Shaheed (1948) :
Brief Review -
A tragic romance and patriotic drama amidst the freedom fight era. The film begins in the 1920s as we see three kids, Ram, Sheila, and Vinod. Ram wants to be Nehru, Sheila wants to be Kamla Nehru, and Vinod wants to become a police officer in the British Force. Ram and Sheila are always together; they beat Vinod, who happens to be a bad guy from the beginning. Grown up, Ram has become a freedom fighter and Sheila has become a doctor. The film is about their romance and the sacrifices they have to make for the country and for their loved ones. Vinod is a police officer in a British camp, and he is chasing Ram to hang him. Sheila is forced to marry Vinod to save her brother and Ram, but Ram mistakes her sacrifice for betrayal. The conflicts get solved later, but by that time, Ram has become too big, and Sheila has nothing left to live. Shaheed openly speaks about the differences between Gandhivaad and extremists, violence and non-violence, patriotism and treachery. I couldn't overlook the big flaw of Ram becoming a violent leader after following Nehru Ji's ideology. This was exactly opposite to what his views were about the freedom fight. He was more into the Bhagat Singh zone than Gandhi or Nehru. Maybe the writer and the director wanted to play safe and not hot the feelings of Indians who were enjoying the newly brought freedom. Dilip Kumar plays Ram, an honest patriot who would do anything for his country, and his portrayal is so good. But I'd like to give a big shout out to Kamini Kaushal, who played Sheil, a doctor who made more sacrifices than many freedom fighters in the film. Chandra Mohan's last major role was superb. A sudden change in a father was illogical, but pretty okay for the 40s. The music could have been better, as the film lacks a patriotic chartbuster. The opening song was good, though. Ramesh Saigal was a true patriot, I believe, because he made such films (Shaheed, Samadhi) that were needed at that time.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
