Sam Bahadur review: Vicky Kaushal holds up a tepid biopic of Sam Manekshaw that’s rich in detail but low on drama

Starring: Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Neeraj Kabi

Meghna Gulzar has proven her ability to humanise the people behind India’s security forces–the army and espionage–with Raazi (2017). With Sam Bahadur, she builds a detailed portrait of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw–the man behind the Indian Army’s discipline and stellar sense of duty. However, the comprehensive narrative fails to build drama and tension that could make for an engaging watch.

Sam Bahadur is a human drama that borders on the banal in parts and is perfectly detailed and immersive in some.

Sam Manekshaw was the first Indian soldier to be promoted to the highest rank in the Indian Army–Field Marshal, and was the Chief of Army Staff during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. A legendary soldier, he was trusted by prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. He was a brilliant people manager, a bold strategist, and an engaged leader. He was integral, along with the officers trained by the British military before Independence, in laying the foundations of discipline, honour and duty in India’s defence forces.

For any filmmaker, translating this concept to a gripping drama is a challenge.

Co-written by Meghna Gulzar, Bhavani Iyer, and Shantanu Srivastava, Sam Bahadur covers the evolution of young Sam (Vicky Kaushal), an independent minded and talented young man, into a military legend. It also shows his tender relationship with wife Siloo (Sanya Malhotra), his biggest supporter, cheerleader, and regular critic.

After Partition, Sam leaves behind his close friend, Yahya Khan (Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub), and joins the Indian Army. The impact of Partition brought immediate threats to newborn India, with an undecided king of Kashmir dealing with insurgents, and subsequent attacks on North Eastern India from China in 1962. Each conflict shows Sam’s inherent intelligence and strategic abilities to pull off classic Indian jugaad and turn a situation around.

Jealous colleagues and insecure bosses mount attacks on his integrity, but Sam survives each one to come out stronger. His relationship with Pandit Nehru (Neeraj Kabi) and Indira Gandhi (Fatima Sana Shaikh) are built on trust, honesty, and a familiarity that he never misuses to his advantage.

Whether it’s his personal involvement with strengthening the eastern front for the Indian Army or his smart thinking about winning the 1971 war without causing damage to India’s global image, Sam proves his leadership skills each time around.

Indira Gandhi, a young and insecure prime minister who shows bravery beyond her years, leans on Sam for difficult diplomatic and security issues. Sam remains steadfast as a loyal soldier through it all.

The film stands tall on the able shoulders of Kaushal, whose performance is pitch perfect in gait, tone and reactions. This would be hard to match just like his masterful part as Sardar Udham Singh in 2021.

Kaushal imbibes the character of Sam Manekshaw like a second skin, perfecting gestures and minute facial expressions artfully. Malhotra and Shaikh, like Kabi, are efficient but their characters lack depth and layers.

Siloo, as the wife, feels somewhat stereotyped to the standard of an army wife, unlike the humane touches given to Manekshaw’s persona. She is either very supportive or critical of Sam, but there is no exploration into why she reacts in a certain way.

Gulzar’s attempt to create a visual likeness to real-life people might have limited the actors, as is evident in Ayyub’s case, who has a lot to do in the film.

Also, the narrative format–which is like a long audio visual essay about the life of Manekshaw–leaves the viewer wanting for some drama and thrill.

Despite wars, attacks, and skirmishes playing out on screen, the action and danger of a war is considered peripheral to the story. India’s top soldier might have had an interesting life and an independent style of operating, but the exact moments of his brilliance and the incidents that made him a clear leader of our army fall flat in execution.

The technical aspects of the movie are sound with cinematography (Jay I Patel) and art direction (Subrata Chakravarty and Amit Ray) providing historical accuracy and context to the story.

While the lyrics for two songs Banda and Badhte Chalo by Gulzar are pop-poetic, Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s musical score is average, not noteworthy.

One must applaud the quality of the film’s research. From locations in Mizoram and the near-civil war situation with Mizo National Front to the turmoil in Tezpur, Assam during the China incursion–the writers have included incidents that have shaped North East’s tenuous relationship with India. Some of the treatment appears one-sided, particularly the emphasis on the Mizo National Front’s exploitative violence, but it’s pertinent to note that the event has made it to mainstream cinema conversation.

Despite having the ingredients for a gripping, memorable historical drama, including a dedicated lead actor, Sam Bahadur doesn’t make the cut as a must-watch movie. There’s more detail and less character development, with emotions and human interaction minimised.

Bahadur was brilliant and inspiring, and his celluloid story could have been so too.

Rating: 3.5/ 5