Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Raashii Khanna, Vivan Bhatena, Ankit Siwach, Brijesh Karanwal, Devendra Ahirwar, Digvijay Pratap
Director: Rajneesh Ghai
120 Bahadur movie review: The land of India has always been home to stories of bravery, courage and sacrifice. The stories which we have been reading in books since childhood and hearing from elders are now coming to the fore through films. From films made on Kargil to popular films like Border. Now Farhan Akhtar’s new film ‘120 Bahadur’ has also been included in this list. This film is based on the true story of the attack by China in 1962.
What is the story?
‘120 Bahadur’ is a film based on the true incident of the India-China war of 1962. The story begins on 18 November 1962, when an Indian soldier comes down from the snowy mountains injured and becomes unconscious. After this the film reaches a flashback and shows that the 13th Kumaon Regiment stationed in Chushul was preparing for war.
The leader of this regiment, Major Shaitan Singh Bhati and his 120 soldiers keep an eye on China’s moves. China’s plan was to increase its control over Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir by capturing Chushul airbase. But these 120 soldiers foiled this plan by sacrificing their lives. The film is the story of the same historical battle – Battle of Rezang La.
How is the movie?
The emotional and patriotic part of the film is strong, but the cinematic presentation does not look so impactful everywhere. The biggest feature of the film is its real locations. In this film you will get to see the beauty of Ladakh, seeing which you will feel that you should definitely visit Ladakh once. The cinematography of the film is quite good. The war scenes are excellent and the climax will force you to whistle once.
There are many shortcomings in the film, such as the screenplay seems slow and drawn out at many places. The treatment of the story is certainly realistic, but some scenes are so dull that the impact of emotions is reduced. Technically the film is good, but it lacks in drama and impact. The film takes the audience into the environment of war, but at some places the emotional connection does not become as deep as it should be in a war movie.
How is the acting?
Farhan Akhtar is seen in the lead role of Major Shaitan Singh in this film. Farhan has played the character honestly, but he looks misfit in many scenes. His dialogue delivery feels flat at times.
Raashi Khanna has less screen time in this film but despite this she has done a good job. His role is small but effective.
New faces like Sparsh Walia, Devendra Ahirwar, Digvijay Pratap, Brijesh Karnawal and Sahib Verma become the life of the film. His acting is natural and at many places he looks even better than Farhan.
final review
‘120 Bahadur’ is a film based on a true incident. It honestly shows the bravery, sacrifice and patriotism of Indian soldiers. But due to the slow pace of the film, dull scenes at many places and less impactful acting of the lead actor, it does not leave a complete impact. This film is worth watching once, especially for those viewers who like history and war stories. It can be watched with the family, but it did not become as powerful a war film as its story had the potential to be. The film gets 3 stars from Filmibeat Hindi.
