Nagraj Manjule's style of cinema can be described as going deep into the hinterlands of India and bringing forth a raw, emotional story that still connects with the people of India on different levels. Be it Fandry, Sairat or the latest short Vaikuntha, the filmmaker specializes in marrying raw emotion with great storytelling. For this, Manjule often brings new artists along and spreads his magic. For Jhund, the filmmaker brings in not one such actor but an entire team of boys and girls to live up to the title of his film.
Based on the life of Slum Soccer founder Vijay Barse, Manjule's Jhund sees Amitabh Bachchan as a football coach who gives a new meaning to life through the power of football to slum children. Established in Nagpur, Manjule creatively places this slum in the middle of a well-known city school and a prime residential neighbourhood. The school shares a border with the slum where they throw the day's garbage on the walls.
Manjule establishes this neighborhood, the people living in it, their habits and what they do to live without communication. It is the upbeat music of Ajay-Atul that invites you into this world. Amitabh Bachchan as football coach Vijay Borade, who is nearing retirement, walks through the slum on his way to work every day. While he knows the people, he doesn't really know them until an untimely shower turns his eyes on their game of kicking around a plastic box.
While these underprivileged children have a roof over their heads, they have no clarity, ambition or goals in life. They loot coal, phones and gold chains to finance their drugs and alcohol and are a familiar face to the local police. Coach Vijay Borade admits he can kick and pays him Rs 500 to play football for a few days.
It was from here that Manjule began to develop the sporting world with coach Vijay Borade and his "herd" as everyone else called them. Spanning around 3 hours, the first half of Jhund has an engrossing narrative that is fueled by comic punch lines and hilarious dialogues delivered excellently by these new actors. As football keeps them busy, Coach Borade slowly and steadily notices a change in their patterns as the game brings them closer together.
One of the funniest scenes is Slum's first match with the school team which comes a little before the interval. As Borade's efforts to give the children of these slums a new life through football become popular, Manjule encounters many obstacles along the way. From gang rivalry to social acceptance and even class division, Manjule's social commentary is scattered in the herds and he keeps reminding us of it till the last frame of the film. With elaborate scenes of schools and slums next to each other, the director never makes us forget the realities with cinematographer Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti.
In Swarm, you don't root for a certain hero, Manjule feels for your heartstrings and multiple characters. As an apt dialogue from the film puts it, "To live one has to show papers to the government, or even after Marne." Jhund scored almost perfect marks in the Casting, Acting, Production Design and Music departments. Amitabh Bachchan is the throbbing heart of this film as he has delivered a stellar performance and has given ample space to the newcomers to shine.
We get to see Sairat actors like Akash Thosar, Rinku Rajguru and many more in supporting roles throughout the movie. Manjule himself plays the role of the local big shot who makes the biggest contribution to Ambedkar Jayanti every year.
At about three hours, the swarm can feel long but never tiresome to sit on. However, Manjule could have shortened a song or a three-month cop track of lead character Don Meshram. For a film set in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Manjule could have used a bit more conversational Marathi to make some scenes feel more authentic.
Be that as it may, the film engages you in the journey of this team that touches your heart with its heart-wrenching climax, Manjule's social commentary, scintillating acting and its emotions.
Looks like Nagraj Manjule's Jhund is all set to give a tough competition to Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi at the box office this weekend.