Plot
The
story
opens
with
a
disturbing
incident
in
Connaught
Place,
New
Delhi,
in
the
year
2016. Cut
to
present,
the
film
rewinds
70
years
back
where
India
is
in
a
midst
of
facing
the
bloody
aftermath
of
a
partition
post
gaining
independence.
Sir
Cyril Radciffe has
been entrusted
with
the
task
of
dividing
the
nation
into
two.
However,
this
line
of
partition
threatens
the
existence
of
a
brothel
owned
by
Begum
Jaan
(Vidya
Balan).
Soon,
things
take
an
ugly
turn
when
they
are
slapped
with
a
notice
by
the
government
which
says
that
the
'kotha'
must
go
away
to
make way
for
India
and
Pakistan.
With
no
other
option
left,
Begum
Jaan
and
her
group
of
prostitutes
choose
the
rebellious
path
to
defend
the
place
which
they
call
their
'home'.
Direction
Srijit
Mukherji,
the
man
behind
the
National
Award
winning
Rajkahini
ventures
into
Bollywood
with
its
Hindi
adaptation.
He
weaves
a
tale
which
mainly
focusses
on
the
impact
of
the
Radcliffe
Line
on
the
lives
of
eleven
women
situated
in
a
brothel
during
the
partition
period.
With
a
bold
concept
in
his
hand,
Srijit
Mukerji
extracts
an
earnest
performance
from
Vidya
Balan
and
leaves
the
audience
spellbound.
But
what
doesn't
work
for
the
film
is
the
fact
that
Srijit
majorly
misses
out
giving
us
a
little
backdrop
about
every
character
other
than
Vidya.
Thus,
there
are
instances
when
you
fail
to
feel
for
the
character
and
reach
out
to
him/her,
simply
because
you
never
'knew' them
in
the
first
place.
The
narrative
tends
to
get
abrupt
and
a
bit
high
on
melodrama
at
times. That's
probably
why it
falls
short
of
being
a
piece
of
cinematic
brilliance.
Performances
Right
from
the
unibrow
to the
crude
abuses,
Vidya
Balan
wears
Begum
Jaan
like a
second
skin.
She
plays
the
koel-eyed,
hookah
puffing
madame
who
means
strict
business
and
doesn't
care
a
damn
about
independence
and
worldly
political
affairs.
For
her,
her
whorehouse
is
the
palace
and
she
is
the
reigning
queen
of
the
hookers.
She
may
not
mince
her
words
but
beneath
her
tough
exterior
lies
a
caring
heart
which shows
up
when
instances
permit. Vidya
plays
her
role
to
perfection
and
you
just
can't
miss
the
intensity
of
a
scene
where
she
mutters
a
dialogue
which
goes,
'Mahina
humein
ginna
aata
hai
sahab..har
baar
saala
laal
karke
jaata
hai'!
Next
comes
Pallavi
Sharda,
aka
Gulabo,
a
prostitute
with
a
traumatic
past.
The
actress
too
shines
in
her
role
and
holds
her own
when
it
comes
to
sharing
screen
space
with
Balan.
Gauhar
Khan
as
Rubina
impresses.
Watch
out
for
the
scene
where
she
describes
her
life
to
the
man
she
loves!
It
leaves
you
completely
stunned
even
though
it
is
abruptively
placed
in
the
narrative.
Mishti,
Ridheema
Tiwary
and
Flora
Saina
too
essay
the
role
of brothel
inmates
and
put
up
a
good
show.
Ira
Arun
adds
layers
to
the
plot.
Naseeruddin
Shah
plays
a
tricky
character
with
shades
of
a
ruthless
predator.
We
wished
we
could
have
got
to
see
more
of
him
in
the
film!
The
track
involving
Rajit
Kapoor
and
Ashish
Vidyarthi
doesn't
look
convincing.
Pitobash
who
plays
everyone's
companion
and
Gauhar's
love
interest
holds
your
attention.
Vivek
Mushran's
Masterji
does
what
is
expected
out
of
him.
Unfortunately
the
twist
to
his
character
towards
the
end
looks
forced.
Chunky
Pandey
suffers
from
a
half-baked
role.
He
starts
off
as
a
cold-blooded,
menacing
bad
guy
hired
to
whisk
off
Begum
Jaan
and
her
gang
from
the
brothel.
But
sadly
towards
the
end
just
ends
up
being
a
mere
caricature!
Technical
Aspects
Begum
Jaan
relies
more
on
building
up
moments
rather
than
the
written
material.
Gopu
Bhagat's
cinematography
effortless
captures
the
camaraderie
in
Begum
Jaan's
world.
The
first
half
of
the
film
moves
at
a
sluggish
pace
but
post
interval
there
are
several
heart-thumping
moments
that
keep
you
invested.
Monisha
Baldawa
and
Vivek
Mishra
should
have
had
a
tighter
grip
on
the
editing
scissors.
Music
The
songs
of
Begum
Jaan
are
well-placed
and
help
in
taking
the
story
forward.
Out
of
all,
'Aazaadiyan'
and
'Holi
Khelein'
stand
out
the
most.
Verdict
Begum
Jaan
isn't
an
easy
watch.
It
makes
you
squirm
at
the
double
standards
prevailing
in
the
society.
At
the
same
time,
it
comforts
you
with
a
hope
that
'woh
subah
kabhi
toh
aayegi'.
Watch
it
for
Vidya
Balan
whose
piercing
eyes
and
firebrand
dialogues
gives
you
ample
of
goosebump-inducing
moments!