and once more the audience chills out as the songs and sweet nothings act as a balm. Too less, and not for long, as Jaya Pradha breaks the spell with raakhi exhortations, swearing in the dreaded Shabbir as her brother. He softens, and finally straddles the wall as the exchange of terrorist for kids and principal in tow takes place with the Home Minister thrown in.

The action starts as the bad guys and the good guys fight it out with Shabbeer's ex-girlfriend singing a patriotic song in the background. Shotgun Sinha, as always, has the last word. Subah ka bhoola agar shaam ko laut aaye to usé bhoola nahi kehte. Don't quite remember what the context is, though.

The climax has everyone getting a li'l carried away with patriotic fervor, though most of the key actors act carried away right through the movie. The music is surprisingly good, though there isn't much else I could say to redeem the movie. With the technical aspect bearing up pretty well, the movie could have been much better with a different cast, a different script and a different director cum script-writer. A bit too much to ask, isn't it?