 "Farhan Akhtar’s 120 Bahadur Movie Review: Come on, Bollywood; the Indian Army and Major Shaitan Singh deserve better!")
Language: Hindi
Director: Razneesh Ghai
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Vivan Bhatena, Sparsh Waliaa, Ankit Siwach, Dhanveer Singh, Saheb Verma, Eijaz Khan, Ajinkya Deo
Looks like everybody wants to make the next Border. But my honest request is that Bollywood must never attempt war movies. To massacre such a brave story of an equally brave army personnel who not just led but motivated his 120 bahadur men, and such a shoddy depiction of the story is nothing but shameful on the part of the filmmaker.
For those who aren’t aware who Major Shaitan Singh was, well he played a pivotal hero of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, specifically for his extraordinary leadership during the Battle of Rezang La. Commanding the Charlie (C) Company of the 13 Kumaon Regiment, he and his men fought a last stand against the Chinese force in the Chushul sector of Ladakh. Major Shaitan just fought with his 120 men, whereas the Chinese Army had more than 1000 soldiers in the battalion and most importantly better equipment.
War films need to be done with a lot of responsibility, especially when it is based on a true story. 120 Bahadur didn’t have that emotional connection in the whole of the first half, and in the second half, it did make you connect with the kind of pain the Indian soldiers were going through, but Farhan Akhtar simply just didn’t fit into the role of Major Shaitan Singh. His accent is very urbane, which just didn’t work for the film. Most importantly, he didn’t get into the skin of the character of Shaitan, who was from Banasar village in Rajasthan.
Major Shaitan Singh was just 37 years old, and here you are showing a man well in his 50s playing his part. And forget the age; Farhan Akhtar didn’t get anything right this time, whether it was his dialogue delivery, diction, or the mannerisms of a soldier. A man in his 50s in the Indian Army is close to his retirement age, and you cannot make an actor of that age play the role of a soldier in the field who was just 37 years old when he died.
No matter how hard he tried, Farhan just didn’t get it right this time as Major Shaitan. From the very beginning it became very obvious that he is trying very hard to fit in, and as a craftsman that shouldn’t be the case. The intention of the film was unswerving, but it was not as impactful as a story of that stature and importance requires. The screenplay too was haphazard.
In fact, Raashi Khanna did a decent job, and so did the others. But the main protagonist in the film failed us massively. Despite having some visual flourishes and solid source material, the movie didn’t live up to the expectations it could have.
Rating: 2 out of 5
WATCH the trailer of Farhan Akhtar’s 120 Bahadur movie here:
Lachmi Deb Roy is the Entertainment Editor of Firstpost, Network18. She reviews films and series with a gender lens. She is a 'Rotten Tomatoes' certified critic. Her interviews are called 'Not Just Bollywood' because she takes a huge interest in world cinema. She has been the winner of the prestigious Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021. OTT over theatrical releases is her preference unless and until it's a King Khan film. She takes interest in fashion, food and art reviews too.