Begum Jaan: Shooting in the dark

Begum Jaan is a waste of acting ammo, ending in a painfully prolonged and predictable climax

There’s a scene at the onset of Begum Jaan’s climax that spells out what its director, Srijit Mukherji, achieves in the remake of his Bengali hit Rajkahini. A band of women armed with rifles is fiercely defending its shelter, a brothel, which figures as the bone of contention in partitioning India and Pakistan in undivided Punjab. The women, led by matriarch Begum Jaan, played by Vidya Balan, are new to weaponry and are taken aback by the sudden attack on their home. Next, they are shooting in the dark in a losing battle.

Be assured, this review is bereft