Jhund Review: Amitabh Bachchan starring sports drama is an ode to the game of life

Movie: Jhund

Director: Nagraj Manjule

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Akash Thosar, Rinku Rajguru, Kishor Kadam, Tanaji Galgunde, Somnath Avghade

Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3.5

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Jhund begins by showing the obvious divide between the haves and the have nots but in a literal manner. The divide between the slum and the urban is built with an iron-clad fence. Nagraj Manjule has brought the emotion of this discrimination through these heart touching visuals. While the Amitabh Bachchan starrer is a sports drama but the plotline runs deeper than that. Jhund is more about uplifting the underdogs and making them outshine in any way possible.

 

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Amitabh Bachchan is seen playing Vijay Borade, the character is based on Vijay Barse who was a retired sports professor. He had formed an NGO Slum Soccer. The cinematography will make you float through the lanes of the slums while you form a heartwarming connection with the place even though crime lurks in the shadows. The movie begins with Amitabh Bachchan’s Vijay close to retirement from his job but he is in no mood to give up his profession just yet. While he is facing some resistance from his son and also plans to take up adult education classes, kids in the nearby slum get a hold of his attention with their impeccable football skills. Borade begins to coach these kids who are entangled with their personal issues like drugs and crime. But will they give up the darkness to light up their future?

Nagraj’s writing and directing plays between a slow and fast-paced screenplay. While the first half keeps you gripped with the nail-biting football kicks and the second half brings you to the edge with the life of the kids which is running high on drama. Every character has got their own spotlight and their plotlines get equal screentime. Jhund shows that sports is just not an escape, it is the route to a brighter dawn. While most sports drama is high on adrenaline and making the underdog the winner, Jhund focuses on a wider perspective like caste, privilege and much more.

 

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Amitabh is gentle and patient with a bunch that can easily get on your nerves, fry them and won’t even turn back. But it would be unimaginable to have any other actor lead this plot. But what the beautiful writing and direction of Manjule does is that the movie is just not Big B’s it is just as much of Don, Baba, Razia and all the other kids as well.

Jhund will open your heart and put it back together in a much more beautiful way bringing about much-needed changes in perspective.

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