Sardar Movie Reviews

Sardar this movie on the life of sardar vallabh bhai patel and almost most of the true story of his life is shared with this movie.Ketan mehta is director and movie was released in 1993.

Paresh rawal is acting as sardar patel and annu kapoor as mahatma gandhi.

Through this movie they have clearly explained the roll of sardar patel in freedom of india and how they fight against minorities zinna was the helper of minority and with the British last viceroy sardar patel talked about division of india.

Mahatma gandhi did unfair with sardar he made nehru as prime Minister of india instead of sardar. Sardar was won the highest vote then also he took back his name on order of gandhiji. And gandhiji was not supporting division in india of pakistan and india but he wanted to make zinna as government of india who wanted to take pakistan to stop violence.but it was also unfair with Hindu's because they was the largest population.

Nehru is not supporting sardar patel and they both don't like each other. Nehru was prime minister and sardar was home minister. Patel was a old age man and nehru was young, sardar was very ill also and once faced heart attack also then also working hard for nation and so he called as iron man.

But all fight was alone done by sardar.It is really very nice movie once you should watch it and then you can understand the whole story.

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Ketan Mehta''s National Award winning film Sardar - The Iron Man of India (1993) is the tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a forgotten figure of India’s independence struggle. Sardar Patel was known for his stubborn vision of integrating hundred of kingdoms in India, his courageous and astute leadership when opponents are trying to emotionally mislead Ghandhi and Nehru, his firm belief in rural and agricultural development, and his vision in building a socially powerful and economically progressive India.

Analysis

Sarder is Sardar Patel's biographical epic concentrating on the last five years of Sardar’s life from 1945 to 1950 when he strode on the national scene, a key figure in wresting India’s Independence and integrating the nation. The film deals with all the myriad and debilitating problems that India faced in its pre and immediate post Independence period, which turned out to be Sardar Patel’s finest hour when Sardar solved one problem after another monumental problem with ease.

Sardar movie is blessed with first of two of best moviemaking components – Vijay Tendulkar’s research, script and screenplay. Sardar’s screenplay is nothing but real history unfolds in front of your eyes. Even though it is more of Sardar’s biography, it covers all political issues during India’s independence hours of 1945-1948.

Movie’s first half an hour concentrates early life of Sardar when he was practicing law in Ahemadabad in 1915, how he initially make fun of Ghandhi’s methods and later impressed by same methods. Movie also delves in the issues of Kheda struggle - Sardar’s first major participation in freedom struggle that leads government to grant tax relief for peasants for their inability to pay higher taxes after several years of drought, Bardoli Satyagraha - Sardar’s first successful non-cooperation movement, and Sardar’s active part in National Congress and Gandhi’s non-cooperation movements, and how he rose to became one of Ghandhi’s closest associates. Last half an hour is conclusion of India’s independence struggle and kind of slow and patient testing for many viewers where movie concentrates on Sardar’s last years of life.

Most of middle two hour deals time between 1945-1948, covering historical events like how Zinnah instigated riots all over India, how Zinnah wanted new Pakistan, different plans discussed for single India or partitioned India, negotiation led to independence related to what goes to Pakistan and what stays in India, the actual partition of the subcontinent, Delhi Hindu-Muslim riots and East-West Punjab Sikh-Muslim migration, Sardar’s reign as India’s first Deputy PM and the Home Minister, Sardar’s strained relationship with Nehru, and struggle to integrate the princely states into the new Indian political map including Kashmir, Hydrabad, and Junagadh.

This is one of the most captivating and fascinating parts of the movie where it grips audience with thrilling drama of Lord Mountbatten’s active participation in India’s partition and his friendship with Nehru, Sardar’s astute participation in round table negotiations and partition meetings while Ghandhi pushed to secondary roles of daily prayers, and Nehru and Sardar’s respect beyond their indifferences of policies.

Movie tackles one of the ghostly stories like Nehru and Sardar’s rivalry just prior to independence in 1945 when Congress was choosing new president and first future India’s prime minister and party bureaucracy chose and considered Sardar as far more charismatic and appealing mass leader. Later Sardar withdrew his name and supported Nehru''s candidacy because of Gandhi’s wish to make sure Sardar-Nehru work together for greater cause of India’s independence. It also covers incidents regarding how Sardar opposed Nehru’s decision to let UN intervene into Kashmir issue.

Sardar movie is also blessed with second of two of best moviemaking components – Period subject treatment, cinematography, and direction. As far as direction, Sardar is the Ketan Mehta''s finest work to date and tribute to his fellow Gujarati figure. As far as cinematography, It’s beautifully shot in real Gujarat villages, Simla and Dehradun’s state estates, Delhi’s parliament complex, Delhi’s and Punjab’s streets. Technically Sardar is contemporary movie with history recreated in utmost conviction on celluloid - be its rotating camera from outer or inner angle while Mountbatten working with India-Pak leaders on round table, Mountbatten’s haunting one-on-one meetings with each players of subcontinent’s politics, or the gloomy close-up of Sardar, Gandhi or Nehru during freedom struggle is the fine example of newest techniques used in the movie.

One of the most fascinating things about Sardar movie is Sardar doesn''t make Ghandhi and Nehru as weak figures to make Sardar more powerful figure as it happened in the Santoshi’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Movie also refers and tackles key unsung heroes of freedom struggle like H.M.Patel, V.P. Menon, young Indira Gandhi, and Moraraji Desai. Even though movie recreates haunting images of Hindu Muslim Delhi riots, Bardoli Satyagraha, and invention of Amul Dairy, it wisely doesn’t recreate actual bloody fights of Kashmir, Junagarh, Hyderabad, and Punjab partition migration to deviate from movie’s main theme of Sardar’s biography. Instead, it refers these historical events with actual B&W of newspaper front-page headlines and real B&W video images to make it more authentic.

Paresh Rawal as Sardar, Benjamin Gilani as Nehru, Annu Kapoor as Gandhi, Shrivallabh Vyas as Mohammad Ali Zinnah, and Tom Alter as Lord Mountbatten is convincing. Many of current generation of movie buffs know Paresh Rawal primarily for his comic roles in movies like Hera Pheri, Hungama, Awara Paagal Deewana, and Garam Masala, But Sardar is crown of his acting career and best performance to date. Paresh Rawal looks like, acts like, walks like Sardar and renders legendary performance of one of the stalwart figure of Indian history.

Conclusion

This movie is a must see to get an idea of what our great leaders sacrificed for independent India and realize what’s happening to their dream in 21st century with violence, hatred, racism, and corruption at all time high. In the time of high pressure, our leaders made decision what they thought its best for future generation. In one of the scene Sardar confesses to H.M.Patel ''I hope I am making right decision. My biggest fear is if these decisions are wrong then people will make us evil and if decisions are right then people will make us hero. But, they won't understand in what circumstances and situation we made these decisions.'' How true it was?

If you already know the history then Sardar is one of most captivating, engrossing 3-hour drama made on later stage of Indian independence along with Richard Attenborough’s 1982 Oscar winner Gandhi. If you aren''t aware of India’s independence struggle then movie might be slow, talkative, and sounds confusing at times and in those scenarios you will be better served with multiple viewings.

Even though Sardar contains one unnecessary song, realistically treated subject, heavy political talks with documentary like approach, this is one of the best films made on independence history. A must see historical masterpiece.

First paragraph of the analysis section is taken from DVD text

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