No matter what you do, you are unlikely to be ready for the 162 minutes of Sardar Udham that await you. Many have described this movie as a slow burn. The pace may or may not be felt. The burn? Yes, the burn. That is potent and searing.
From the first minute, Sardar Udham is relentless and determined. It isn’t set on making you hate the Brits, it isn’t designed to infuse jingoism or chest-thumping nationalism. It is an experience, one that transports you to a period of Indian history filled with pain, anguish and suffering.
The director, Shoojit Sircar, is in no hurry to tell the tale of Shahid Sardar Udham Singh. He takes his time and rightly so. Through this film, he isn’t advocating violence as a response to violence. On the contrary, perhaps for the first time in our cinema, we get to meet a very different version of our revolutionary heroes. These men, filled with ideals in their hearts and dreams in their eyes, wanted a world of equality and did not sympathize with aggressive acts. Sircar doesn’t paint our legends of yore in broad strokes. He dives deep into their psyche, familiarizing us with their outlook and perspectives. They aspired for a world in which everyone is equal and freedom is a staple.
The worldbuilding and set design in Sardar Udham is astonishingly realistic, with incredible attention to detail. You might find a Starbucks cup sitting idly on a table in a scene of Game of Thrones. You’re not going to find anything out of place here. Sircar could’ve easily become obsessed with the canvas he created, but his focus remained undeterred. We are invisible companions of the protagonist in his joys, his friendships, his horrors and his martyrdom. Vicky Kaushal plays the titular character of Sardar Udham Singh with aplomb. He delivers a haunting performance, which is sure to earn him plaudits from across quarters.
Sircar isn’t content with us knowing about what happened at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. He wants us to feel it and spends a substantial amount of the runtime depicting the atrocities and agonies of that day. Heads up, Sircar is deliberate about the time set aside to portray the massacre and the hours shortly after, and not one minute of this is easy to sit through. That night defines Udham Singh, setting him on his path of avenging the innocent and registering his protest on an international scale. That night explains why he becomes a man ‘who sees death and feels no pain’.
Sardar Udham is a masterfully made film, scoring high on intent, ambition and execution. This movie is artistically outstanding and sets the standard for period dramas at an all-time high. The team behind the project merits a standing ovation and this film deserves a cinema audience.
Rating: 4.5/5
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