Shamshera marks Ranbir Kapoor’s first film after almost four years, but unfortunately, it fails to grab the audience’s attention. The highly anticipated movie is one of the most expensive movies in Bollywood. Ranbir Kapoor, for the first time, is seen playing the role of an action hero.
Cast
Shamshera stars some of the biggest names of the industry like Ranbir Kapoor (who is playing the roles of Balli and Shamshera), Sanjay Dutt (the antagonist – Shuddh Singh), Vaani Kapoor (as Sona), Ashutosh Rana, Ronit Roy, Tridha Choudhury, Saurabh Shukla, Aahana Kumra, and many more.
The film is directed by Karan Malhotra and the producers are Yash Raj Films. The screenplay is by Karan Malhotra and Ekta Pathak Malhotra.
Story
The story takes place in the 1800s, following the story of a warrior of the Khameran tribe who fought against the Mughals along with the Rajputs. But after the defeat of the Rajputs, the Khamerans move to a fictional city called Kaza. There the tribe is banished to settle because of their lower caste.
Shamshera (Ranbir Kapoor) is one of the members of this tribe and emerges as a leader. He along with the tribe makes the life of the Kaza residents difficult, which results in the residents taking the help of the British government.
Shuddh Singh (Sanjay Dutt) is given the duty to look after the issue by the British Government. This gives rise to the rivalry between Shamshera and Shuddh Singh.
The rivalry eventually leads to Shamshera’s death. The story continues 25 years later, with Balli (Ranbir Kapoor) as the main lead. Several secrets unravel as he grows up, and the 25-year-old flame which resulted in the victory of evil once again reignites.
Review
The film had some high expectations being one of the most expensive movies and marking Ranbir Kapoor’s return to the big screens as an action hero since the 2018 film Sanju. However, the film was more of an imitation of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali, the overall premise is very similar.
The story of a warrior who fights for his tribe/community and gets killed but the son, unaware of his father’s eminence as the leader, manages to seek his revenge.
At the start of the film, one expects a fresh plot with the protagonist on the other side of society (i.e. the lower caste) fighting for his rights. But as the story progresses, this theme tends to get lost and the battle between the two sides emerges.
It would have been better if the theme of the caste difference could have been addressed better in the movie, rather than just having these complex action scenes. Overall the story is very predictable and does not have any memorable moments.
Casting Reviews
As for the acting and the characters played by the actors, Ranbir Kapoor as Shamshera and Balli is a waste of his talent. The story might have been a huge bummer but his acting skills do not disappoint. He presents both characters in his unique manner.
Sanjay Dutt as Shuddh Singh is a very confusing character as the audience is left puzzled whether the character has a sense of humor or is the typical psychotic evil. Vaani Kapoor is not present on the screen for a long time to engage with the audience, but whatever time she is given, she manages to present a decent performance.
Talking about the music and the VFX, there is no doubt that both could have been done better. The music is by Mithoon, which is a disappointment, given his reputation.
Sources: Ndtv.com, Bollywoodhungama.com
