Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Kabir Khan, co-written by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad and Parveez Sheikh, and produced by Salman Khan and Rockline Venkatesh. It stars Salman Khan and Harshaali Malhotra in leading roles, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Kareena Kapoor Khan appear in supporting roles. The film follows Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, an ardent devotee of Hindu deity Hanuman, who embarks on a journey to take a mute six-year-old Pakistani Muslim girl, separated in India from her parents, back to her hometown in Pakistan.
Made on a budget of, the principal photography commenced in November 2014. The cinematography was done by Aseem Mishra and was edited by Rameshwar S. Bhagat. Julius Packiam composed the film score while the songs featured in the film were composed by Pritam.
The film received wide acclaim from critics, and was a commercial success. It grossed worldwide, and is currently the third highest-grossing Indian film and second highest-grossing Bollywood film. It won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 63rd National Film Awards, and was nominated for four awards at the 61st Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor, and won the Filmfare Award for Best Story. It was also nominated for Best Foreign Film in China's 2015 Douban Film Awards.
Plot
Amidst the hills of Sultanpur, a picturesque village in Pakistan, lives Shahida, a mute six-year-old, with her parents. After an accident in which she is unable to call for help because she is mute, her mother, Rasia, decides to take her to the shrine of Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi, India, hoping it will restore her speech.On the way back home, the train stops for repairs and Shahida gets off to save a lamb while her mother is asleep. The train leaves before Shahida can re-board. Panicked, she boards a freight train and winds up in Kurukshetra. There, she meets Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, who is affectionately called Bajrangi. He is a devout Hindu Brahmin and an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman. Pawan resides at the home of his father's friend, Dayanand Pandey, where he is engaged to Dayanand's daughter, Rasika. He tries in vain to find out where Shahida lives. He starts calling her "Munni" and brings her home. Dayanand lets her stay, thinking she must be Brahmin. However, the family eventually learns that Munni is a Pakistani Muslim. An enraged Dayanand orders Pawan to have her sent to Pakistan through the Pakistani High Commission, but offices are closed due to protests. A local travel agent promises to take Munni to Pakistan without a passport but instead tries to sell her to a brothel, causing Pawan to become enraged. After rescuing her, he vows to take Munni home on his own despite not having a passport and visa.
Pawan and Munni are able to enter Pakistan under the border's fences. Pawan is arrested under suspicions of being an Indian spy. During interrogation, he escapes with Munni, and meets Chand Nawab, a journalist who works for a Pakistani television channel. Nawab has been following Pawan's situation, thinking he is indeed an Indian spy, but discovers that Pawan is just a victim of circumstances. Moved by his story, Nawab joins him in his journey to find Munni's parents. They encounter an Islamic religious scholar who helps them avoid capture by police and directs the group to Azad Kashmir, after Munni recognises an area similar to her hometown in a calendar photo.
Nawab documents their journey on video, but his boss refuses to air it, thinking it's a useless story. Nawab uploads the video on YouTube. While reviewing the footage, Munni recognises her mother getting off a bus in the background. The trio go to the bus station and finally identify Sultanpur as Munni's hometown. They board a bus but are stopped by police who are looking for "the Indian spy". Devising a plan, Pawan gets off the bus and runs toward the jungle while Nawab and Munni escape on the other side. Pawan is captured and shot in the arm. Meanwhile, Nawab and Munni reach Sultanpur, where Munni is finally reunited with her parents.
The videos uploaded by Nawab go viral throughout India and Pakistan, emotionally moving many. A compassionate senior officer realises that Pawan is innocent after his story is verified, and has him released, defying his boss's order to keep him in jail. Nawab calls for support and thousands of Pakistanis and Indians congregate at Narowal Check Post, where Pawan is to return to India. As Pawan crosses the border, Nawab reveals that Munni's real name is Shahida. Shahida, also in the crowd, runs toward the fence and after some effort, cries out her first word: "Mama" to get Pawan's attention. Pawan hears her voice, and the two run toward each other and this is how the film ends.
Cast
- Salman Khan as Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, known also as Bajrangi Bhaijaan, a good-for-nothing but a pure-hearted devotee of Lord Hanuman, who tries to get Munni back to her home in Pakistan, Rasika's future husband.
- Harshaali Malhotra as Shahida " Munni" a mute girl from Pakistan who is lost in India. Bajrangi calls her Munni, as he does not know her name.
- Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Chand Nawab, a Pakistani reporter, who often fails to get news for channel he works for, and initially thinks of Bajrangi as a spy, but supports him when he finds out the truth. He is Bajrangi's helper to get Shahida reunited with her family. This character is based on a real life Pakistani Journalist with same name.
- Kareena Kapoor Khan as Rasika Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi / Rasika Pandey : Bajrangi's Future Wife and Dayanand's daughter, who motivates Bajrangi to take care of Munni
- Meher Vij as Rasia, Shahida's mother, who takes her daughter to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah in New Delhi hoping that she would gain her voice but ends up losing her in India, with authorities not allowing her to get back with her.
- Kushaal Pawar as Kamil Yusuf, Chand Nawab's cameraman, who is captured by the police to find whereabouts of Bajrangi, Chand Nawab, and Shahida as they suspect that Bajrangi is a spy
- Mir Sarwar as Rauf, Shahida's father
- Kamlesh Gill in a special appearance in the train to Delhi
- Om Puri in a special appearance as Maulana Asad, a religious scholar
- Sharat Saxena as Dayanand Pandey, Rasika's father
- Alka Kaushal as Rasika's mother
- Adnan Sami in a guest appearance in the song "Bhardo Jholi Meri"
- Rajesh Sharma as senior Pakistani Police Officer Hamid Khan
- Krunal Pandit as Vardhan, the travel agent in Delhi
- Mursaleen Qureshi as border agent Boo Ali
- Manoj Bakshi as Police Inspector Amir Qureshi
- Harssh A. Singh as Channel Head Shamsher Ali
- Yudhvir Dahiya as the NDTV reporter
Production
The principal photography began on 3 November 2014 in New Delhi, with Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan participating. The second filming schedule took place at the ND Studios, Karjat. The third schedule of the film was held in Mandawa, Rajasthan. On 7 January 2015, Khan was seen on the top of castle of Mandawa playing cricket with a young boy. On 10 January 2015, Khan shot with school students in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district. Shooting of the film was completed on 20 May. Some scenes of the film were shot at Khan's Panvel farm house. Shooting also took place in the Kashmir Valley in places like Sonamarg and Zoji La. The film's climax was shot at Sonmarg near the Thajiwas glacier with around 7,000 people. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's character Chand Nawab was inspired by a real character Chand Nawab, who was with Karachi-based Indus News in 2008.
Music
The soundtrack of the album is composed by Pritam with lyrics written by Mayur Puri, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Neelesh Misra, Shabbir Ahmed, and Kausar Munir. The soundtrack album consists of eleven tracks, was released on 17 June 2015.The film includes the qawwali "Bhardo Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad" sung by the Sabri Brothers. The qawwali was revamped with the voice of Adnan Sami Khan. EMI Pakistan and Amjad Sabri qawwal, heir to the Sabri brothers, have called for legal action against the producers of the film and the qawwali in separate instances.
Track listing
Release
Bajrangi Bhaijaan was released on 17 July 2015, one day before Eid, on 4,500 screens in India and 1,000 screens in overseas respectively. The film was also released in 50 countries outside India, on more than 700 screens. Bajrangi Bhaijaan premiered at the 20th Busan International Film Festival on 6 October 2015.In November 2017, it was announced that Bajrangi Bhaijaan was set to release in China, following the success of Aamir Khan's Dangal in the country. In December 2017, it was announced the film would release there in 2018. Prior to the announcement, Bajrangi Bhaijaan had a cult following in China, where it has an average rating of 8.6 out of 10 on the popular film site Douban, with over 70,000 votes. It placed fourth on Douban's list of top foreign movies of 2015. Bajrangi Bhaijaan will be released in China under the title 小萝莉的猴神大叔 which roughly translates as "Little Lolita's Monkey God Uncle"; "monkey god" is a rough translation of "Bajrangi" while "little lolita" and "uncle" reference the characters. The Chinese version will also be cut down in length to 140 minutes. The film released in China on 2 March 2018. In January 2018, it was announced that the film will be getting a wide release, on 8,000 screens in China, building on the Chinese box office success of Aamir Khan's Dangal and Secret Superstar, and Bajrangi Bhaijaans positive word-of-mouth. On 6 February 2018, the film had advance screenings in 29 Chinese cities, receiving a positive reception from audiences. It also had a limited preview on 25 February 2018. The film's China premiere on 27 February 2018 was attended by Kabir Khan and Harshali Malhotra. Its release date of 2 March 2018 marks the Lantern Festival, which celebrates families coming together.
It was released in Turkey on 17 August 2018 on 190 screens. In the first weekend it grossed approx $89,796 with a spectator count of 8,389. The film released in Japan on 18 January 2019, with the title "バジュランギおじさんと、小さな迷子", which translates as "Uncle Bajrangi and a small lost child".
Reception
, the film holds a 87% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on fifteen reviews from English-language critics with an average rating of 6.4/10. The film received similarly positive reviews from Chinese critics. Several critics in China, where it was released as Little Lolita's Monkey Uncle, noted narrative parallels to the Chinese epic Journey to the West and its monkey-king hero Sun Wukong, making the film relatable to Chinese audiences. In January 2019, upon release in Japan, it was the week's highest-rated film on the Filmarks audience satisfaction survey.It was reported that the plot of the movie bore resemblance to the 2006 Kannada movie Kallarali Hoovagi as the core concept of both the movies were thematically similar - a young Brahmin/Lingayat boy staying in a Hindu dominated nation finds a dumb Muslim girl belonging to Muslim dominated neighbouring enemy nation, gives her shelter in his Hindu family without knowing her background, first realizes that she is a non- vegetarian, provides her with biryani secretly in spite of him being vegetarian, then realizes she is Muslim while she is offering prayers but hides it from his parents, ultimately when it comes to fore that she belongs to enemy nation faces opposition from a family member for his act, decides to personally send her back to her hometown safely, escapes the security at the borders, gets caught in the enemy nation as she reaches home, sentenced to death by hanging but finally is pardoned and the girl regains her lost voice in the climax.
Box office
Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed worldwide in its first week, beating the previous record of worldwide by PK. The film went on to net and gross in India and grossed overseas for a worldwide gross of in 31 days. Bajrangi Bhaijaan became the quickest film to collect and net domestically beating PK and Dhoom 3. The distributor share of the film had crossed crore which is a record in India being the second film to do so after PK. In August 2015, Eros International said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange that Bajrangi Bhaijaan has become the fastest Bollywood film to gross worldwide, while it crossed at the domestic box office.The film is the highest nett grosser ever in Delhi / UP, CP Berar, CI, Bihar, Assam and Orissa, East Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal beating the lifetime collections of PK and Dhoom 3. The footfalls of the film crossed 35.2million after five weeks, making it the most watched film in India since and beating PK, 3 Idiots, Dhoom 3, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.... Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed worldwide at the end of its 7th week. The domestic Indian gross for the film was as of August 2015, while its overseas gross was US$30.9million as of 2017. It was one of the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the time, behind PK. Prior to its China release, Bajrangi Bhaijaans worldwide gross was 626crore as of 27 February 2018. After 22 days at the Chinese box office, it became the fourth Indian film to gross 900crore worldwide, after Dangal, Baahubali 2, and Secret Superstar. As of today, Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the third highest-grossing Indian film ever worldwide. The film was marketed by a Mumbai-based company named Spice PR owned by Prabhat Choudhary.
| Territories | Gross revenue |
| India | |
| Overseas | |
| Pakistan | PKR 54.01 Crore |
| Arab States of the Persian Gulf | US$9.45million |
| United States and Canada | US$8.187million |
| United Kingdom | £2,662,115 |
| Australia | A$1,701,000 |
| New Zealand | NZ$579,447 |
| Hong Kong | HK$1,364,088 |
| Overseas | |
| China | |
| Japan | $196,062 |
| Turkey | $44,640 |
| Overseas total | |
| Worldwide total |
India
Bajrangi Bhaijaan opened to an overwhelming response at the domestic box office and went on to break the first week record of PK and Happy New Year. The film grossed around in India on the first day of release, and further showed incredible growth on its second and third day to gross, setting new records in several circuits, and on the first Sunday to take its first-weekend total to, which is an all-time first-weekend record, becoming the quickest film to gross domestically. The film grossed on its first Monday which is the highest-ever non-holiday Monday and Tuesday as well as on its first Wednesday and Thursday to take its first-week gross to, making it the highest first-week total for an Indian film in domestic markets beating previous record holder PK.The film grossed on its second Friday. The film showed further growth and grossed on its second Saturday and Sunday for a total of, which is the highest second weekend ever for an Indian film and took its domestic total to in ten days and also made it the second highest weekend ever for an Indian film. Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed around on its second Monday. Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed around on its second Tuesday, on its second Wednesday, and on its second Thursday. Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed, which is the second-highest second-week collection of all time to take its two-week domestic gross to.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed on its third Friday, on its third Saturday, and on its third Sunday to take its third weekend total to which is the second-highest third weekend of all time. The film grossed around in its third weekend, reaching in seventeen days in India to become the second-highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in domestic markets, beating Dhoom 3. The film went on to gross overseas for a worldwide gross of in just 17 days. Bajrangi Bhaijaan set a new all-time lifetime record in India by becoming the highest grosser ever in Bihar as it went to the gross mark after its third weekend. The film grossed on its third Monday, on its second Tuesday, and on its second Wednesday to take its 19 days total to in India and become only the 2nd Indian film to do so. The film also recorded the third-highest third week ever as it grossed on its third Thursday for a combined total of in its third week.
The film grossed in its fourth weekend. The film grossed in its fourth week, in its fifth week, in its sixth week, in its seventh week, and in its eighth week. The film collected in its ninth week becoming the second film ever to gross more than 10 lakhs in the ninth week after Vicky Donor.
The film had a tenth week and became the third Indian film of the 2010s to ever have one. The other films were Vicky Donor and Band Baaja Baaraat. The film's final domestic gross was .
Overseas
Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed around $8.1 million in the first weekend in overseas markets, which is the second-highest opening weekend for a Hindi film. The film has grossed around $2.45 million in its first weekend in US-Canada. Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed in Pakistan in first 3 days of its release, and subsequently in the first week. The ten-day overseas gross of Bajrangi Bhaijaan is US$17 million plus. At the end of two weeks, Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed US$20 million in overseas. Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed around $23.5 million in overseas in 17 days. Bajrangi Bhaijaan set an all-time record in the Persian Gulf region with collections of to become the highest-grossing film in the territory, beating films like Happy New Year and Dhoom 3. The film is also the biggest Salman Khan film in the Persian Gulf, beating the previous best of Kick which grossed around $4.1 million. The film has done excellent across all overseas markets, according to Box Office India.The film topped all four major markets by beating the lifetime collection of PK. Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed £2,662,115 in the United Kingdom, US$9,450,000 in the Persian Gulf region, and A$1,701,000 in Australia. The film grossed $8,180,000 after its sixth weekend in the United States and Canada, with a final gross of US$8.187million in the US and Canada. In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$1,364,088 in 2016. Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed US$30.9 million overseas as of 2017. After 26 days of its release in China, the movie became the third Indian film to gross more than 500 crore from overseas markets.
China
In China, on its opening day of 2 March 2018, the film grossed US$2.29million, debuting at number seven on the daily China box office. This is the fourth-highest opening for an Indian film in China, after Secret Superstar, Hindi Medium and Dangal, while Bajrangi Bhaijaan also crossed the lifetime China gross of 3 Idiots. On its second day, Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed $3.11million, entering the top five, with a two-day gross of $5.36million. It grossed another $3.13million in its third day, giving it an opening weekend gross of $9million It is the third-highest opening weekend for an Indian film, behind only Secret Superstar and Dangal, and it has become the highest-grossing Indian film not starring Aamir Khan. The successful opening weekend of Bajrangi Bhaijaan has been attributed to strong word of mouth, generated by high audience ratings such as 8.6 on Douban and 9.7 on Maoyan.On the 14th day of its release, the film grossed $1.13 million and became the first Indian movie not featuring Aamir Khan to gross more than 200crore in the Chinese market, grossing $31.12million up until then. In 31 days, the film had a cumulative gross of $48million. The film's audiences were about 60% female and 40% male, and the majority were in the 20–34 age group. It surpassed ' to become the seventh highest-grossing film in China during the first quarter of 2018, behind only Hindi film Secret Superstar and several Hollywood films including Black Panther and '.
Accolades
Winner| Award | Category | Recipient |
| 63rd National Film Awards | Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment | Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh, Kabir Khan |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Story | K. V. Vijayendra Prasad |
| Stardust Awards | Best Film Of the Year | Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh, Kabir Khan |
| Stardust Awards | Best Director Of the Year | Kabir Khan |
| Stardust Awards | Best Child Artist | Harshaali Malhotra |
| Big Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Actor in a Social Role | Salman Khan |
| Big Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Director | Kabir Khan |
| Big Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Child Star | Harshaali Malhotra |
| Indian Telly Awards | Gary Binder Award for the Young Successful Director of the Year | Kabir Khan |
| Indian Television Academy Awards | Popular Director | Kabir Khan |
| Indian Television Academy Awards | Best Child Artist | Harshaali Malhotra |
| Times of India Film Awards | Best Film | Salman Khan, Kabir Khan, Rockline Venkatesh |
| Times of India Film Awards | Best Story | K. V. Vijayendra Prasad |
| 17th IIFA Awards | Best Film | Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh, Kabir Khan |
| 17th IIFA Awards | Best Screenplay | Kabir Khan |
| Star Guild Awards | Best Film | Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh, Kabir Khan |
| Star Guild Awards | Best Story | K. V. Vijayendra Prasad |
| Star Guild Awards | Best Screenplay | Kabir Khan |
| Star Screen Awards | Best Film | Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh, Kabir Khan |
| Star Screen Awards | Best Director | Kabir Khan |
| Star Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nawazuddin Siddiqui |
| Star Screen Awards | Best Story | K. V. Vijayendra Prasad |
| Star Screen Awards | Best Child Artist | Harshaali Malhotra |
| Star Screen Awards | Best Background Score | Julius Packiam |
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Film | Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh, Kabir Khan |
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Actor | Salman Khan |
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Actor in a Comic role | Nawazuddin Siddiqui |
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Debutant Female | Harshaali Malhotra |
| 8th Mirchi Music Awards | Upcoming Male Vocalist of The Year | Jubin Nautiyal - "Zindagi Kuch Toh Bata " |
Nominated
| Award | Category | Recipient | Source |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Film | Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh | |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Kabir Khan | |
| 61st Filmfare Awards | Best Actor | Salman Khan | |
| 6th Douban Film Awards | Best Foreign Film | ||
| 8th Mirchi Music Awards | Best Song Producer | Roop Mahanta, Dj Phukan, Sunny M.R. & Nikhil Paul George - "Selfie Le Le Re" |