‘Bharat’ Critics’ Review: Katrina Livens Up Dull Melodrama

‘Bharat’ tries to be profound but misses the mark.

Film: Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover, Jackie Shroff, Tabu

Read excerpts of reviews from Bharat here:

“Salman plays, as he often does, indestructible. There are glimpses of vulnerability – when he confesses his love for Kumud and at the end, when he weeps but mostly, he’s granite. The film surrounds him with terrific actors – Sonali Kulkarni, Kumud Kumar Mishra, Shashank Arora – but they don’t get much to do. I don’t recall Shashank saying a single dialogue. Meanwhile Sonali, who is younger than Salman, plays his mother. The only two who manage to shine are Sunil Grover and Katrina Kaif. Sunil, who plays Bharat’s childhood friend Vilayati, adds humanity and ache to the story even when it becomes outlandish. And Katrina imbues Madam Sir with strength and dignity.”

Anupama Chopra, Film Companion

“It’s a pity that the director-star duo don’t take this as far as they could. They had a story which had the potential to become a solid reckoner of post-Independence nation-building, and how things rolled from then on, and a free hand to craft it. But the opportunity is squandered in unnecessary songs and dances, an aiming-for-cheap-laughs comic thread which involves making a stutterer the butt of jokes, and improbable situations: want to meet Hindi-film-song-loving-sea-pirates? Step right up.”

Shubhra Gupta, The Indian Express

“Despite efforts to depict Bharat (Khan) as a man with a Forrest Gump-like ability to bear witness to momentous events, the movie is most engaging when Khan and Kaif share the screen. Kaif is one of the few actors on the planet who can elicit even a flicker of genuine emotion from Khan. She delivered the best performance in the 2018 dud Zero, and she exudes charm and confidence as Kumud, a kinky-haired government official who steals Bharat’s heart and tells him off when nobody else can.” 

Nandini Ramnath, Scroll

“The format of this film is brimming with potential, and has been tapped brilliantly by cinema in the past, Hollywood’s Forrest Gump being a shining example. For the most part though, the historical events cited in Bharat serve more as markers of dates rather than having any interesting or deep meaning in the context of the leading man’s bio. Combine that with the absence of the usual crowd-pleasing Salman Khan madness, and Bharat ends up being neither here nor there.”

Anna MM Vetticad, Firstpost