Bharat: 5 Best Scenes in Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s Film That Strike the Right Chord With the Viewers (SPOILER ALERT)

Is Bharat a good film? It has the potential, but no! Is it a decent film? Well, it depends on how you outweigh the few positives of Bharat against its many negatives. Ali Abbas Zafar's third film with Salman Khan, after two blockbusters in Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai, is an official remake of the 2014 film Ode To My Father. So when Bharat, also co-starring Katrina Kaif and Disha Patani, veered close to the original film, the movie has a far more emotional connect with the audiences. Bharat Movie Review: Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s Film Finds Its Strengths in the Emotions; the Rest Is Utterly Forgettable!

But when Bharat ignores the original film's core premise and relies on its lead star, Salman Khan's superstar persona, the movie falters big time. Bharat doesn't really justify the different eras the film is set in, and nor does Salman Khan look convincing in some of the age getups. The film is needlessly stretched (the Nora Fatehi sequence feels random) and the humorous scenes annoy the heck out of you!

And yet, Bharat doesn't feel a complete disaster, like Tubelight or a Race 3, because the emotional scenes in the movie do get to you. Here are five scenes in the film that worked for me as a viewer! Warning: HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Train To India

When Bharat's family finds themselves trapped in Lahore during the partition riots, his father (A wonderful Jackie Shroff) gets them to the train that leaves for India before the mob gets to them. In the melee, a young Bharat loses his sister, and his father gets off the train to find her, only to get separated himself. But not before he asks Bharat to take care of his family, a motto that drives the protagonist's entire life. It was quite an emotional scene driven by Shroff's lovely performance set against the horrors of the partition.

The Cave-In

During an oil drilling assignment in the Gulf, a gas pipe bursts leading to Bharat getting injured by the falling rocks. In his injured state, Bharat reminisces about everyone dear to him, from his family to Kumud (Katrina Kaif), before he remembers his father's last conversation with him. Bharat then has an internal monologue with himself about how he still has to take care of his family, to honour his father's wish, and that gives him the strength to get up and take care of his injured co-workers before getting out of the hole.

Kumud Meeting Bharat's Family

Bharat's wish to take care of his family leads him to break up with his love, Kumud (mirroring Salman's own personal life). Because, you know, no man can handle a wife and a family, as per Salman Khan! But Kumud is a fiery, strong-headed character who knows what she wants. In fact, it was she who proposed to him. And she is not going to let him get away so easily, landing right up on his doorstep during his sister's wedding and asking approval from Bharat's mother to stay with him without getting married. In Bharat's words, this becomes the first live-in relationship of Free India with the approval of a parent. What works in this scene is Katrina Kaif's performance, a phrase that we never thought would be written in an era pre-Zero!

Bharat's Reunion With His Sister

When the movie reaches the '90s, Kumud arranges through her channel (Zee TV) a show that allows the partition survivors from both India and Pakistan to connect with their lost kin, if alive, on either side of the border. Bharat reaches the Wagah border to see if he can get through to his lost father and sister. After a hard wait of more than a month and a half, he finally finds his sister (Tabu, in an effective cameo), who is now settled in London with her new family, but has some memories of her past. The emotional reunion of the siblings, through webcams, is quite heartrending! Salman Khan is at his best in this particular scene.

Let It Go!

Though, Bharat finds his sister, he didn't have the same luck with his father, who is now presumed dead during the riots. In his '70s, his neighbourhood is getting converted into a mall, but Bharat doesn't want to let go of his old grocery shop as it represents what he has done for his family. As Bharat internally monologues again about whether he has done right in his life, his father, as a figment of his imagination, appears before him and assures him that he has lived upto the promise. Encouraged by the spectral presence, Bharat finally has in it in him to let go of his adamancy and starts destroying his shop using a hammer!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 05, 2019 03:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).