Sam Bahadur Movie Review: A top-notch performance by Vicky Kaushal; a must-see for war movie lovers

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Sam Bahadur Movie Review: A top-notch performance by Vicky Kaushal; a must-see for war movie lovers

Sam Bahadur's decision to glorify patriotic militarism while honouring India's troops is noteworthy. It carefully navigates infantrymen's life-threatening minefields.

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December 1, 2023 12:08 IST
Sam Bahadur Movie Review: A top-notch performance by Vicky Kaushal; a must-see for war movie lovers
Sam Bahadur Movie Review: A top-notch performance by Vicky Kaushal; a must-see for war movie lovers

New Delhi: The film Sam Bahadur, which stars Vicky Kaushal, is based on the biography of the heroic Army General Sam Manekshaw. The film directed by Meghna Gulzar premiered in cinemas today, December 01.

General Sam Manekshaw, the protagonist character of the film, was an Indian Army general who commanded the staff of the army during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. The film’s director, Meghna Gulzar, casts Vicky as Sam Manekshaw.

Edward Sonnenblick, Saqib Ayub, Neeraj Kabi, Richard Bhakti Klein, and Krishna Kant Singh Bundela are renowned stars appearing in Sam Bahadur with Vicky. Fatima Sana Shaikh portrays Indira Gandhi, the former prime minister of India, while Sanya Malhotra plays Sam’s love interest.

Movie Review

Looking gorgeous as ever, Vicky Kaushal appears early in the film as he is earning his spurs at the Military Academy. Vicky Kaushal charmed the audience with her dead-on performance, complete costume. He did an excellent job embodying Sam Bahadur, despite the challenges of playing such a closely-knit character. It portrays a full and inspiring picture of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, propelled by an energetic performance by Vicky Kaushal.

Bhavani Iyer, Shantanu Srivastava, and Meghna Gulzar deftly choose events and interactions that help to give the film a lively, vivid feel in its script.

Sam Bahadur’s decision to glorify patriotic militarism while honouring India’s troops is noteworthy. It carefully navigates infantrymen’s life-threatening minefields. Battle scenes and punchlines fill the picture, but they don’t overwhelm the biopic’s less showy elements.

Interactions with prime ministers, anti-insurgency operations, five wars, and forty years of active duty are all covered in the film. However, Meghna Gulzar’s ambitious biopic inevitably comes out as rather hurried. But there is not a single boring moment in it.

The screenwriters should have detailed and crafted the other supported characters. Other than Sanya Malhotra, who gets little screen time and little conversations, and Fatima Sana Shaikh’s Indira Gandhi, the others are only stepping stones to highlight Manekshaw’s dashing and daring. Sanya Malhotra makes the most of what she has.

At times, the score jars detract from the scene and lack melody. However, the archival video, which Sam Bahadur skillfully employs to maintain the storyline and provide a documentary air to the events, adds to the film’s passive linearity and rapid temporal jumps.

In sum, fans of historical dramas and war films should not miss Sam Bahadur.

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