<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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? </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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? </p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>