2. HINDUSTAN TIMES
“Needless to say, Salman is one many army against
all the hindrances and that’ll suit his fans. But you
may also fall for Nawazuddin’s reporter act. Kareena
Kapoor Khan glows but that’s the most of it.
Harshaali is cuteness overload and that may inspire
some ‘aww’ moments. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is totally
dependent on Salman Khan’s superstardom and he
pulls it off provided you overlook his in-your-face
‘bhai’ act in some scenes. It’s an entertaining film
for sure, definitely in the not-to-be-missed
category.”
3. THE INDIAN EXPRESS : Shubhra gupta
“The real film only starts post-interval, when the action
shifts to Pakistan, with our trio on the run, with some
fun-and-frolic, a quwaali-in-a-dargah, and a picturesque
if rousingly unreal climax.But who cares, right? ‘Dosti’ is
always better than ‘dushmani’, right? And since when
did borders separate hearts? ‘Aman ki asha’ is not such
a bad thing, right? This film presses many red-hot
buttons, even if the treatment is strictly in-the-clouds
‘filmi’. And gives us Shirtless Salman as a dove of peace,
speaking for all religions and ‘mulqs’. Believe it, or
faint.”
4. THE HINDU
• One of the Hindi film staples that got lost in the wave
of rom com was the hero’s dialogue with god. The
market dynamics are such that these days the hero
has to be an alien to visit a temple. And the
supporting cast’s religious identity comes forth only
when the director has to show them taking a rigid or
fundamentalist stand. Director Kabir Khan breaks
this mould to generate a set of characters who wear
their faith on one sleeve and humanity on the other
with no friction in between. The moulvi is not averse
to saying Jai Shri Ram and the simpleton hero
believes that being Hanuman is not such a bad label
in Pakistan as well, for the monkeys that he greets in
temples are found in mosques as well!
5. FIRST POST
• The best thing that could be said of Bajrangi Bhaijaan is
that it's not as painfully offensive as Bodyguard or as
cancerous to the brain as Kick. Those films remain with
you like scars for the rest of your life, Bajrangi
Bhaijaan however can be forgotten the next morning. And
that, in this case, somehow works as a positive aspect.
• This is also the kind of film that makes you ponder over a
few questions -- under the garb of commercial masala
filmmaking: How stupid is too stupid? How manipulative
is too manipulative? How contrived is so contrived that it
looks like an agenda? At what point do you draw the line
of suspending your disbelief to swallow screenwriting
subterfuge?
6. THE GUARDIAN – mike mcCahill
• Salman Khan strong even when wet as he
escorts mute six-year-old back to Pakistan
• The star makes headlines for the right
reasons in this end-of-Eid tale of a former
wrestler, stricken with ticklishness, who
embarks on a journey that winningly
indicates one route out of the region’s
political conflict
7. Anupama chopra – film companion
• “So here are some of the things I expect to see in a
Salman Khan film — the superstar playing a charming,
irreverent superhero; a largely incoherent script that
exists only to showcase him as a superhero; a largely
irrelevant heroine who needs rescuing from some
foolish villains; low-IQ comedy punctuated by a few
crackling one-liners.”
8. Rajeev masand
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is way too long at 2
hours and 35 minutes, and could have
done with some serious pruning,
especially in its first half. Nevertheless,
it’s more engaging than such typical
Salman Khan blockbusters as Bodyguard
and Ready, if only because it has a sliver
of a story, and its heart in the right
place.I’m going with three out of five.
Don’t forget to take your handkerchief
along.”
9. Rediff – Raja Sen
• ” Bajrangi Bhaijaan is an overearnest,
oversimplified, preposterously sweet and
frequently schlocky film, which shouldn’t
work because of how predictable and
soppy it is. Yet, because of a finely picked
supporting cast, some sharp lines of
dialogue and, most crucially, because of
its overall heart, it works, and works
well.”
10. EMIRATES 24*7
• “So with his latest, sure to become an Eid
blockbuster, it is a refreshing change to see
Salman the actor outshines the muscle and
the brawn that have become his signature
trademarks. Kabir Khan’s ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’
is not a one-man vehicle, but rather a plot-
driven, poignant story that sees child actor
Harshaali Malhotra (Munni/Shahida) as the
true star of this film.”