Film Review - Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior

By Shivansh Khanna

The last few years in Bollywood have been pivotal in influencing the minds of
the Indian and International Audiences. Gone are those days when perverted,
adulterated and misinterpreted versions of our Bhartiya History are produced on
the Big Screen for the intoxication of the masses.
One such recent and undoubtedly successful example of the aforementioned
point is the rip – roaring movie Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.
As the name suggests, Tanhaji was indeed an unsung warrior. There have been
instances where children, subsequent to watching the film, are befuddled,
flipping the pages of their History Book in dismay, to find to their surprise the
absence of such a focal character of the 1600’s. It is indeed, a shame, that our
education system failed us to this extent, that it very swiftly and spitefully
elbowed such a crucial and pivotal character out of our History Books.
Director Om Raut's period action drama, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior very
absorbingly explores the dynamics between the two characters, namely,
Subedar Tanhaji Malusare and Udaybhan Rathod.
Tanhaji Malusare is a fierce Maratha Warrior and one of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj’s closest aides & military leader.
The central theme of the Film is the Battle of Sinhgad that took place on the 4th
of February, 1670, which saw Tanhaji take on Udaybhan, a Rajput who fought
for Aurangzeb against the Marathas.
"Chaalak Aalamgir ne apani sabse badi chaal chali, ek Hindu ke virudh Hindu
ko khada kar diya" is a resonating dialogue that reminds us of one of the biggest
mistakes our ancestors committed while facing foreign invasions. The recently
released movie Panipat: The Great Betrayal also portrayed the divisions and
rifts that existed in the social fabric of our society.
Under the Treaty of Purandar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Sharad Kelkar)
surrendered 23 forts to Aurangzeb (Luke Kenny), including the Kondhana Fort
(now called Sinhgad), which was of strategic importance, as it overlooked the
southern areas of the country.
Rajmata Jijabai (Padmavati Rao) swore that she would walk bare feet till this
fort is recaptured by the Marathas: "Jab tak Kondhana par phirse Bhagwa nahi
lehrata, hum joote nahi pehnenge". Four years later, Aurangzeb sends
Udaybhan (Saif Ali Khan) with a huge army and a massive canon called
'Naagin', to ensure that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj cannot reclaim the fort.
While Shivaji Maharaj plans a campaign, he doesn't want to send his trusted
lieutenant and dear friend, Subedar Tanhaji Malusare on the battlefield, as the
latter's son is about to get married. When Tanhaji understands about the 'Mohim'
(campaign), he implores Shivaji Maharaj to give him an opportunity to win
Kondhana.
His wife, Savitribai (Kajol) proves to be his silent strength. Despite the evil
intentions of some like Pisal (Ajinkya Deo), Tanhaji manages to make inroads
into the fort that is considered impregnable. A fierce battle ensues where
Tanhaji fights the deadly Udaybhan.
It is believed by Intellectuals and Historians that the battle of Sinhgad was one
of the most significant chapters that would go on to shape the course of today's
Southern Bharat.
Director Om Raut shows a flair for storytelling in his debut Hindi movie. He
maintains a firm grip on the film and balances the emotions and drama with
tact.
Ajay Devgan passionately plays an effective and electric Tanhaji, his inclination
towards the subject and the cause is clearly visible from his undying effort.
Saif Ali Khan looked menacing as the arch villain and has undoubtedly just
delivered a performance that must rank among his career best.
A special mention to Kajol, who plays Tanaji's wife Savitribai. Despite how
trivial, Kajol makes her small part reverberate through her unparalleled screen
presence and emotional intelligence. It is her first historical in an over 25-year-
long career and the real-life couple have returned together on the Big Screen
almost after a decade.
Kajol’s powerful dialogue delivery was evident from the trailer itself, "Jab
Shivaji Raje ki talwar chalti hai, Aurton ka ghoongat aur Brahminon ka janeyu
salamat rehta hai". This dialogue was later edited out of the movie.
The rest of the supporting cast, namely Luke Kenny (as Aurangzeb), Kelkar (as
Shivaji), Neha Sharma (as Kamal, Uday's love interest) and Padmavati Rao
(Jijabai) have also uplifted the collaborative grandeur of the film.
Tanhaji is substantially enriched by its technical crew that has worked to create
a splendid canvas for the cast to shine upon. The camera work, action direction,
editing, music and not to forget, the Visual Effects. There is generous use of
CGI, which is merged seamlessly in the narrative. It helps mount the film on a
scale that it needed to create a solid impact.
The Movie has successfully impressed the audiences with its visual delight, the
unapologetically larger-than-life Tanhaji manages to craft the right spectacular
impact.
As the trailer rightly points out, the Battle of Sinhgad was the Surgical Strike
that shook the Mughal Empire. The film is graced with two really impactful and
emotional dialogues, something that I wouldn’t miss to quote:
"Har Maratha paagal hai, Swaraj ka, Shivaji Raje ka, Bhagwe Ka"
"Tu kya mitayega us Bhagwe ko jiska ailaan khud aasman karta hai, din mein
do baar, Sooraj ugne se pehle aur Sooraj dhalne ke baad"
The audience’s overwhelming response can very well be fathomed from the
film’s Box Office Collection, the film is expected to be the first to cross the
100-crore mark in 2020. It collected approximately 60 Crores on the first three
days of it’s release.
The historical movie has received positive reviews from most of the movie
critics. However, the usual suspects comprising the pseudo liberal – secular
forces have yet again found fallacies in the movie. The movie was called
‘Islamophobic’, ‘dressed up slice of the past’ and ‘deeply divisive’ by the usual
suspects, namely, The Wire, The Quint, Indian Express and NDTV.
Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak, a resounding story of the Acid Attack Victim
Laxmi Agarwal, which released on the same days as Tanhaji, however, did not
receive the expected response. This was largely due to Deepika’s commercial
stunt at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. She attempted to show
solidarity with JNU Left Wing Students in the presence of the Tukde Tukde
Gang Leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
#BoycottChhapaak trended on Twitter subsequent to her visit which was
followed by the cancellation of a large number of pre – booked tickets of her
movie.
I think such an underwhelming response to Deepika’s long awaited Film,
because of her nefarious stand, will have a pronounced impact on rest of the
Artists of the Industry, an alarming signal, that standing with Nation Breaking
Forces is not good for the Business.
At 135 minutes, Tanhaji offers a vision, in terms of technical finesse and smart
storytelling, accompanied by action packed performances, that’s undoubtedly
hard to resist. I am going for 4.5 out of 5 Stars for Tanhaji: The Unsung
Warrior.