It was brave of Kabir Khan to make Bajrangi Bhaijaan that for once have decided to do away with every possible stereotype attached to a Bollywood pot-boiler. Salman Khan was not in his Rajini Khan mode, there was no Pakistan bashing and the message was clear, as Kabir Khan likes to put it – people-to-people relation and this where Bajrangi Bhaijaan triumphs.
Kabir started his career as a documentary filmmaker and got his break through Kabul Express, which became a surprise hit at the box office. He is the only filmmaker in Bollywood right now who tries to make overtly political movies, making geo-political references surrounding terrorism in South Asia as well as North America and how it has unbalanced world affairs. Kabul Express was again very different from a normal Bollywood movie. The movie was about two Indian journalists are trapped in a war-ravaged Afghanistan, it was a highly nuanced take on war reporting as well as tackles the problem of terrorism and jihad and how it affects India as well.
New York, once again starring John Abraham after his collaboration with Kabir Khan in Kabul Express, proved to be a compassionate tale of post 9/11 America and how Muslims often get victimized without a fault of their own. Along with John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Neil Nitin Mukesh as well as Irrfan Khan, New York became pivotal to Bollywood as much as My Name is Khan or Kurbaan that tried to chart the course of existence for Muslims in a world more radicalized as well as becoming Islamophobic. It was a brave new Bollywood as it decided to tackle issues that affected many and Kabir Khan was at the forefront leading a small uprising of sorts. Of course, his background in documentary helped a lot to understand the political conflict that was ravaging the world.
What followed this was Ek Tha Tiger that finally propelled Kabir Khan to the big league and a director to reckon with. Ek Tha Tiger, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, was essentially the love story of a spy done right. If you remember the Sunny Deol starrer Hero: The Love Story of a Spy, then Ek Tha Tiger convinces the viewer that there exists a certain genre in Bollywood that can take matters in its own hands and do it well. Ek That Tiger was a stupendous commercial success and this was where Kabir Khan made another statement- how the political machinery in India and Pakistan didn’t allow the two countries to live in harmony.
Kabir’s latest Bajrangi Bhaijaan has become a phenomenon of sort going on to become several box-office records. A simple tale of Hanuman Bhakt Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi helping a mute Pakistani girl return to her country has won the approval of both the audiences as well as the critics alike with many saying that this has been Salman Khan’s finest performance in years. What made Bajrangi Bhaijaan really work is the way the story was handled and the message it provides- give peace a chance. What’s even more delightful is the fact that it has even won hearts in Pakistan where Bollywood movies get regularly banned.
Kabir’s next movie is the political thriller Phantom and as the trailer suggests, it tries to avoid Pakistan bashing and solely focus on providing an alternative scenario of post 26/11 events. With Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif and a host of other talented actors, Phantom just might get the cash register ringing, because Bollywood often lack serious spy dramas. Agent Vinod was wonderful but the hackneyed ending ruined a rather immersive movie while Baby was a stupendous success among many spy movies that have been made in Bollywood but with Kabir Khan at helm, Phantom simply might work magic.
The post Who’s Kabir Khan? Find Out appeared first on Bollywood Celebden.
via Bollywood Celebden
No comments:
Post a Comment