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Kesari review: Akshay Kumar – Parineeti Chopra’s film on The Battle of Saragarhi will fire up the patriotism level of the whole nation!

Kesari review: Akshay Kumar and his band of soldiers earn a salute for their brave Battle of Saragarhi!

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kesari review akshay kumar parineeti chopra the battle of sargarhi

Anurag Singh’s Kesari is a cinematic version of one of India’s dark chapters of history. But it is brilliant in showcasing the sacrifice of its heroes! No history book in school ever taught us about the fateful day-long battle of Saragarhi in 1897. 21 of India’s bravest Jat soldiers fought against a 10,000 plus strong, well-armed Afghani tribe in the North West Frontier Province (current day Pakistan region). The battle was lost, but sent Indian pride and valour soaring in history.

For those of you who don’t know, Kesari or saffron is the colour associated with valour. The film script was created from the pages of our history by Anurag Singh and Girish Kohli. And Kesari is jointly produced under the banners of Dharma Productions, Cape of Good Films, Azure Entertainment and Zee Studios. Zee also released the Music of the film. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra (in a brief cameo almost). They are supported by Mir Sarwar, Vivek Saini, Vikram Kochhar, Vansh Bhardwaj, and Jaspreet Singh. Here’s our full review of Kesari…

What is Kesari all about? The film is a narrative of the lead-up to and the actual combat that took place at the Fort of Saragarhi. The fight took place between 21 soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment and 10,000 Afghani mountain tribesmen, at a time when India was ruled by the British. The regiment is led by the valiant and proud Havildar Ishar Singh, played by Akshay Kumar. The once-unruly band of 21 soldiers, guarding Saragarhi Fort, find themselves attacked by the Afghan tribesmen.

Looking to lay claim to the other two forts in the area as well, all in the matter of a single day, the Afghani army starts the battle. But the Jat/Sikh soldiers put up a brave fight. Such is the frontier that the enemies plan is thwarted. And their death count is way greater in number. The 21 fought like tigers to the last man!

Yay: The soundtrack, composed by multiple music directors is dynamic, inspiring and simply beautiful. Tanishk Bagchi, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Chirantan Bhatt, Jasbir Jassi, Gurmoh and Jasleen Royal have done a great job. Parineeti Chopra who plays Akshay Kumar’s wife (only seen in brief flashbacks of memory) made an impact even in that brevity. It was a complete 360-degree turn for her. You can’t recognise the actress, she was just the character. Brilliantly played and portrayed. Bravo Parineeti!

Reviewing Kesari further, we can say Akshay is the defiant and proud leader of the braves. And he was possibly the only commercial actor one can envision in that role. Mouthing dialogues and enacting even over-the-top scenes with utmost gravitas, he lent colour to Kesari. The supporting cast of the Jat soldiers is perfectly garnered too. From their uncouth behaviour to their inspiring sacrifices, there were many scenes that had precious moments of such poignance. In fact, one did get goosebumps and wipe away many tears.

A 21- gun salute to those exemplary bravehearts. Each one of them stood out when it was their moment of glory in their moment of gory! The cinematography by Anshul Chobey deserves mention. The choice of location, the stark barren landscape of Leh-Ladakh, took you back to possibly what it might have been 120 years ago. The costumes were superbly executed too!

Nay: The cast of Afghans looked and behaved like cardboard cut-outs and caricatures. They might have been conceived thus to offset the strikingly animated set of Indian soldiers. But the key characters could possibly have been a scale different and maybe, more believable.

CineBlitz verdict: Kesari‘s story will wring your insides and drum out all your patriotic fervour. It will break your heart to see how the brave shed their blood, but not have a mention in our history books. The movie will also make you angry at the treatment meted out to our soldiers by the British. The historical will even stir you into shame and pride, both. Outstanding on nearly every score, Kesari will possibly set Box-Office coffers ringing. It will also show us the true colour of our blood this Holi.

Star Rating: 3.5 stars

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