Sam Bahadur (film)

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Sam Bahadur
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMeghna Gulzar
Written byShantanu Shrivastava
Meghna Gulzar
Produced byRonnie Screwvala
Starring
CinematographyJay I. Patel
Edited byNitin Baid
Music byScore:
Ketan Sodha
Songs:
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Production
company
Release date
  • 1 December 2023 (2023-12-01)[1]
Running time
148 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹55 crore[3][4]
Box office₹78.73 crore[5]

Sam Bahadur (stylised as SAMबहादुर  ; lit. transl. Sam the Brave) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language biographical war drama film based on the life of India's first field marshal, Sam Manekshaw.[6] It is directed by Meghna Gulzar who co wrote with Bhavani Iyer and Shantanu Srivastava. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala, under the banner of RSVP Movies.[7] It stars Vicky Kaushal in the title role, alongside Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Neeraj Kabi, Edward Sonnenblick and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.[8]

The film was released on 1 December 2023 and it has grossed ₹78.73 crore (US$9.9 million) worldwide.[5]

Plot

In 1934, Corporal Sam Manekshaw is amongst the first batch of gentleman cadets to be trained at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun; amongst his batchmates is his junior-cum-rival, Tikka Khan. Graduating from the Academy that year, he is posted as a second lieutenant to the 12th Frontier Force Regiment, Ferozpur. Soon after his appointment, he meets Siloo Bode, whom he later marries. In 1942, during the Second World War, Manekshaw, promoted to the acting rank of major, is sent with the regiment to participate in the Burma campaign. During the Battle of Sittang Bridge, he is wounded in action but survives and is awarded the Military Cross for gallantry.

In 1947, amidst the partition of the British Indian Army, Manekshaw is approached to join the Pakistan Army by his colleague Maj. Yahya Khan; he chooses the Indian Army instead. Upon independence, discord emanates between the two countries over the sovereignty of Kashmir. In October 1947, Pakistan launches its military campaign to capture the region. In response, Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and home minister Vallabhbhai Patel dispatch Manekshaw and V. P. Menon to Kashmir; they succeed in securing the accession of Kashmir to India. India counter-attacks, but the war concludes in a stalemate.

In 1959, Manekshaw, now a major general and Commandant of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, is approached by defense minister V. K. Krishna Menon and Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Brij Mohan Kaul of his opinion on the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. K. S. Thimayya. Manekshaw, interpreting their actions as political interference, rebuffs them. However, Kaul conspires to stop Manekshaw’s upcoming promotion by orchestrating a court-martial on the basis of impropriety; nevertheless, but Manekshaw is exonerated by his superiors.

In 1962, the Sino-Indian War erupts, leading to the army being trounced by the Chinese; Kaul resigns while Nehru dismisses Menon. On the advice Indira Gandhi, Nehru has Manekshaw promoted to lieutenant-general and assigns him as commanding officer of the IV Corps, Tezpur. He proposes an advance, but Nehru, forlorn from defeat, refuses; Indira intercedes in Manekshaw’s favour. By 1963, Manekshaw manages to re-rally his troops in the North-East Frontier Agency. In 1964, Nehru dies, and Manekshaw is promoted as general commanding officer of the Eastern Command; two years later, Indira is appointed prime minister. Between 1965 and 1967, Manekshaw involves himself in the anti-insurgency operations against the Mizo National Front, for which he earns the Padma Bhushan.

In 1969, with discord amongst the Bengalis in East Pakistan rising, Yahya, now a general, is made Pakistan’s president; elsewhere, Manekshaw is appointed as the Indian Army's next COAS and promoted to general as well. In 1970, the East Pakistan-based Awami League sweep Pakistan’s general elections, however, Yahya refuses to cede power to them, resulting in anti-government protests across Pakistan. In response, Yahya authorizes Tikka, now a lieutenant-general, to initiate Operation Searchlight – a massive anti-Bengali pogrom, which he executes with ruthless efficiency. Considering the situation, Indira favors war, but Manekshaw opposes it, highlighting the army’s hindrances; she agrees to wait. The U.S. warns Indira against war, but she rebuffs them. The army is mobilized and begins training the Mukti Bahini.

On 3 December 1971, Pakistan strikes first, launching pre-emptive attacks on Indian territory. India immediately responds with counter-attacks in Pakistan's western and eastern sectors. The opposing armies witness profound clashes, with Pakistan bearing numerous casualties on land, sea and air in both sectors. By 16 December, the Pakistani troops in the east, overwhelmed, surrender to the Eastern Command – ending the war. The conclusion cedes a political triumph to Indira while Yahya resigns from the humiliation of defeat. With Manekshaw’s retirement approaching, Indira has him to be promoted to the rank of field-marshal in recognition of his wartime leadership; he proudly retires in January 1973.

Cast

Indian Army

Manekshaw's family

  • Sanya Malhotra as Silloo Manekshaw, Manekshaw's spouse.
  • Rajiv Kachroo as Hormusji Manekshaw, Manekshaw's father.
  • Prajesh Kashyap as Haji Iftikhar, Manekshaw's friend at the Indian Military Academy.

Government of India

Pakistan Army

British Raj

United States Department of State

Imperial Japanese Army

  • Keiichi Ando, officer, IJA.
  • Keita Arai, officer, IJA.
  • Naiyo Ishida, officer, IJA.

[9]

Production

Development

In 2017 Meghna Gulzar narrated the story of the biopic on Sam Manekshaw on the sets of Raazi which she planned to make her next film. Kaushal impressed by the idea decided that he would play the character.[10] She then went for years of extensive research and writing collaborating with Bhavani Iyer and Shantanu Srivastava, also meeting with family members of Sam Manekshaw.[11][12] The film marks the second collaboration between Gulzar and Kaushal. In 2021, the film was announced by RSVP Movies on the 107th birth anniversary of late Sam Manekshaw.[13][14]

Casting

In December 2021, Shaikh and Malhotra joined the cast, marking their second collaboration after their debut film, Dangal.[15][16] Kabi joined the cast in September 2022 to portray the role of Jawaharlal Nehru marking his second collaboration with Gulzar after Talvar.[17] Kaushal has gone through extensive training in the army under the guidance of the Indian Army’s 6 Sikh Regiment in preparing for his role.[18] Kaushal in an interview with Film Companion revealed that the character would be his toughest onscreen role to date.[19] The film will not have junior artists and instead real-life army personnel and people from the Defence Force have been cast.[20]

Filming

The Principal photography began on 8 August 2022.[21][22] The film was shot over two years in 13 locations in India covering four decades of the life of Sam Manekshaw.[23] Filming took place in Mumbai, Pune, Jodhpur, Pataudi, Chandigarh, Ooty, Coonoor, Dehradun, Kolkata,[24] Patiala,[25] Srinagar, Pahalgam,[26] and Delhi.[27] The team wrapped on 14 March 2023.[28][29]

Music

Sam Bahadur
Soundtrack album by
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Released27 November 2023[30]
Recorded2022
StudioPurple Haze Studios
YRF Studios
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length15:08
LanguageHindi
LabelZee Music Company
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy chronology
Dono
(2023) 		Sam Bahadur
(2023) 		TBA
Official audio
Sam Bahadur - Full Album on YouTube

The music of the film is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy while lyrics are written by Gulzar. Background score is composed by Ketan Sodha.[31] The first single titled "Badhte Chalo" was released on 13 November 2023.[32] The second single titled "Banda" will release on 22 November 2023.

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Badhte Chalo"Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani, Divya Kumar4:03
2."Banda"Shankar Mahadevan3:59
3."Itni Si Baat"Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam4:15
4."Dum Hai Toh Aaja"Sunidhi Chauhan2:51
Total length:15:08

Release

The first teaser was unveiled on 1 December 2022.[33][34] On 13 October 2023 the official teaser was released by the RSVP production.[35]

The film was theatrically released on 1 December 2023, clashing with Ranbir Kapoor's Animal.[36][37][38]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 43% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[39]

Sam Bahadur received positive reviews from critics. Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote, "When the screenplay flattens, Vicky does the heavy lifting to keep the mission on course and after a point, the screenplay does become a series of snapshots of his long list of accomplishments set to a rousing background score, but Sam Bahadur has enough firepower to keep us invested."[40] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave a rating 2.5/5 and wrote "It's hard to play a character so closely without becoming a caricature, but Kaushal becomes Sam Bahadur."[41]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "It would be easy to describe Sam Bahadur as a Vicky Kaushal show because it is who dominates every major scene in the film, but Meghna Gulzar balances between ambition and restraint, neither the spirited central performance nor its emotional payoff would have been quite as remarkable."[42] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote, "Nothing that the movie tells isn't already available in the public domain."[43]

Catherine Bray of The Guardian stated "The incidents and set-pieces are neat, but the structure is episodic. It's a perennial problem for biopics; how to give events the momentum of fiction when the underlying narrative is fact."[44]

Box office

The film was released alongside Animal on 1 December 2023. Due to tough competition from Animal, the film was slow but gained momentum at the box office with strong word of mouth. On its first day, the film collected ₹6.25 crore, the second day ₹9 crore and the third day ₹10.30 crore. As of 12 December 2023, the film had collected gross ₹64.58 crore in India and ₹78.73 crore worldwide.[5][45]

References

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