Rating:
2.5/5
Star
Cast:
Akshay
Kumar,
Parineeti
Chopra,
Govind
Namdeo,
Rajpal
Yadav,
Mir
Sarwar
Director:
Anurag
Singh
Kesari
Movie
Review:
Akshay
Kumar
|
Parineeti
Chopra
|
FilmiBeat
"Ek
gore
ne
mujhse
kaha
tha
ki
tum
Gulaam
ho....Hindustan
ki
dharti
se
darpok
paida
hote
hain....Aaj
Jabab
dene
ka
vakt
aa
gaya
hai,"
says
Havildar
Ishar
Singh
(Akshay
Kumar)
to
his
regiment
of
soldiers
as
they
see
a
huge
army
of
Afghan
invaders
approaching
to
attack
the
fort
of
Saragarh.
The
tension
in
the
air
is
palpable
and
you
can
feel
the
adrenaline
rush
too.
Sadly,
Kesari
has
less
of
such
emotionally-charged
moments.
Set
in
1897,
Kesari
begins
with
British
Indian
army
Havildar
Ishar
Singh
(Akshay
Kumar)
getting
into
a
confrontation
with
a
few
Afghans
after
they
attempt
to
kill
a
woman.
When
Singh
disobeys
his
British
superiors,
he
gets
transferred
to
the
sleepy
fort
of
Saragarhi
where
he
is
in-charge
of
a
battalion
of
21
from
the
36
Sikh
regiment.
Soon,
the
Afghans
decide
to
attack
their
fort.
However,
the
21
Sikhs
led
by
Ishar
Singh
refuse
to
retreat
and
choose
martyrdom
instead.
The
Battle
Of
Saragarhi
is
a
story
which
deserves
to
be
told
on
celluloid.
Since
a
very
long
time,
Indian
filmmakers
have
been
fascinated
with
this
tale
of
courage
and
valour.
However,
it's
Akshay
Kumar
and
team
who
get
a
chance
to
translate
this
dream
on
the
reel.
Anurag
Singh
makes
his
directorial
debut
in
Bollywood
with
Kesari.
While
the
director
is
honest
with
his
craft,
it's
the
lazy
writing
which
plays
a
major
spoilsport.
The
first
half
of
the
film
moves
at
a
sluggish
pace
and
tests
your
patience.
Anurag
takes
his
own
sweet
time
for
the
build-up
of
the
battle,
but
there
isn't
enough
meat
there
to
chew
on.
Thankfully
post
interval,
Kesari
picks
up
speed
and
gets
you
engrossed
in
it.
The
last
20
minutes
of
the
film
are
highly
impressive
and
linger
with
you
for
long.
One
of
the
biggest
shortcomings
for
the
film
is
the
lack
of
backstories
for
its
characters.
As
a
result,
it
becomes
a
tad
difficult
to
emotionally
involve
yourself
with
their
journey.
Speaking
about
the
performances,
Akshay
Kumar
portays
Ishar
Singh
with
great
conviction.
His
body
language
and
pitch
perfectly
goes
with
his
role.
Be
it
the
combat
sequences
or
tearjerker
moments,
the
Khiladi
does
leave
a
lasting
impression.
However,
his
fake
beard
and
moustache
comes
across
as
distracting.
The
rest
of
his
comrades
too
put
up
a
good
show.
Parineeti
Chopra
has
minimum
screen-time
and
her
character
barely
adds
any
depth
to
the
story.
Manish
More's
lousy
editing
makes
the
pre-interval
portion
a
drag.
Had
there
been
few
more
impressive
songs,
it
would
have
added
more
flavour
to
the
film.
The
piercing
jabs
and
the
striking
slashes
pique
your
curiosity
in
the
battle
sequences.
Anshul
Chobey's
cinematography
tunes
well
with
the
theme
of
the
film.
Music-wise
barring
the
soul-stirring
Teri
Mitti,
none
of
the
songs
have
a
recall
value.
While
Akshay
Kumar's
Kesari
has
its
intentions
in
the
right
place,
it's
the
dull
writing
which
makes
it
lose
half
the
battle.
I
am
going
with
2.5
stars.