Jhund Movie Review: Amitabh Bachchan Leads The Pack All The Way In Nagraj Manjule's Cinematic Treat! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Jhund Movie Review: Put your hands together for Sairat fame director Nagraj Manjule’s Jhund about a pack of slum-dwellers, led by Amitabh Bachchan who inspires the bunch to first believe in themselves, and then transmutes their raw energy into carving a national football team. Bachchan’s character Vijay Borade, a retired teacher, succeeds in convincing the reluctant society, the sluggish system, and the hesitant sports association to give his 'team' a chance. Later, he takes the whole endeavor to another level by picking the best talents from the slums from across the length and breadth of the country, each a state-champ of sorts in their own right, irrespective of the gender, and compels us to view "the other India"! Jhund Movie: Review, Cast, Plot, Trailer, Release Date – All You Need to Know About Amitabh Bachchan’s Sports Film!

Manjule weaves the plot in an unusual way. In fact, he keeps the treatment totally linear but in a consistently docu-drama fashion. And yet he chooses to keep the affair entertaining, especially in the first half and gripping in the second. The bottom line is clear: Winning doesn’t always mean achievements. It can translate into challenging the odds and overcoming insurmountable circumstances stacked right against you. Manjule keeps the characters absolutely real and emotions raw. And guess what! The combination along with his "pack" works wonders and ends up warming the cockles of your heart.

Jhund is not a pathbreaking film. It doesn’t break new ground really. It tells the story differently in terms of technique though. At 2 hours 55 minutes, Jhund is a lengthy watch and it might test your patience. It does follow the perfect three-act structure and the key rules of storytelling quite faithfully. Manjule dares to enter the dusty bylanes and the chaotic ghettos of Nagpur to craft a rather rousing story of class oppression, years of conditioning, and the subjugation that follows. He then allows the legend of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan to simply own the film with his unmatched screen presence and his reassuring persona. From Amitabh Bachchan’s Jhund, Suriya’s Etharkkum Thunindhavan to Prabhas’ Radhe Shyam; Here’s a Look at Every Big Theatrical Releases of March 2022.

Watch the Trailer:

One fears though if Jhund would turn out to be the hybrid you could get if Slumdog Millionaire marries Gully Boy, but the style in which this one is shot can surprise you in multiple ways. How can you not root for an underdog team of slum-dwellers who are labeled as complete waste or druggies by society at large? Despite its sluggish pace, Jhund is a compelling film to watch and much of its charm lies in those wonderfully real characters who Manjule shows with life-like realism. The booger is not wiped off the noses and the scab of the fresh scars from real life find their place in the frames set organically by the master director. In short, everything here is raw. There is no acting, only behavior and reactions are tracked to portray a simple story revolving around the caste divide and societal judgments. It's the terrific act from a bunch of interesting actors including Ankush, Kishor Kadam, Rinku Rajguru and Aakash Thosar that makes the tale an enjoyable watch.

The film confuses the viewers wonderfully as you keep (second) guessing if these actors are trained to deliver or are they utilized smartly. Clearly, for the most part, the director has captured their natural instincts so much so that they come off so lovable and endearing. In a film that could easily be dismissed as a template angry old (read: young at 79) man taking on the establishment, it’s the breezy one-liners, the screenplay, and crackling wisecracks that convey the startling emotional truths to mirror the status quo with poetic panache works just fine! Amitabh Bachchan Says It's an 'Honour' to Work With Prabhas as Veteran Actor Begins Filming For Project K

In the end, Jhund keeps you hooked because the football scenes are terrific and the social drama looks real. It’s not an out-and-out sports film in the truest spirit of the genre, but it offers various sub arcs and multiple tracks that show how far this pack has come to dream big. Will they bloom fully to their true potential? Amitabh Bachchan plays his character without any of his megastar trappings, without employing his rich baritone or his trademark larger-than-life persona. He sinks his teeth into the part of the determined coach and comes up with such a terrific performance. He seems hopeful at times and looks despondent at others, he’s humorous at times, and very stern at others.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Jhund is an immensely satisfying cinema experience only if you promise to give it a little more patience, The film surely has a predictable premise and you know which way the story is moving, but sometimes, when the characters win you over and raw emotions strike the right chords, you surely want to cheer for the attempt that has been unusually told!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2022 12:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).