Sardar Udham Review - A Gem of a movie on India's Freedom Struggle
Bollywood has produced some jewels based on or related to India's freedom movement, such as Lagaan and Rang De Basanti, and this is one among them. Sardar Udham follows the titular hero from the psychological effects of the Jallianwala Bagh slaughter on him as a child to his early days battling against the british alongside Bhagat Singh (Amol Parashar) to his insurrection into London, planned retaliation, and consequences.
Shoojit Sircar is a technically proficient filmmaker, as evidenced by every shot, camera angle, and scale used in the production of Sardar Usham. vicky kaushal gives another heartfelt performance (albeit it isn't among his best) and manages to keep our interest even when the film fails. The film really picks off after the first hour, and we're buckled in for the rest of the voyage.
With so many unnecessary timeline jumps and terrible editing in the first hour or two, the non-linear structure doesn't work either, requiring large reserves of concentration to focus on what's happening on. The film could have been cut by at least 30 minutes due to sloppy editing. Sardar Udham will be entertaining for true art-film fans, but it will be tough to watch for mainstream or even middle-of-the-road moviegoers. You're in for a great treat if you can get past the shoddy editing and snail-like tempo in the first hour!