Sardar Udham is a 2021 Indian biographical drama about Udham Singh, a revolutionary freedom fighter known for assassinating Michael O’Dwyer to protest for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar. Starring Vicky Kaushal in the titular role, Shoojit Sircar, who disappointed with his 2020 film Gulabo Sitabo returned to the director’s chair with Ritesh Shah and Shubhendu Bhattacharya writing the screenplay.
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Set at the onset of World War II, Sardar Udham shuttles between the past and present. The canvas is massive, but the meaty source material on the main character is meager. None of the chest-thumping slogans you would expect from a revolutionary freedom fighter can be found in the movie. Instead, we get a man, deeply scarred, who goes about doing his work quietly.
As much as we expect the volcano of his past to erupt eventually, the build-up to the climax is tedious. The wait tests your patience but once you’re into the final act, be ready to experience some of the boldest, more jarring, and graphic scenes from a Bollywood movie. Yes, I’m talking about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Shoojit Sircar transports us right to that fateful day in 1919. And as usual, the reenactment of the massacre is unsettling to watch, which is the very reason why this story needed to be told. Without giving away too much, you’ll be taken on an incredible rollercoaster of emotions thanks to the clever direction of Sircar and the remarkable acting chops of Kaushal.
Speaking of Vicky Kaushal, he was immensely impressive throughout the movie. One scene, in particular, a drunk scene of him talking to a British investigator, brings the best out of him as an actor. The same can be said about him in the scene after the massacre.
Sardar Udham has quite a few amazing standalone scenes, but it simply doesn’t feel cohesive enough to build a solid storyline. Somehow this movie feels like it lacks soul. Granted, it’s no easy job to dramatize a biography, but maybe that’s why this movie hovers on good and not excellent. Watch ‘Sardar Udham’ on Prime Video here.
Review by The Dundie Awards
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