Shoojit Sircar has always been sort of an anomaly in Bollywood. His movies have a touch of reality that is rarely seen these days on silver screen. Bollywood, in general, is pretty bad in this regard as any connection to reality is dispensed in favor of some forced drama, ill-fitted romance or untimely comedy. Sardar Udham is head and shoulders above those Bollywood movies.
The biopic almost plays like a documentary, following Udham on his life-defining actions. But you will never be fooled into thinking it's a documentary because of how cinematic it looks. The movie jumps back and forth to the present and some past event in his life, either seen through flashes of his own memories or through third person. It also feels very well researched. I'm in no way an expert on the subject but the dialogues don't feel out of context or exaggerated. Most conversations are like one would expect during those moments.
Another great thing about the movie is that it sheds some light on how brutal British colonization of India was. You hear a lot about world war and there are at least a dozen hollywood and western movies each year on the subject but you don't see really well researched movies like this on the British colonization. Movies like these deserve to be seen by a wider audience but it's only possible if it's (somewhat) based on reality. I'm glad that Shoojit Sircar and his team have managed to do that. As with most Bollywood movies, it is on the longer side and does feel a bit dry at times but there weren't any scenes that felt unnecessary. Overall, a solid Biopic - definitely the best Indian one. 9 out of 10.
The biopic almost plays like a documentary, following Udham on his life-defining actions. But you will never be fooled into thinking it's a documentary because of how cinematic it looks. The movie jumps back and forth to the present and some past event in his life, either seen through flashes of his own memories or through third person. It also feels very well researched. I'm in no way an expert on the subject but the dialogues don't feel out of context or exaggerated. Most conversations are like one would expect during those moments.
Another great thing about the movie is that it sheds some light on how brutal British colonization of India was. You hear a lot about world war and there are at least a dozen hollywood and western movies each year on the subject but you don't see really well researched movies like this on the British colonization. Movies like these deserve to be seen by a wider audience but it's only possible if it's (somewhat) based on reality. I'm glad that Shoojit Sircar and his team have managed to do that. As with most Bollywood movies, it is on the longer side and does feel a bit dry at times but there weren't any scenes that felt unnecessary. Overall, a solid Biopic - definitely the best Indian one. 9 out of 10.