If only the flaws had been reduced or ironed out, “Bharat” could have been a classic. It just stops short. But a Salman-Eid whopper is back after a two-year holiday.

Taapsee is Magnificent in Decent GenY Spin on Tried-and-Tested Template

“Mulk” is a sensitively told sensitizing film that should strike the right note in people with the right sensibilities. In its own way, it is no less patriotic than a “Pad-Man,” “Raazi,” “Raid” or “Parmanu.”

Irrfan Khan is a delight, and I am blunt enough to state that it is after years that we are watching him BECOME the character he plays and not remain yet another variation of Irrfan, the actor. Dulquer Salmaan is confident and right for his role, making an impressive if low-key debut in Hindi. Mithila is just alright, as is Amala. In their brief cameos, Akash Khurana and Beena shine, as does the veteran actor who plays the airport authority handling the consignments that come in. Kriti Kharbanda is fabulous in her cameo. The others do not have anything to do.

Technically, the film is upbeat, though some of the hallucination sequences look tacky, unlike the neater job in “Kaalakandi.” The background score (Sanjay Wandrekar and Atul Raninga) is minimalistic and thus most welcome. Vikram Gaikwad’s make-up, Clover Wootton’s prosthetics, and Viral Thakkar’s VFX help create the world in which Dutt rules. And we loved the re-created sequences from “Munna Bhai MBBS.”

This is a biopic that cannot be missed.

This is an endearing film despite its flaws. Go watch it and, as Wodehouse would often say, “warm the cockles of your heart.”

Irrfan Khan is far from being essentially the same. His intentionally blank expressions and deadpan kind of tone is suitably changed here in keeping with his generally harangued character. Arunoday Singh and Divya Dutta steal the show with their effortless work, Singh dwarfing Dutta in the final analysis. Kulhari has nothing much to do, while Pradhuman Singh and Omi Vaidya overdo their bit, especially Vaidya who keeps showing his limitations. Anuja Anil Sathe is a delight, and Gajraj Rao and Vibha Chibber are fun too as the slimy detective and the gun dealer.

But the film, hook, line and sinker, or rather, all three storeys of it, is dominated (and how!) by Renuka Shahane Rana as Flory aunty. As the wigged, middle-aged and feisty Christian lady with a private agenda (the only story here that packs a whopping wallop!), she proves that for a consummate actor, absence from work is no deterrent for a whacko, truly awe-inspiring performance. She gets in this extra half-star to an otherwise strictly average film.

Though unlike “Pyaar Ka Punch-Nama 2” there is nothing that warrants a repeat watch (that film also had good music), this light entertainer is a one-time visit, even for those who may not exactly relish the end.

To sum up, Balki’s best directorial since his 2009 “Paa” remains a benchmark in how to make an entertainer with a vital social message. Despite its 2.20 duration, there is not a moment when the film does not keep you involved in what is going on.