Yesterday the Ranbir Kapoor starrer Shamshera was released. I saw the movie. I survived. Now, here I am telling you about the movie, only to help you save your life. Yes, bursting the bubble around the movie, Shamshera is a colossal disaster with Sanjay Dutt as the antagonist, Vaani Kapoor as the love interest of the protagonist and of course, Ranbir Kapoor in the double role.
The Plot
The much-anticipated Shamshera starring Ranbir Kapoor, Vaani Kapoor, and Sanjay Dutt hit the theatres yesterday. Directed by Karan Malhotra, Shamshera appears to be a mass commercial for which there has been a dearth, especially in Hindi cinema. While the trailer and the music of the film led to a fair response among the audiences, the film couldn’t manage to grab the audience’s attention.
The movie is based on the history of the Khamiran tribe whose land was snatched by British invaders, and what added to the misfortune of the displaced tribe was that they were treated as outcasts. They were treated as the lowest of the low, which made them retaliate as dacoits and loot the riches of the upper caste . Shamshera, played by Ranbir Kapoor, is the leader of the tribe that wages a war against the caste system, British imperialists, and upper caste antagonist Shuddh Singh, played by Sanjay Dutt.
The Storyline
Set in 1871, the movie begins with the British passing the Criminal Tribes Act, leading the Khamiran warrior tribe to be uprooted from their soil and settle in a new place called Kaza. The rich upper-caste people of Kaza throw the tribe away from civilization. In retaliation, they start looting the rich and those who considered them low lives. Shudh Singh (Sanjay Dutt), a Hindu officer of the British forces, offers them a life of dignity in exchange for surrender.
Shamshera accepts the offer only to get betrayed, as Shudh imprisons Shamshera and his tribe to torture them and reduce them to mere slaves. Shamshera ends up losing his life while attempting to free his tribe from the clutches of the British. 25 years later, Shamshera’s son Bali (Ranbir) enters the picture. He dreams of serving the British army. However, after he comes to know about the truth, rises above all the odds and avenges his father’s murder.
The Goods
It won’t be acceptable to call this film a good or a bad. Let me introduce you to all the aspects of the movie, and it is up to you to decide whether to watch the film in the theatres or not.
Beginning with the goods, the music of the film ages like fine wine and needs to be appreciated for bringing a fresh air in the music industry. Composed by Mithun, you may dismiss the singles at first but will end up appreciating them after further listening. Be it Ji Huzoor, Kaale Naina, or Fitoor, there is a sense of freshness in all the songs. The title track of the film has the ability to win over your heart.
Apart from the music, the cinematography is quite impressive. The film has been made for theatrical point of view. With the absolute scale in which the film is presented, the frames are absolutely to marvel at.
The Bads
The film is 2 hours and 38 minutes long. While the first 30 minutes of the movie are more than interesting, it turns out to be stretching unnecessarily in the second half after the entry of Bali. The slow introduction of Bali, who is naïve and knows little to nothing about his own tribe, makes the screenplay poor.
Read more: Shamshera and Brahmastra: The career of Ranbir Kapoor and Bollywood hang by a thread
The lack of emotional depth in the story is the biggest demerit of the film. There was a reason why people connected with the Hrithik starrer ‘Agneepath’. Every frame and the screenplay displayed the anger of Vijay’s character and his emotional bond with his dead father and family. This is what the movie lacks. Neither will you be emotionally invested in the character of Bali nor others who are introduced as dacoits in his group. The essential core of the film is the connection between Shamshera and Bali, and this is where the film fails to connect with the audience.
The film’s half-hearted exploration of caste politics is the real bad. What is even more disappointing is that the film has tried to project that the ‘Tilakdhari’ Hindu antagonist played by Sanjay Dutt was far more oppressive than the British. Well, the liberals and the so-called ‘secularists’ won’t really mind the portrayal of a Hindu man in a bad light, especially in comparison to the British. It is completely unjustified to glorify the British, while projecting Hindus in a bad light.
Acting skills
Let’s discuss the most important aspect of the film – the acting skills. Ranbir Kapoor has totally given his heart and soul to the film. The way he has portrayed Shamshera, and Bali for that matter, is exceptionally well. However, Vani Kapoor, who is playing a dancer and both dacoit, has been shown only as a character which needs to be rescued. In the journey from Shamshera to Bali, Vani’s character does not really hold much importance.
Read more: Sanjay Dutt has played the most irritating and over-the-top characters in the last 5 years
Honestly speaking, Sanjay Dutt’s character is not much different from what he has played in the last 5 years. Though he has given a decent performance, it doesn’t look surprising coming from Dutt, who has played such characters for the 4567th time now.
Shamshera doesn’t manage to hit the bull’s-eye. Had the storyline only focused on the life of the father played by Ranbir, the film could have been more impactful. For TFI, it’s a 3 star for Ranbir’s Shamshera.
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