Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata Movie Review Resurgent Kangana Ranaut Leads This Gripping Film

dismay. Did we really need yet another iteration, when we’ve had a flurry of films and shows on the same theme?

Turns out that we did. Despite its mouthful of a title, which is more a paean to the performative patriotism encouraged by the current regime than anything else, and the familiarity of the main events, which have been well documented, this latest film, written by Ritesh Shah and directed by Manoj Tapadia, stands out.

It takes into account the bravery of the Cama nurses in the face of tremendous odds, making it an ode to an unsung section of our society. And even more importantly, it lauds their actions, while showing us the casual and constant cruelty of the two men on a killing spree in a space dedicated to saving lives, without demonising a minority.

It also, while giving us a resurgent Kangana Ranaut reclaiming her place as one of the best actresses working today, ensures that her Nurse Geeta doesn’t overshadow everyone else: that she leads from the front as the hero of this enterprise is not hidden, but that the others are equally heroic is what creates balance.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film so tightly paced, never letting the tension subside: even though you may recall what went down during the time when Ismail Khan (Aditya Mishra) and Ajmal Kasab (Zahid Khan) roamed the staircases looking for targets, shooting off their AK-47s and mouths in equal measure, your heart will be in your mouth.

The quick thinking of Geeta and her companions manages to hide hundreds of patients, including a number of expecting women on the verge of going into labour. The other nurses, played by Girija Oak Godbole, Esha Dey, and Smita Tambe, are all very good: in places, Godbole effortlessly steals every scene she’s in.

Meanwhile, effort has been made to make us believe that these nurses have been long-standing colleagues: when one goes into spouting yet another Urdu couplet, everyone smiles indulgently. That there’s politics amongst the best is also shown in the way a superintendent (Asha Shelar), along with her canny, work-shirking deputy (Suhita Thatte), acts officious instead of supportive, but then she’s shown to realise the error of her ways, in keeping with the upbeat note the film finishes on.

But politics, past and present, while very much a presence, is never allowed to overshadow the personal. And that’s where the film wins, in its celebration of the human spirit, kept alive by the indomitable courage of the women who wear the nurses’ uniform. They are soldiers in their own right.

Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata movie cast: Kangana Ranaut, Girija Oak Godbole, Smita Tambe, Esha Dey, Suhita Thatte, Asha Shelar, Aditya Mishra, Zahid Khan, Sayyaji Shinde Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata movie director: Manoj Tapadia Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata movie rating: 3 stars