The Legend of Bhagat Singh

The Legend of Bhagat Singh is one of Indian cinema's most ambitious projects to date. After three years of painstaking research and set construction, veteran film maker Raj Kumar Santoshi and actor Ajay Devgan shot the film in a short stretch of six months. The film released early due to competition from other films dealing with roughly the same subject. Overall it's a pretty solid film but one can't help shake the feeling that it could have been a far superior product if it had been worked on for a short while longer.

The film tells the entire life story of Indian freedom fighter and martyr Bhagat Singh who, in a nut shell, grew disillusioned with Gandhi's passive movement and lead an independent violent struggle against the British.

Colonial India is recreated magnificently in the film and the British atrocities committed are portrayed with aplomb by the director. One can truly get a sense of how such frustrating conditions could drive youngsters to violence and revolt. Some of the film's strengths are its hard hitting portrayal of British atrocities, its court scenes and its action scenes.

The film's biggest highlight is its lead performer, Indian actor Ajay Devgan. The actor single handedly manages to uplift even the most dull and unconvincing scenes in the film to a high quality level. His every expression and mannerism is carefully calculated to maximize his impact on the viewer. This man can move audiences to tears or wide smiles with just a few short lines and quick glances from his intense eyes. His work here is par excellence and can easily rival any work done by any grade-A actors the world over.

The supporting cast is good as well, with fellow revolutionary Sukhdev (Indian stage actor Sushant Singh) Bhagat Singh's mother (Indian diva Farida Jalal) leaving lasting impressions as well.

The last excellent thing about the movie is the music by renowned composer A.R. Rahman. The music is not as festive as Bollywood movies usually boast, but that's to be expected considering the subject of the film. The well crafted, soothing ethnic tunes manage to evoke the right emotions without seeming rash and distasteful.

The film isn't without its weaknesses, however. For one, it's obviously a rushed effort. Segments of the script seem under developed and the impact of certain national tragedies on Bhagat Singh's mindset is never fleshed out as one would want them to be.

Also, Bhagat Singh's political ideology (he was a communist, by the way) is never really spelled out for viewers. Instead, they are left to put together pieces for themselves connecting the dots from dialogs and incidents in the film to really figure out the main character's mindset and view points.

The second half of the film moves at an awkward pace, sometimes lingering on minute details and other times racing ahead and skipping crucial events (which are referenced in later dialog). Finally, for a film that remains very objective in presenting most events, viewers will be surprised by a very negative portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and India's first Prime Minister Nehru. This angle of the film stuck out like a sore thumb to say the least.

For all its faults however, Legend of Bhagat Singh has plenty of strengths to make it a superb film. It tells a great story with style and conviction. It has wonderful performances including one of finest performances ever in Indian cinema by Devgan. It has great action, moving drama, soothing music, and is (overall) a thoroughly rewarding and entertaining experience. It comes highly recommended by me.

Assalam O Alaikum! This movie is on the third number in my favorite movie list after Sholay and Lagaan. After watching this movie one can say that the director has done a lot of research on the life of the legend because each scene and every aspect of the film reveal the hard work of the director and his research team (writer Anjum Rajabali) who has done a great job. RajKumar Santoshi has given his 100 percent in making this Masterpiece and will be remembered till the Indian Film Industry exists. Everything was too perfect costume, sets, cinematography, music and performances. Ajay Devgan performance for this role will be rated number one in his acting career. Right from his first movie (Phool aur Kaante) he has proved that he is a good actor and brilliant performer but Indian audiences, critics and directors came to know after so many years. This movie deserved 5 out of 5. Allah Hafiz

The legend of Bhagat Singh is one of the finest movies of Indian film history.The film shows the lifetime of great freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.The film depicts his life,his struggle and his determination brillantly..The film not only shows the freedom fighter's struggle,but also his ideologies and his idea of a progressive nation and how he moved the entire nation. The photography,the script,the dialogues(power packed and very thought-provoking)everything about this movie is splendid.A lot of research has gone into making this film.Brilliant performance by Ajay Devagan as Bhagat singh,Sushant singh as Sukhdev.Ajay literally lived the freedom fighter's life.The music adds to the film's beauty. Raj Kumar Santoshi's brilliant effort and a fitting tribute to the son of the soil.Bollywood should be proud of this masterpiece.

Santoshi's 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' tells a detailed biography of the martyred hero. He does provide both the good side and the dark side (his obsession blinding him to the fact that it's wrong to teach children to make bombs). Santoshi also shows the clash between Bhagat Singh's and Gandhi's viewpoints quite effectively. He has tried to stay historically accurate and even though it was released during the same time as Guddu Dhanoa's snoozefest '1930 Shaheed', 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' triumphs above that and is a masterpiece in comparison.

Ajay Devgan, though intense roles are his strength, may seem like an odd choice to play the title role, especially because there is no physical resemblance and he is too old for the part. Otherwise, he delivers a winning performance. Sushant Singh and Akhilendra Mishra are equally powerful. The supporting cast that includes an excellent Raj Babbar, a sincere Farida Jalal and dusky beauty Amrita Rao leave a mark. I liked the actress that played Durga who seems to be an important female figure in Indian history. I would like to see a movie about this woman. The actors who play the Brits are horrendous.

The cinematography is fine and A.R. Rahman's soundtrack is another winner. Most of the songs are patriotic but there are a few different numbers too. The background score, though beautiful, is intrusive at times and kind of adds a melodramatic feel (when that isn't necessary).

'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' is one of the fewer biopics in Indian cinema that tells a good story while attempting to stay true to the facts. Some might find it difficult to watch due to the violent content but it is a movie that is worth viewing.

I was 10 years old when i first saw this film.. and now i'm back after 10 years to write a review about it why i felt a need,? i don't know but i guess i just wanted to..

Well the movie starts off from the ending,yeah you'll know when you see it yourself.. and right from the first minute you are glued to the screen i wouldn't spoil it any further..

Because of the time of it's release i don't think a lot of audience was able to see such an important film especially for us Indians. I beg the makers to re release this gem so that our generation remembers what it took to get freedom and are we actually free?

I Thank each and every person involved to make this movie come possible..