Sardar Udham Movie Review: Vicky Kaushal Numbs Your Mind, Shoojit Sircar Shatters It Painting

Dear Vicky Kaushal, Irrfan would be so proud to watch you put everything for depicting this character!

Star Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Banita Sandhu, Shaun Scott, Stephen Hogan, Amol Parashar, Andrew Havill

Director: Shoojit Sircar

Streaming On:Amazon Prime Video

Runtime:162 Minutes

What’s Good: Everything that comes with a perfect war drama & Vicky Kaushal

What’s Bad: This will be subjectively based on how patient you could be for the first 90 minutes, post that it’s not looking back!

Loo Break: There’ll be a problem if you don’t take one because the runtime is 162 minutes!

Watch or Not?: It joins the golden league of Lakshya, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh for me. The choice is yours!

The film introduces viewers to some trivia about the 1919 Jallianwala bagh massacre. This is Sircar's deliberate way of saying "This is all you need to know about the incident." Sircar also tells the story of a revolutionary who was called insane by Mahatma Gandhi. He was being executed by the British for the revengeful rebellion that he brought with him.

Over a thousand people, including women and children, were killed by Reginald Dyer (Andrew Havill) in Jallianwala bagh on 13 April 1919. This was on orders from Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time. Many historians believe that this was the "this is it" moment for India as a nation. Five years after being arrested for illegal weapons and seditious material, Sher Singh was released by the British Government of India in 1931. Sardar Udham, along with others, treated Bhagat Sing (played here by Amol Parashar), as his guru during his sentence. This was in keeping with his ideology to attain freedom.

Sukhdev, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru were all hanged by the Brits that year. Sardar Udham was also released from prison. Udham was already angry about the Jallianwala bagh massacre and he had no place to go. He decided to leave India to work for Michael O'Dwyer (Shaun Scott), eventually killing him. This story focuses on the details of Sardar Udham's fate after Dwyer's death and why it took him 21 years to exact his revenge.

Sardar Udham Movie Review: Script Analysis

Anita Anand describes Udham Singh as "a man born in such a small way, but who wanted so much more." Anita Anand wrote 'The Patient Assassin' based upon the life of the martyr. Sircar's first attempt in the period genre isn't just detailed but also contains curiously written drama throughout every phase. Sircar has created a niche in the industry by making this film. I will also give a rational explanation for why I am making such bold statements.

Similar to Shaheed Bhagat Singh's story, this article tells the story of a man who was executed by the British Government because he fought for freedom. Sircar highlights the stark differences between Bhagat Singh and Udham as they walked the path to freedom. Udham Singh was a poor man for 21 years, and one of the major phases in this movie shows why it took him so long before he pulled the trigger. This raises the important question of why Udham Sing didn't reach the freedom-fighting stories that Bhagat Singh told. We took 34 years (hanged by Udham Singh in 1940) to finally receive his mortal remains (received from the UK in 1974).

Ritesh Shah and Shubhendu Bhattacharya's screenplay is a joy in the final hour. This sequence, which leaves you with a lump in your stomach, is one of the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching scenes in cinema history. Avik Mukhopadhyay’s cinematography is unblemished in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre sequence. The scenes include the climb over a hill full of bodies, people falling to the ground, and the struggle to stay alive in the midst of Dyer's barbarous firing. Shah's screenplay, which Mukhopadhyay teamed with Bhattacharya, conveys the pain of the past.

This puts you right in the middle of an anarchic Baisakhi morning, where more than a thousand (British only reported 379 deaths to avoid bad media) of our countrymen died because they protested for their freedom.

Sardar Udham Movie Reviews: Star Performance

Dear Vicky Kaushal: Irfan would be proud to see you do everything necessary to portray this character. Sircar chose Irfan as his first choice for the role. While many would argue that Uri was the highest point Vicky earned in his career, Sardar Udham elevates his peak. Vicky has lived through three stages in Udham Singh’s life. He was a 20-year old reacting to the greatest tragedy of his lives and he is now a 40 year-old who orchestrates his final goodbye after achieving his goal. After killing Dwyer, he perfects the "smile of satisfaction", sporadically spitting facts at the Central Criminal Court and other character-defining traits.

Banita Sandhu's role as Sardar Udham Singh in 'comfort and chaos' is a brief one. Sandhu talks in volume to Udham and does not speak a word. The wickedness of the character is further enhanced by Shaun Scott playing Michael O'Dwyer. Sircar mentions Dyer subtly questioning himself as the cause of the tragedy. Andrew Havill impresses with the same.

Stephen Hogan's obvious cunningness makes him a great Michael O'Dwyer. Amol Parashar brings a modern touch to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, while still retaining the same ideologies but in a different manner than what we have seen.

Sardar Udham Movie Review: Direction, Music

Many myths surround the fact that Udham Singh was actually at Jallianwala bagh when the tragedy occurred. Shoojit Sircar presents the most tragic scenario of what it might have been. Udham Singh filtering out the living from the sea of bodies in order to save them while he searches for his lady love. Ritesh Shah's dialogues, such as "Ekwahi bass apni Thi, Phir sab-apne gaye", (At first only she was mine, but suddenly everyone was), leave a remarkable impact without being too dramatic.

For obvious reasons, Shantanu Motra's unbroken background score shines in second half. You'll see them after you watch. Moitra does it with ease, as there isn't a single song that makes it more difficult (and he does).

Sardar Udham Movie Review - The Last Word

Shoojit Sircar's plotting of a heroic story is a touching one. He doesn't just focus on the hero but also his ideology of eliminating imperialism and achieving freedom by his means. This book not only informs you of a tragedy, but also provides closure that is neither Black or White. Stay tuned at Koimoi.