Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata is emerging as another divisive outing for Kangana Ranaut.
That’s because audience reactions are suggesting that the film’s heart is in the right place but its storytelling often misses the mark.
Based on the real life courage of nurse Anjali Kulthe during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the film shifts the focus from soldiers and police officers to the healthcare workers of Cama Hospital.
However, several reviewers felt the film goes overboard in its attempt to honour them.
Instead of portraying these nurses as ordinary people displaying extraordinary courage, the screenplay repeatedly shows them as near mythical figures.
One person said that the film turns labourers into “divine heroes,” stripping them of the vulnerability and humanity that could have made their bravery even more powerful.
Kangana Ranaut’s performance has drawn mixed responses. Some praised her sincere portrayal and acknowledged that she brings emotional conviction to Geeta Madhav Kamble, the fictionalised version of Kulthe.
Social media reactions have also celebrated her work and described the film as a fitting tribute to the unsung soldiers in white.
At the same time, others found Kangana’s performance inconsistent, arguing that the character is written with such unwavering heroism that it leaves little room for emotional nuance.
The second half appears to be where the film struggles the most.
Questions have also been raised about the handling of tension and geography within the hospital setting, especially when compared to other 26/11 dramas that managed to capture the chaos and urgency of the attacks more effectively.
For Kangana Ranaut, the film may once again spark conversations more about what could have been than what ultimately made it to the screen.
Except Manikarnika, none of her movies have worked well, be it I Love New York or Tejas, and now Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata.
Now, it is yet to be seen if this turns out to be her 12th consecutive disaster.
