Begum Jaan (2017)- Movie Review by Shoby

Begum Jaan (2017)- Movie Review by Shoby

4.25 Hearts out of 5

It is quite common to see role of a courtesan in a period film and we have seen numerous period films where courtesans have a defining role. Begum Jaan is Srijit Mukherji's take on a courtesan's fight against the society to save her home (read brothel).

Films starts with a shocking incident happening in current India. The very first scene brings chills and makes us ready for something bigger. Next frame takes us to the brother of Bugum Jaan in 1947 ,exactly when Radcliffe draws a line to divide the subcontinent into two different states. The dilemma is like may other ordinary persons, Begum Jaan's brothel also gets affected and they are given a deadline of one month to vacate but this one woman army is not at all ready to forfeit. There starts a roller coaster of intense drama and extraordinary emotions. It was a delight to watch various characters from different part of the land talking in way different languages & dialects in the narrative.

To me the hero of the film is undoubtedly its script & screenplay. Srijit shows us the journey of this unorthodox story line in an immensely out of the box way. With heavy dose of nerve breaking incidents, the dialogues are almost pitch perfect complementing beautifully with the events. In fact, some of them really haunt you even after the proceedings end.

Vidya Balan is one of the finest actresses of the industry and she has proved her mettle yet again with this flawless performance in this author packed role. Supporting cast has played its part beautifully especially Illa Arun, Gauahar Khan, Pallavi Sharda, Pitobash Tripathy and Sumit Nijhawan deserves thousands of praises. Chunky Pandey and veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah also played their small cameos with authenticity.

Soundtrack of the film goes pretty smooth with the proceedings. I loved the way, Azaadiyan (sung by Rahat Fateh Ali & Sonu Nigam) was pictured. Prem Mein Tohre is a soothing track sung by Asha Bhosle. Overall, Anu Malik has managed to give a nice soundtrack with effective lyrics by Kausar Munir.

Cinematography is crisp. Action sequences have been choreographed with credibility, giving a special touch of emotional jolts in between.

Overall, Begum Jaan has turned out to be an excellent movie with bravura performances by the core cast amalgamated with perfect dialogues. It is a brutally honest and shockingly awesome watch.