Jhund: A Triumph of Faith, Hope, and Football

Plot

Jhund is not your typical sports drama. It's a film about finding hope in the darkness, about second chances, about changing lives. Former sports coach Vijay Barse invests his time and hard-earned money to train underprivileged kids in football, to keep them away from drugs and crimes seeded in Nagpur’s underbelly. The story follows Vijay’s journey as he struggles to cultivate a love for football in these kids and help them embrace their talents to take on the world. The film touches upon several subtexts, including religious bigotry, infidelity, casteism, and inequality, organically weaving them into the plot through parallel conversations between supporting characters.

Acting

Performances are a major highlight of Jhund. Amitabh Bachchan as the mentor to these kids is a gentle reminder of this stalwart's ability to take on any role and execute it with such ease. His constant faith in these kids, despite the odds stacked against him, is seen to be believed. But the young actors who play his team of underdogs, Ankush Gedam, Rinku Rajguru, and Akash Thosar, hold their own against Bachchan, delivering believable performances that add to the film's authenticity.

Cinematography

Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti‘s camera work is sleek and captures every mood and fabric of the bylanes it navigates. The camera slickly romances the city’s landscape, especially the jhopadpatti (slum) where most part of the film is set. The use of drone cameras highlights the distinction among the social classes, adding a layer of depth to the film’s narrative.

Direction

Nagraj Manjule's enthusiasm in directing his childhood hero is evident in Amitabh Bachchan's start-to-finish authority. Manjule manages to hold one’s attention for most parts of the film, crafting well-developed arcs and story-loops for every spotlighted character. However, the pace slackens in the second half, and it could do with a tighter edit. The film addresses several issues, including caste divide, societal judgements, class difference, economic difference, and women’s education and rights, which are interspersed into the screenplay with subtlety.

Verdict

Jhund is a rock-solid effort by Nagraj Manjule. If you loved the world he created in Sairat and crave some real-life drama, then Jhund is the ticket to buy this weekend. It's a film that hits you in the gut when you least expect it, full of poignant moments that will leave you cheering for the underdogs. However, the film's major flaw is its pacing, which could have been tighter. Despite its shortcomings, Jhund is a triumph of faith, hope, and football, a film that reminds us of the power of second chances and the importance of cultivating talents, no matter where they come from.

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