Sam Bahadur packs a lifetime’s worth of content into his expansive and complex two-and-a half-hour play. The film covers four decades of active military service, five wars, counterinsurgency operations, and run-ins with prime ministers. That Meghna Gulzar’s ambitious biopic appeared a little hurried makes sense. Undoubtedly, there is never a boring moment in it.
The film makes all the right turns. In the full picture, the film inspiringly portrays Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, an officer and gentleman whose legendary courage, joie de vivre, repartee power, and unshakeable sense of purpose are showcased. This dynamic group’s main woman is Vicky Kaushal.
Sam Bahadur is an intensely action-packed war movie that accomplishes most of its objectives as a character study. The protagonist of the story begins the tale in a crib, although it is not exactly a cradle-to-grave narrative. Rather, it blends the story of a unique existence with the exploits of a legendary army guy who was an exceptional soldier and leader.
Cast and Crew of Movie Sam Bahadur
Cast | Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub and Neeraj Kabi |
Director | Meghna Gulzar |
Meghna Gulzar, Bhavani Iyer, and Shantanu Srivastava adeptly select scenes and speeches that bolster the film’s upbeat, positive vibe. Sam Bahadur is as much about a person as it is about a nation, with the sweep of an epic and the minute details of a personal chronicle.
From the early 1940s (when Japanese soldiers march into Burma) until the early 1970s (when the Indian Army joins Bangladesh’s freedom movement), the film bounces around in time and makes extensive use of ellipses. The scope of the fascinating plot is unrestricted, despite the apparent gaps.
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The screenwriters expertly enhance the simple premise with just the right amount of narrative complexity to pay tribute to the esteemed general, whose career is evaluated within the context of the nation’s turbulent pre- and post-independence history.
Manekshaw uses a lot of words when he declares, “I fight to win,” as he always does. That can make him seem like the biggest action movie hero in Hindi films. Though the protagonist was certainly a legendary figure to the soldiers under his command, the director goes to great pains to keep him grounded.
While avoiding historical embellishment, she presents the great soldier as a credible human being, a man of conviction, intelligent, self-assured, and confident, as well as a skillful strategist who enjoyed voicing his thoughts.
The Sam Bahadur we see on TV is not a Bollywoodized version of an Indian historical fighter; rather, he is a real man, a man of great bravery and brilliance.
What function does a name serve? It is clear from the Sam Manekshaw movie that a lot is going on in his circumstances. In the first scene, we meet Sam’s parents, who had previously given him the name Cyrus. However, they decided to change it after a robber with the same name was recently apprehended in the neighborhood.
The jawan of the 8th Gorkha Rifles lisps “Sam Bahadur” in answer to Manekshaw’s question about the name of the Indian Army chief in the scene that follows, which is repeated later in the film. The apt name sticks around.
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Vicky Kaushal portrays Sam Manekshaw as a man and an icon who is immensely endearing and frighteningly firm. Vicky Kaushal plays the role to perfection. Kaushal never strays too far from reality, constantly striking a balance between the two.
Kaushal gives the role life with odd gestures that are completely distinct from his own. He does this by speaking in a style that alludes to Hum Dono’s Dev Anand, taking on a jaunty pace, and assuming a pose that exudes hauteur and friendliness.
Among the most notable aspects are Sam Bahadur’s repudiation of militarism with a flag-waving ceremony and his praise for the bravery of India’s soldiers. It negotiates the potentially fatal minefields that infantrymen must cross in the course of their duty with prudence and knowledge. The movie has a lot of fight scenes and punchlines, but they don’t overshadow the subtler aspects of the engaging story.
Sam Bahadur is more than just a man who motivates his troops with motivational speeches and leaves a lasting impression on the army he commands. The personal and private lives of a general are also explored; his relationships with his family and spouse, Silloo (Sanya Malhotra), serve to emphasize these points.
Official Trailer of Movie Sam Bahadur
The movie celebrates the idea of India, a nation that embraces diversity and unity, set in a time when love for the country was unaffected by religious exceptionalism. The war cries of the several regiments during the most dramatic scenes in the movie highlight the many backgrounds of the Indian troops battling for a common goal.
In a highly dramatic sequence, a court of inquiry accuses Manekshaw of being anti-national because the defense organization he supervises has photos of British veterans on display instead of Indian political leaders.
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Observing the general’s response to the baseless charge is enlightening. The academy trains soldiers, not politicians, he claimed.
Sam Bahadur gives a bad and clumsy portrayal of Jawaharlal Nehru (played by Neeraj Kabi). Fatima Sana Shaikh’s portrayal of Indira Gandhi is far better. Not only does India’s third Prime Minister appear more frequently in the narrative, but she also comes dangerously close to taking the lead on a few occasions.
Using Chief of Army Staff Manekshaw as her trump card, Mrs. Gandhi, in one scenario, humiliates Henry Kissinger, the Secretary of State under Richard Nixon, for threatening to impose dire consequences on India should it invade Pakistan on the eastern front.
Newsreel footage showing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman calling on his people to rise up in rebellion, images of the Pakistani army gunning down students at Dhaka University, and snippets of Manekshaw’s friend General Yahya Khan (Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub), who was a part of the defense academy prior to partition, preparing to launch a war with India were all used to build up to the Bangladesh war. Sam Bahadur is therefore not merely speaking. There’s plenty here to keep the tension building throughout the entire film.
Sam Bahadur is eerily reminiscent of a Vicky Kaushal film, as the actor features in all the major roles. But Meghna Gulzar’s masterful handling of the fine line between ambition and reserve makes that passionate lead performance and its emotional (and visual) payoff all the more remarkable.
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Nathaniel Orozco