Home » Reviews » Jhund review: Underdog story by Nagraj Manjule with incredible Amitabh Bachchan as the backbone is a must-watch
Jhund review: Underdog story by Nagraj Manjule with incredible Amitabh Bachchan as the backbone is a must-watch
If you're searching for a sports biopic, Jhund isn't it. It's a crucial chapter that only someone as capable as Manjule could have taken on and completed with flying colours.
3.5/5
Mar 04, 2022
Jhund
Story:
Based on the story of Vijay Barse, a retired sports instructor who created Slum Soccer as a non-profit organization. He was able to rehabilitate street youngsters by turning them into soccer players and forming a squad to keep them away from drugs and crime.
Review:
Sports biopics have been one of the most popular genres in Hindi movies for the past few years. Despite having a few hits and misses, filmmakers will always explore sports biopics based on real-life events or base them on specific people. For his Hindi debut vehicle, Jhund, Nagraj Manjule decided to make a film based on the story of Vijay Barse, a retired sports instructor who created Slum Soccer, a non-profit organisation.
The man was able to rehabilitate street youngsters by turning them into soccer players and forming a squad to keep them away from drugs and crime. Manjule roped in one of the greatest actors, Amitabh Bachchan, for the role. It's not new for the megastar to shoulder a film and excel in it effortlessly. However, Bachchan is not the only one to watch out for in the film, which is entirely about an underdog team.
For the same, Manjule went to his usual tactics of creating stars out of commoners. One of the actors who left an impressive mark is Ankush Gedam, who plays the role of Ankush Masram, aka Don.
He took liberty in not only getting actors from the corners of Maharashtra but also in his script and dialogues. The best part about Jhund is that the film is as unapologetic as the actors featured in it. However, it's the first half's charm that wins the game.
The film explores the bylanes of Nagpur, where the underprivileged face the wrath of the upper class. Unfortunately, it's an existing topic of discussion that will take its sweet time to not be the norm.
Football is just a pivotal part created to fit the narrative to make a bunch of kids get distracted from their daily odd jobs like stealing, doing drugs, and not having the proper ambition, going by their social status. Big B, as Vijay Borade, initially pays the kids to play for half an hour until they realise it's not about the money, but something they wish to do by themselves.
There's a 20-minute-long football match in the first half itself, which is the whole World Cup tournament from Shah Rukh Khan's Chak De! India in a nutshell. However, this film is not about Bachchan's character, who is just like Lord Krishna, showing these kids the right way while leaving it to them whether to walk on it or not.
Despite being surrounded by mostly unknown young actors, except for Chhaya Kadam (as Bachchan's onscreen wife) and Arjun Radhakrishnan as his onscreen son (he recently shot to fame with his role as APJ Abdul Kalam in Rocket Boys), Bachchan does not aim to dominate them. Instead, he blends in discreetly with the wider canvas of the slum dwellers’ lives.
As mentioned earlier, three other actors stand out: Ankush Gedam as the leader of the Gaddi Godam team, dubbed a jhund; Rajiya Kazi as Razia Bagwan, a young Muslim mother of three who walks out on her husband; and Rinku Rajguru as Monika, a Gondi girl whose biggest challenge is to earn an "identity" for herself in the government's records. Her Sairat co-star Akash Thosar plays a privileged and arrogant man here, who is always at loggerheads with Ankush.
But soon after the first half, you are left to wonder, during the interval, what more to show in Jhund. But that's the game-changer Manjule brings in. No, the film is not about these Dalit kids winning a World Cup at a slum soccer tournament, but their journey to even get to live the unthinkable life.
Jhund touches upon the topic, which openly expresses Manjule’s political views. Talking about the importance of "kaagaz" is one of the important and unexpected aspects you can witness in Jhund. And this is not the first time, the filmmaker has done that. Like his earlier works, Manjule continued with his trend of having political undertones in Indian cinema.
The sense of emotions brought in by Jhund can leave you unprepared, as the film has just been touted as yet another sports biopic. But no, that's not the case. Be ready to grab some tissues and leave awestruck over the fact that it's a great time for filmmakers who take a chance and explore social issues that are going to stay relevant in the long run.
Talking about the technicalities of Jhund, the cinematography is on par and an amazing job was done by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, especially in the first half. We see the corners of slums that reek of the lifestyle they have been living in.
Moreover, Saket Kanetkar's background score is a huge win and pumps up the whole narrative of Jhund. However, only a few songs composed by Ajay-Atul are likely to stay with you.
Even if you do not call it an out-and-out Amitabh Bachchan film, the megastar in his Vijay avatar will stay with you. He is known for having impactful monologues in his movies, but in Jhund, it doesn't create that much of an impact compared to the whole narrative of the film.
Having directed his first Hindi film, Manjule has taken an amazing challenge and has succeeded flawlessly. In some instances, you might feel this could have been a Marathi film. But that's what makes Jhund special as it is made for moviegoers across the country.
Verdict:
Jhund is not a sports biopic if you're looking for one. It's an important chapter created that only someone like Manjule would have taken up the charge of and passed with flying colours.
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