Begum Jaan explores a genre that has always fascinated and intrigued almost everyone in India i.e. the partition of the nation in 1947 and the formation of India and Pakistan.
It is a tale of a brothel, headed by Madame Vidya Balan as the titular Begum Jaan. It is a story of how the brothel ends up in the middle of the newly drafted Radcliffe line, which divides the two newly formed nations. The ensuing tale documents the story of Begum Jaan’s audacious and ceaseless attempts to save their home.
Begum Jaan is a typical case of a movie made with the best of intentions but faltering a bit in execution. The treatment given to a potentially great movie is faltering at best and shoddy at its worst.
Vidya Balan has risen as one of the best actors of her generation in the industry ever since she made her debut with Parineeti in 2006. Here too she shows off her enviable skills and almost ends up making the movie watchable.
She carries the whole production on her shoulders but is unable to make it truly great. The script has provided her with the choicest of dialogues. That fact coupled with her amazing and timely delivery will certainly ensure that her utterances will get a lot of seetis in cinema halls all across the board.
All in all, the film fails to live up to the high standards it sets itself with its brilliant concept. The supporting cast chips in with performance that are just below par for the course. The cinematography is of a high standard and the costumes are reminscent of that singularly polarizing moment in our nation’s history.
Evan though the movie can noot be said to be the director’s finest hour, the tittilating concept and Balan’s powerhouse performance merit a visit to the theatre, making it an above average one time watch.
Our verdict: Vidya Balan owns it and makes Begum Jaan a good one time watch.
– Vinay Gupta
Film Maker & Producer, Vinr Films
Vinay Gupta Producer, VinR Films is a third-generation entrepreneur, with rich and varied experience in a wide range of business domains. Vinay is a software engineer from Amity, NOIDA. and has completed his MBA from the IT division of Symbiosis International University. He is also the Founder Director of Dynamic Technosoft (Software Company) and a Director in Vinsam Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. (Investments & Wealth Management Company). In his professional career Vinay has diverse experience in the fields of information technology, software projects, infrastructure development, financial wealth management, film making etc.
