Movie · 2015 · Comedy, Drama, Adventure · 2h 39m · HI
Curator score: 7.8/10 (154.4K ratings)
Overview
A young mute girl from Pakistan loses herself in India with no way to head back. A devoted man with a magnanimous spirit undertakes the task to get her back to her motherland and unite her with her family.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.8/10
IMDb: 8.1/10
Letterboxd: 3.85/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
TMDB: 7.8/10
Director
Kabir Khan
Production
Rockline Entertainments, Kabir Khan Films, Salman Khan Films
Cast
Salman Khan, Harshaali Malthotra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sharat Saxena, Om Puri, Rajesh Sharma, Meher Vij, Mohommed Ali Shah, Mir Sarwar, Alka Kaushal, Harssh A. Singh, Sanjeev Jaiswal, Shivam Roy Prabhakar, Krunal Pandit, Sehajleen Chahal, Adnan Sami, Khushaal Pawaar
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A crowd-pleasing, emotionally direct adventure-drama with a big heart, strong comic timing, and a surprisingly humane political undercurrent. It does get sentimental and occasionally stretches plausibility, but the warmth, performances, and payoff make it easy to recommend.
Best for
Viewers who like feel-good tearjerkers with a road-movie structure
Fans of cross-border humanist stories
Audiences open to mainstream Bollywood emotion, music, and comedy
People who enjoy a charismatic lead in a gentler, more selfless mode
Skip if
You want strict realism or subtle plotting
You dislike melodrama, sentimentality, or overt crowd-pleasing beats
You prefer minimal songs and a more restrained tone
You are sensitive to nationalist or border-politics framing
Overview
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the rare mainstream star vehicle that softens its hero without dulling the entertainment value. It pairs broad comedy, musical flourishes, and a simple rescue premise with a sincere belief in empathy across borders, faiths, and languages. The result is unabashedly emotional, but it earns a lot of that feeling through charm and momentum rather than pure manipulation.
Worth noting
What makes it work is the balance: the film is funny and accessible, yet it keeps circling back to the humanity of people who are usually reduced to slogans. The child performance is a major anchor, and the supporting turns help the movie shift from breezy adventure into something more affecting. It does sag a little in the middle and occasionally leans on convenience, but the emotional clarity is hard to resist.
Bottom line
If you’re open to a big, sincere commercial film that wants you to laugh, cry, and leave with a cleaner conscience, this is an easy yes. It’s one of those crowd-pleasers that understands exactly how to turn a simple journey into a moral fable without losing its entertainment value.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Divyansh Grover (5★) · 406 likes
Goes to Pakistan
Greets everyone by saying Jai Shri Ram
Leaves
aruusea (5★) · 272 likes
Don't judge a film based on its song about selfies.
Chris Sherman · 252 likes
i've never been so not irritated by salman khan!
Michael James (4★) · 184 likes
A heartwarmingly sweet emotional drama, one that hits the right chord, backed by some solid performances, beautiful visuals, laid back humor & well written dialogues. The soul of the movie is its positivity & unadulterated love, and it leaves you with a satisfying smile when its all said n done. The plot does lag a bit during the second half until the arrival of Nawazuddin, however it is of minor hinderance. Though the story is kinda far fetched with its logic, it does… more A heartwarmingly sweet emotional drama, one that hits the right chord, backed by some solid performances, beautiful visuals, laid back humor & well written dialogues. The soul of the movie is its positivity & unadulterated love, and it leaves you with a satisfying smile when its all said n done. The plot does lag a bit during the second half until the arrival of Nawazuddin, however it is of minor hinderance. Though the story is kinda far fetched with its logic, it does… more
anu (4★) · 147 likes
can you fucking believe this is a salman khan film