You would be startled if you went into Sam Manekshaw’s biography Sam Bahadur expecting a MeghnaGulzar picture, since, let’s face it, she is one of the most subtle and focused directors working today. This is a Vicky Kaushal show, not a MeghnaGulzar one. We just happen to be residing in his world.
Kaushal has often demonstrated his acting talent in films such as Masaan, Raazi, Udham Singh, and Uri, so it was almost inevitable that he would provide another potent and nuanced performance. However, the impact of Vicky Kaushal’s Sam Manekshaw strikes you in a different way.
Kashmir is at danger when India and Pakistan split apart. But thanks to Sam Maneckshaw in India, the accession pact was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in a couple of hours. As the Chinese land close to Tezpur in Assam, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (portrayed by NeerajKabi) loses hope and sends Sam Manekshaw to deal with the issue. When he arrives, he determines that the soldiers require a significant boost in morale.
Manekshaw gets the Padma Bhushan after being dispatched to deal with the rebels in the northeastern provinces. He is dispatched to support Bangladesh’s efforts to free itself from Pakistan. Manekshaw is assigned to deal with a variety of problems, such as internal conflict and warfare. Every time, he takes a lofty stance.
But you would think that Gulzar, Iyer, and Srivastava had treated the other characters with the same attention to detail and nuanced writing—Vicky Kaushal could as well have been conversing in a vacuum. The others are only props to highlight Manekshaw’s bold and dashing, with the exception of Malhotra’s Siloo, who has almost any screen time and much fewer sentences, and Fatima Sana Shaikh’s Indira Gandhi.
While Fatima Sana Shaikh is an exceptional performer in her own right, she has been terribly miscast. Sanya Malhotra makes the most of what little she is given. Sheikh’s inexperience, along with maybe a poor briefing, is evident from the minute she enters the room to speak with Jawaharlal Nehru, her father.
Sam Bahadur movie review: You would be startled if you went into Sam Manekshaw’s biography Sam Bahadur expecting a MeghnaGulzar picture, since, let’s face it, she is one of the most subtle and focused directors working today. This is a Vicky Kaushal show, not a MeghnaGulzar one. We just happen to be residing in his world.
Kaushal has often demonstrated his acting talent in films such as Masaan, Raazi, Udham Singh, and Uri, so it was almost inevitable that he would provide another potent and nuanced performance. However, the impact of Vicky Kaushal’s Sam Manekshaw strikes you in a different way.
Kashmir is at danger when India and Pakistan split apart. But thanks to Sam Maneckshaw in India, the accession pact was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in a couple of hours. As the Chinese land close to Tezpur in Assam, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (portrayed by NeerajKabi) loses hope and sends Sam Manekshaw to deal with the issue. When he arrives, he determines that the soldiers require a significant boost in morale.
Manekshaw gets the Padma Bhushan after being dispatched to deal with the rebels in the northeastern provinces. He is dispatched to support Bangladesh’s efforts to free itself from Pakistan. Every time, he takes a lofty stance.
But you would think that Gulzar, Iyer, and Srivastava had treated the other characters with the same attention to detail and nuanced writing—Vicky Kaushal could as well have been conversing in a vacuum. The others are only props to highlight Manekshaw’s bold and dashing, with the exception of Malhotra’s Siloo, who has almost any screen time and much fewer sentences, and Fatima Sana Shaikh’s Indira Gandhi.
While Fatima Sana Shaikh is an exceptional performer in her own right, she has been terribly miscast. Sanya Malhotra makes the most of what little she is given. Sheikh’s inexperience, along with maybe a poor briefing, is evident from the minute she enters the room to speak with Jawaharlal Nehru, her father.