Sam Bahadur review: Vicky Kaushal's masterclass can't save this random series of anecdotes, Manekshaw deserved better

Director: Meghna Gulzar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Neeraj Kabi, Govind Namdev

Where to watch: Theatres

Rating: 2.5 stars

Is Vicky Kaushal the best actor of his generation in India? If there was any doubt about this after Sardar Udham, Sam Bahadur answers it. He is peerless. Vicky owns the screen as Sam, bringing the late Field Marshall to life effortlessly, from age 20 to 60. But his acting masterclass is let down by a film that never rises above average. Sam Bahadur remains a collection of interesting trivias and anecdotes about the man, never truly delving deep into his psyche or philosophy. And that is a shame because in Sam Manekshaw, director Meghna Gulzar had a character as rich as any in modern Indian history. But alas, the final product does not hold a candle to Manekshaw’s real life.

Sam Bahadur opens with the story behind Manekshaw’s two names – his given name Sam and how he came to be christened Sam Bahadur by his soldiers. From there, we go to a young cadet Sam as he trains at the Indian Military Academy. From there, we see Sam as he grows into a young officer during the Partition, spares the nation’s blushes during the Sino-Indian War of 1962, and finally serves as the commander leading a decisive victory against Pakistan in 1971. Parallelly, we see Sam’s relation with his wife Sillu (Sanya Malhotra), his friend (and later adversary) Yahya Khan, and two Indian Prime Ministers – Jawaharlal Nehru (Neeraj Kabi) and Indira Gandhi (Fatima Sana Shaikh).

To put it bluntly, Sam Bahadur does a great disservice to the man that was Manekshaw. The film comes across as a series of anecdotes from Sam’s life, often interesting, sometimes disconnected. While they are fun to watch, they offer very little insight on the man himself. The film does not tell us who Sam was, what he felt, and how he lived. It just scrapes through some of the best-known kisse about his life and presents them in almost an anthology of his life, stretching four decades. Director Meghna Gulzar deserves some flak for taking the life of arguably one of modern India’s most interesting characters and giving us this lukewarm film. It feels more like a history trivia quiz than a biopic in some parts.

But the film isn’t bad. To her credit, Meghna does get one thing spot on. She depicts Manekshaw extremely sensitively and humanly. This is the story of an armyman born in 1914, someone who began servng in the 30s and was very much a product of those times. Despite all that, the film does not feel dated. Nowhere does Sam come across as archaic and that deserves some praise. Also, for a film about the Army, Sam Bahadur remains sensitive, funny, and even compassionate, without wading into any macho chest-thumping territory. That is refreshing for our times.

Vicky Kaushal does an admirable job of salvaging Sam Bahadur. He is the film’s shining light, giving yet another unbelievably good performance. He has lived and breathed Sam through the 2 hour, 30 minute duration of his film, capturing not just his mannerism and voice but his essence as well. No other actor could have probably done even half as good a job. Whether he is playing a wet-behind-the-ears 20-year-old rookie or the battle-hardened 55-year-old general, he always looks the part. That is credit to the direction of Meghna, the makeup team, and Vicky’s acting talent.

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Fatima Sana Shaikh also deserves a mention for a really classy portrayal of Indira Gandhi. The actress steers clear of any mimicry and battles a horrendous wig to deliver a memorable performance as the former PM. The scenes featuring the interactions between Sam and Indira are among the most fun in the film. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub springs in a nice surprise with a delightful interpretation of Yahya Khan. The actor first gives us a heartening portrayal of a young Yahya troubled by the Partition and then a surprisingly powerful depiction of the older, more venomous general. It elevates the second act of the film manifold.

The battle sequences in the film are of two types. Some are really effective, delivering the sucker punch of shock and awe. The others more and less gloss over the happenings, delivering them in a digest format. To me, the film often tries to pack too much in too short a time, ending up as a miscellany of Sam’s life rather than being a definitive account. That is why despite these stellar performances, some hair-raising battle sequences, and good music, Sam Bahadur remains less than the sum of its parts. Both Vicky Kaushal’s acting and Sam Mankeshaw’s stature deserved better!