Begum Jaan: Movie Review

Release Date : April 14, 2017
Cast: Vidya Balan, Ila Arun, Gauahar Khan, Pitobash Tripathy, Pallavi Sharda, Chunky Pandey, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rajit Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah
Director: Srijit Mukherji
Genre: Drama, Action
Duration: 1 hour 59 minutes      

Decisions of a nation are taken in the interest of greater good and those who are on the other side of this dividing line often have to suffer the consequences. However, there are also people who refuse to toe the line, even if it means risking their lives and livelihood. Begum Jaan is based on one such story, wherein an individual takes on the might of the entire system.

The year is 1947, when the decision has been taken for the partition of India and Pakistan. The new boundary demarcation line, known as the Radcliffe Line, will separate the two nations. As the administration gets to work to enforce the new demarcation line and erect barbed wire fences and check posts, the officials run into Begum Jaan’s (Vidya Balan) brothel, which falls exactly on the new demarcation line; half of the brothel’s premises being in India and half in Pakistan. The administration serves a notice to Begum Jaan to vacate the premises, but she refuses to do so and decides to fight anyone who tries to forcefully evict her and other women from the property.

Begum Jaan banks on plenty of raunchy dialogues and the finer details of a prostitute’s life, all of which are designed to stir the emotions. Vidya Balan has done well in portraying the spunk and anger of the character. The movie reiterates her ability to shoulder a film.

If you like period movies, you can book your tickets for Begum Jaan. You get to travel back in time and know how things were at the time of partition. You also get to view the events from Begum Jaan’s perspective, for whom, her home is no less than her nation.