Deewar (Wall) may have been a more apt title for ‘Jhund’ (herd) as the film is all about walls, real and imaginary. It begins with the scene of a wrought iron gate separating the posh locality of the filthy rich and the doughty lot of the slums in Nagpur. It ends with the shot of a flight taking off the Mumbai International Airport over a brick wall which, again, divides the rich of Santa Cruz area and the poor of the Villa Parle zopadpattis.
Based on the life of Vijay Barse, a former sports teacher at Nagpur’s Hislop College, who later founded the NGO Slum Soccer, ‘Jhund’ exposes the ugly underbelly of his city (also known for its oranges) – systematic oppression of underprivileged children and their ruthless exploitation.
Amitabh Bachchan steps in and tries to carve a path in the right direction for these youngsters through the game of football. The rest of the film is about his struggles against the system. Will he succeed?
The ambitions and intentions of the filmmakers are praise worthy and they also succeed to a large extent, thanks to Bachchan and his band of spirited youngsters who are close-to-real-life and lively right through.
But where the film falters is in its attempt to say too much in too long a time (almost three hours). The pace suffers in the process and this is clearly evident in the two halves of the film – the first is rich and racy while the second slackens and stutters.
Writer and director Nagraj Manjule, more known for his earlier two Marathi films ‘Fandry’ and ‘Sairat’, is clearly not at his best. Yet, the film is worth a watch – at least to see Bachchan as Vijay after a long time.
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