Sam Bahadur tells the story of an incredible army officer. Director Meghna Gulzar attempts to make a sincere biopic and the effort shows. The lead character had certain unique characteristics and the makers brought those aspects out beautifully. A few scenes are memorable. But sadly, the director has chosen to simply document Sam Manekshaw‘s life events. One doesn’t get a high in seeing how Sam tactfully helped India emerge victorious. In fact, his achievements get a bit diluted in the absence of a cinematic high. Vicky Kaushal, nevertheless, gets into the skin of the character like never before. Watch out for his body language and accent…truly class apart! Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh are lovely but they don’t have much to do. Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub is decent initially and looks unrecognizable and unconvincing in the second half. Neeraj Kabi (Jawaharlal Nehru) leaves a mark. Govind Namdev (Sardar Patel) does well but is hardly there. Shreas Pardiwala (Behruz) and the actors playing Swami, Dippy and others are fair. All in all, Sam Bahadur is disappointing.
My rating – ** out of 5!