A THORNED PATH TO GLORY. Review on Sam Bahadur

We often come across biopics and can’t help but feel that the protagonist has been portrayed as a larger-than-life character. The temptation to which most directors and producers fall is to make the film interesting to the audience even though they are playing with the credibility of the story. In this regard, I must congratulate Meghna Gulzar for avoiding the temptation of tweaking the storyline and sticking to the original as much as possible.

I am not a great fan of biopics because more often than not you know most of the story except for a few fill-in-the-blanks. It’s like, you already know the spoilers and can’t avoid them even if you wanted to. Also, it is a difficult genre as the director cannot introduce twists and turns or Rohit Shettysque breathtaking action to cover up for the lack of a proper story. If the director veers away from the course he/she gets flak, and if director sticks to the original storyline the movie is mostly condemned as boring, or a documentary.

Sam Bahadur is the story of Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw(SHFJ Manekshaw), the first Indian Army officer who rose to the rank of Field Marshal.

Production Details:

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Meghna Gulzar

Written By: Shantanu Shrivastava and Meghna Gulzar

Music: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy

Background Score: Ketan Sodha

Main Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaik, Kalki Koechlin(Guest Appearance)

Storyline:

Since it is a biopic, it must closely follow the historical narrative. So, no marks for the plotline. That’s where direction comes in, not allowing the story to inadvertently slip into a documentary is one of the highlights of the movie. The other highlight of the movie is Vicky Kaushal as Sam Manekshaw. At times when the screenplay hit a dull note, it was Vicky Kaushal who carried the scene and made it worthwhile watching. Sanya Malhotra does her best as the loving wife of Sam but her role was limited to just being a wife in the movie. In real life, she was a much more active person and a woman of substance.

Fatima Sana Sheikh as the burgeoning Indira Gandhi is a mixed bag. She looked more sedate in her role as compared to the late Prime Minister who was effervescent and domineering in real life. Maybe, the director’s focus was more on Sam and indeed the movie comes across as more of a Sam Manekshaw movie than anything else.

Vicky Kaushal’s portrayal of Sam is almost flawless. He has grown so much as an actor that it was not difficult for Vicky to slip into the role of Sam’s complicated personality, charming among the girls, dutiful husband, kindness towards his subordinates, talking tough in war-related situations and against government policies. Vicky worked hard to train under army personnel to look and act like an army man.

Vicky doesn’t resemble Sam Manekshaw in looks but has impressed with Sam’s mannerisms so much that it appears the original Sam Manekshaw was on screen dictating orders.

Sam was the right man at the right time and in the right place to become a hero and one for the folklore. He will always be remembered as the architect of India’s 1971 victory against arch enemies Pakistan.

He was not without controversies and did have some enemies in the establishment. It did come out into the open when Sam was recommended for elevation to the post of Field Marshal. Despite his detractors, nobody could rob him of his destiny. Sam Manekshaw became the first Field Marshal just days before his retirement. He played hard, but more importantly, he played his cards right.

In the higher echelons of the ‘deep state’, there’s a lot of power struggle and political intrigue. Sam had the guts to take on his most hated enemies with aplomb. He was erudite and articulate with a great sense of humour that at least on one occasion saved his life.

I watched this movie on Zee5. The film premiered on OTT platform ZEE5 on 26 January 2024.

A must-watch if you are a history buff. If you are not watch it all the same.

mbfarookh