User reviews

I was crying the whole second half of the film. The core emotion of that last hour was so heavy that your tears will automatically fall out. The documentation style of approach to the story definitely made the viewing experience very personal and interactive. The screenplay in the first half does confused me a bit but it did the job of making me invested in the actuality.

This movie is a masterpiece. Loved that it presented the true facts and was not altered for the sake of commercialism. The last half an hour of the movie is heart wrenching. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre left a deep impact on the entire nation. The movie feels a bit stretched in between as the scenes keep ping ponging between present and the flashback. Vicky Kaushal gives his best performance. This movie deserves an Oscar nomination.

This is a story that will make your blood boil, regardless of where you reside, your home soil; as injustice and terror and slaughter ensues, with trespass, oppression, cruelty and abuse; the instruments used by tyrannical force, their weapons deployed, politicians endorse; to control and to quell, dragoon and coerce, a nation enveloped by despotic curse.

A far from uncommon telling of a story based on facts, one of so many resulting from imperialism, empire building, slavery and the theft of another countries people and resources, that invariably results in the oppressed fighting back and receiving the unforgiving force of the invasive foe in return.

Almost as heart breaking as the events portrayed here is the unflinching resistance of the oppressor to enlighten its civilians through education, of the reality behind considerable portions of its recent history - even today.

Shoojit Sircar showed us once again how a biopic should be made, and the level of Sardar Udham waa extraordinary. Vicky Kaushal is a rising star and his role of Sardar Udham showed us why he is a great contender for Bollywood's future.

A dark tale of an individual, fighting for the freedom of the nation, in a different way, in a different nation is enthralling and at the same time, emotional and captivating as well. With a brilliant cinematography and strong dialogues added with terrific acting, Sardar Udham can be claimed as one of the best biopic on a freedom fighter that has ever been made.

Hats off to the team of Sardar Udham, Shoojit Sircar, Vicky Kaushal and the entire cast that brought out such an outstanding example of Indian cinema with a compelling story about the struggles we had for the freedom of our nation. This is truly a remarkable on an international level and an oscar nomination worthy movie.

My Rating : 10/10.

After watching the brutal and heart-wrenching visuals of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, I can't review this film. And yes, India is yet to receive an official apology from the British Government for the same.

That's it.

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

This is not an easy movie to recommend. I was on the verge of turning it off unable to take it any more but out of respect, somehow kept going. Never ever has Jallianwala Baug massacre portrayed this way in history of cinema. This is however the most important film to come out in recent times.

Yes this is about Sardar Udham Sign but it is also about millions of Indians who sacrificed themselves for the freedom we enjoy in modern India and take it for granted. It is very intelligently written, the production design is on a level Bollywood hasn't seen in a long long time. The sound design and background score is skillfully done and the editing is just how I like it. Shoojit Sircar has obviously worked with DoP to capture every frame masterfully. Technically this is near perfect.

I would've given minus stars but didn't have heart to give it to the marketing department, producers and distributors. This movie should be screened in all the film festivals and has potential to be India's oscar entry for this year. Wake up people.

Finally, I just want to say this movie should also be in British high school curriculum. Of course, it's wishful thinking.

AWESOME MOVIE WITH REAL EMOTIONS . WORTH THE TIME. KAUSHAL BEST ACTING , FULLY NATURAL, PERFECT CASTING , SET . REVEALS THE TRUE OPPRESSION ON COLONIAL INDIA BY OPPRESSION OF IMPERIAL BRITISH EMPIRE.

What a cinematography.... My God watching sardar Udham is just a blessing to my eyes.... And Vicky's acting can't be described in one word. Marvelous.... You can't keep calm.

The direction, the acting..... its a piece of art. If you are a southasian it sure will bring respect for ancestors, tears in your eye and value of a free country.

Soujeet sircar and vicky kaushal Respect 🙏 to your talents.

Sardar Udham (2021) : Movie Review -

I am not gonna write a regular review for this one which combines things like acting, writing, screenplay, music and direction because i don't really think this is a film made to glorify that hardcore patriotism from India's history. Making a commercial jiongism patterns like 'Border' (1997), 'Uri' (2019), and 'Shershaah' (2021) is easy and safe because you that our massy audience will fall for patriotic emotions and will forgive cinematic mistakes. But making a relevant and thought-provoking film like 'Haqeeqat' is still a dream for new generation filmmakers. Sardar Udham is high-end triggering drama with strong flavour of Shoojit Sircar style. Those who are expecting a quality cinema and are ready to wait for a while are welcome and those who want to whistle and scream during mass sequences are prohibited from viewing this movie. Sardar Udham is typical Shoojit Sircar style slow burn but moreover it attempts to rediscover patriotic biographical genre in Indian Cinema on the level of what Hollywood did with film like 'Patton' (1970) and 'Schindler's List' (1993).

Jalianwala Bagh massacre is one of the most brutal events ever happened in the 20th century in any corner of the world. But how many times it has made you feel that pain even today except for Anniversary trends on social media and few glimpses in any freedom fighter's biopic in Indian Cinema? We have seen this particular event in many biopics from Bhagat Singh to Gandhi to Sardar Patel and few more but Sardar Udham is probably the only film which has made a big issue out of it to create an entire plot affected by that terrible masscare. I remember watching Soviet Filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein's film which showed one of that Russian Massacre in Brutal manners and who on earth knew that those scenes from a silent film made in 1920s decade would remain the most astonishing massacre scenes in cinema history. Sardar Udham might just become that for Bollywood Cinema. Especially those last 40 minutes where you feel the pain of Udham, a teenager, who didn't really understand what just happened and it kept him torturing for 2 decades. Finally, he took the revenge and yet it feels like a soft punishment because you hate British empire so much that even shooting a man dead in front of 50 people feels so less. British had killed hundreds brutally in Jalianwala Bagh massacre and any toughest punishment in the world can't justify that. Sardar Udham is about this ideology, not a revenge. There are thousands of revenge in the history of India but not all them became universal ideologies.

One of the best thing i noticed in Sardar Udham is it shows that fatal state of mind British government during world war 2. You see, World War 2 is one of the major reason behind India's independence but our historians and filmmakers have always overlooked this fact. You gotta know that British saw it coming back what they did to India. In this movie there is a quote to explain this- "Germany calling. The sun finally seems to setting at British Empire. Like an elephant, Indians never forget their enemies" and the next two scenes when Udham Singh questions the Law twice, once in Courtroom before Judge and once during investigation in front of detective. Do you remember any Bollywood Film going in such details about ideology and morals? Leave that topic for further arguments later.

So, overall Sardar Udham is quite a break from commercial potboilers and there are many reasons to make it a Must See in your watchlist as a true quality cinema lover. However, couple of flaws needs to be bashed equally as i praised good things. The film starts very slow, it looks scattered and irrelevant sometimes but maybe that's because the story of Udham never has enough documents and events available in public domain. I won't say much about acting and other aspects as said in the beginning but for Vicky Kaushal I say one thing that he has completely surrendered himself to director's uncompromised vision. I won't be surprised to see him taking a bunch of trophies home after the award ceremonies next year. Shoojit Sir, you have attempted something revolutionary and respect you for that. Nevertheless, i still say it could have been little better or a certain Classic. It misses that Mark by few inches though. Rest, highly recommended. A deserving tribute to underdog Udham Singh and his Friend, Brother and Idol 'Shaheed Bhagat Singh'.

RATING - 7.5/10*

The film pays tribute to an unsung hero - Sardar Udham Singh (Vicky Kaushal), an Indian revolutionary, who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London (in 1940), to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (of 1919). The former British colonial official was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab (British India) at the time. Dwyer had said the killing of hundreds of protesters during a demonstration at Jallianwala Bagh in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, was justified.

First things first - If you are looking for a talky film that can light the revolutionary fire in you, 'Sardar Udham' isn't it. Do not expect hard-hitting dialoguebaazi or emotional outbursts. The pre-independence drama based on true events, is a simmering observation of a man consumed by grief. The protagonist makes numbing pain his strength and silence, his voice. Loss and despair are so overpowering that avenging the barbaric crime he witnessed in his 20's, becomes the only reason for his existence, even 20 years later.

Set at the onset of World War II, the film shuttles between past and present. The canvas is massive but meaty source material on the titular character, meagre. None of Udham Singh's chest-thumping slogans or writings (if any) was found. Here was a man, deeply scarred, who went about doing his job quietly. The challenge was to then connect the dots with whatever little information available and get into his psyche. Shoojit Sircar tries to decode the 'why' and not just how he ended up doing what he did. The aim is to understand the emotional arc of an innocent boy from Amristar who wouldn't hold a gun, let alone firing one. What led him to fire at Dwyer from point-blank range and not flee the spot? Was it driven by revenge? Why harbour the pain for two decades and not move on for good? Why is the same person a revolutionary and terrorist for different people?

Shoojit SIrcar doesn't take a myopic look at heroism or freedom. His hero doesn't seem invincible or hero-like. Udham Singh didn't hate a man or his country who spurred the massacre. His fight was against the British ideology of conquering others' right to speak and live freely. Through an exhausting runtime of 2 Hr 42 Mins, Shoojit makes us meet Udham, a stoical man on a mission. He moves like a shadow, relentless in his pursuit of Dwyer and freedom from the oppressive British rule. For the longest time, we solely become a spectator of his painstaking journey. We don't feel invested enough. We see him landing odd jobs in London and being the centre of various unremarkable events leading up to the assassination.

As much as we anticipate the volcano of his past to erupt eventually, the road to that heart-wrenching climax is tedious. Underplaying is an effective tool as long as it doesn't underwhelm. This film is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode but beware; the wait tries your patience. The intention is to give a lull before the storm treatment to storytelling. Silence is amplified so when Udham's inner turmoil finds an outlet, the impact reaches a crescendo. It's cleverly thought out but the execution yields mixed results. The non-linear, non-verbose narrative struggles to hold your attention even an hour into the movie. The re-enactment of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre is unsettling to watch and that is the very reason why this story needed to be told.

Vicky Kaushal as Sardar Udham dips his toes into uncharted waters. He tries his best to get unspoken words across but a film like this needed an Irrfan to speak through his eyes. You can trust a seasoned actor to elevate portions that demand stillness. Vicky is remarkable in certain scenes though. A drunk scene in particular, his 20 something portrayal and his climactic conversation with a British investigator extract the best out of him as an actor. Him wondering, "Mere jawani ka koi matlab bana?" is heart-breaking. The writing tries to avoid clichés but ends up sounding contemporary instead. Bhagat Singh's Hinglish dialogues like, "Hum sirf exploitation ke against hai. Humein semi-independence nahi chahiye," sound out of place given the setting. The line that stays with you is Udham reminiscing his turbulent past and asking a British officer, "What were you doing when you were 23?"

Sardar Udham's courage never roared. It whispered. This freedom fighter traversed continents, used aliases and lied low throughout his life. He was too possessed by his singular quest for equality to make a noise. If you are as passionately curious about his quiet existence, this film is for you.

When it comes to Bollywood biopics, most filmmakers often have this tendency of hyping up the protagonist long before digging into their humanity or mindset or environment or events that shaped their destiny. And it only worsens if the subject is a freedom fighter as it leads to them playing the jingoistic tune & dialling up the melodrama. And this is where Sardar Udham sets itself apart.

Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the story is devoid of all the chest-thumping, flag-waving exhibition of nationalist pride and unravels like a noir-soaked, silently escalating period piece that's firmly grounded and is all about the man than his legend. Sircar gets the assassination scene out of the way early, for the planning & execution is secondary to the why behind Udham's vengeful action. And the third act answers exactly that.

The story isn't without its issues as the back n forth narration isn't streamlined enough, plus the dialogues are diluted with English vocabulary for few scenes that don't warrant any dilution. On the plus side, the colonial setting feels authentic, camerawork is slick and performances are strong. However, it is the film's powerful, haunting & gut-wrenching final hour that lends ample weight & credibility to its earlier events and is shot with searing intensity.

Overall, Sardar Udham is inarguably one of the better biopics to surface in Hindi cinema and is crafted with restraint & sophistication. The non-linear arrangement does require getting used to, pacing also falters at times but the emotional jolt delivered by the unflinchingly raw brutality of its Jallianwala Bagh massacre & aftermath segments linger long after the credits and give us an essential insight into the eponymous revolutionary's trauma which in effect puts everything in perspective.

Giving an honest review i think that this movie is one of the best bollywood movies in a long time.

The story was interesting and the visuals were stunning. I do have a few critics on this movie.

First and foremost i and many other people think that the movie was long .

Second i think the choice of people for some of the characters were just wrong eg. Baghat singh and the crew and the Jallianwala Bagh scene just looked like a set. The movie was not rushed and all in all i think it is a good movie.

Was so glad that someone had the guts to show Jallianwalla bagh massacre. One wonders why Britain was not found guilty of Genocide. Queen almost in her graves and still parading with looted Kohinoor shamelessly never apologized to India for barbarism and atrocities of her empire.

The movie direction and story was not shown in an easy way. Too long, too much back and forth between past and present. Prolonged scenes that could have cut by half and would have still told the story.

It could have been made a 1hr 20min movie still telling the whole story .

Keep it simple and tell the story if you want to call it biopic but not go overboard. Editing is valuable for a reason.

Sardar Udham review :

Of all the movies Shoojit Sircar has made till date, this has to be the most technically brilliant one. Capturing the landscape from Amristar to London, the shots appear like a beautiful painting on celluloid. The art design, recreating the 1930s and early '40s when most of this film is based, is top class. Sardar Udham is also the most unconventional historical movie made in Indian cinema. If you are looking for entertainment or patriotic jingoism here, sorry but this is just not the movie for you!!

Indeed, Sardar Udham is a highly realistic and at times, harrowing depiction of the relatively unknown freedom fighter who decides to avenge the Jallianwala Baug massacre. Travelling all the way to London to execute the two officials responsible for the most inhuman act in British India, Udham Singh takes a long time to execute his plan. But he is successful at the end.

Narrated non-linearly, the film may get tad difficult for the aam junta not used to such treatment as well as those who are not so well versed with the historical events of that period specially those second world war references and the communists' role in it. Udham Singh's torture scenes in British jail are also extremely discomforting to watch.

Vicky Kaushal, in the titular role, delivers his career best performance. This one deserves a National award, no less!! Kirsty Averton as Eileen Palmer, Udham's sympathizer from the local Communist party, is a standout. The other firangi actors are earnest and thankfully, talk in English instead of that oh-so-familiar accented Hindi patented by Bob Christo.

Sardar Udham reaches its pinnacle in the last forty minutes dedicated to the Jallianwala Baug tragedy. I have read and seen this event many times before but trust me, was never ever shaken so much!! It is a heart wrenching watch sure to move you to tears.

Finally, films like Sardar Udham need to be made and the sacrifice of these great freedom fighters deserve much more attention than just a footnote accorded to them in our school history books.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

I watched this movie on Prime and would say, it was worth an effort from director, creators and of course, actors.

It's slow burn but never fall short of the subject matter or the descriptions. Every character is given ample amount of time, every scene is elaborated and the whole focus remains upon the subject. The creators have played the dice to showcase the actual events in reverse order, however, keeping in mind that no sequence remains unsitched.

Moreover, I liked the depection of the first part of the 20th century, that is the locations, costumes, habits etc.

Saying so, yaa, I did feel that in some places, it could have been a bit fast in pace and skipped a few incidents so as to reduce the time from 2 hrs 45 mins to like 2 hrs and 20 mins here and there. And that's where I would cut 2 points. But, a very good film and definitely watchable. Keep your patience and time with you, and you won't regret it.

Shoojit Sircar, creates magic once again! Loved the detailing done with the storyline,visuals etc...You will have soo many emotions together as the movie progresses...Towards the end, it makes you speechless... VICKY KAUSHAL makes this film HUGE...The way he gets into the skin of every character...hats off to him...Superstar in making !

Must Watch!!

Shoojit Sircar delivers yet another nuanced, offbeat yet impactful cinema experience after Vicky Donor (2012), Madras Cafe (2013) and Piku (2015) in Udham Singh, riding on an immense performance from Vicky Kaushal.

The biopic tells us the relatively unknown tale of Shaheed-i-Azam ('greatest of martyrs') Sardar Udham Singh, who gunned down one of the perpetrators of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre, Michael O'Dwyer, audaciously in the center of London.

A harrowing character portrayal of a man scarred by the massacre of his people, Vicky Kaushal delves deep into the anguish, the motivations and the resolve of the legendary freedom fighter, portraying each stage of his life with dignified conviction.

A story that would be unbelievable if it were not true, the film shows us the steely determination of a freedom fighter hell bent on revenge, who embarks on a perilous journey through Afghanistan and USSR to strike at his enemy's heart in London.

The film never meanders to jingoistic levels instead quietly yet profoundly putting across the messages of freedom and equality propagated by Udham and a fantastic Amol Parashar who essays the role of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

Director Sircar has taken an unconventional non-linear narrative style, a format rarely used in nationalistic films. He leverages it to astutely put across not just the freedom fighter's perspectives but that also of the British administration.

While the British officers are often portrayed as evil, maniacal tropes in most freedom fighter movies, Sircar again refuses to follow the norm. Shaun Scott is terrific as the banal, even dispassionate Michael O'Dwyer while Stephen Hogan is impactful as the detective charged with extracting Udham's confession.

Sardar Udham is a firm reminder that our country's freedom was won by a group of men and women who were made of sterner stuff, who sacrificed everything for their motherland.

The film, at 2 hours and 42 minutes will require a patient watch. But I promise you, the experience is well worth it. Recommended!

Brilliant filmmaking. Shoojit Sarcar has done it again. Good depiction of Jallianwala bagh massacre. A bit slow and long, can be tolerated. Vicky koushal is brilliant, he is really a great actor. A must watch. This movie must be appreciated a lot, let's hope it gets all the credits.

Every aspect of film is nice , but cinematography and camera shots could have been better during Jallianwala bagh part. It's a slow paced movie so many of you might be bored but still it's worth watching.

Shoojit Sircar once again proved why his films are so unique.

Everyone's acting is great except the one who played Bhagat Singh. Every cinephile should watch this.

But comparing on international level it is a good movie but not a great one like Schindler's list and saving private Ryan , but on indian standards it's a great film.

Yes, we need an apology from British Government for Jallianwala Bagh Massacre but as a movie it lacks interest after few mins and clearly follows documentary path rather than interesting movie plot !

The pain is felt by the end. This should go for oscar just because these damm dacoit of our history can just see this masterpiece.

May be we can never know what really it take for just to be free. The world was and is cruel.

The movie reminded me of a German movie that had similar editing, The last days : Sophie Scholl but Sardar Udham was very hard to follow due to bad editing with constant change in timeline ( a bit like Shahid and Sonam's Mausam). In addition to this, the English extras did a poor job. Vicky Kaushal's acting was far from perfect and this definitely was not Shoojit Sircar's best work. Courtesy editing, the director and cinematographer manage to save the movie more than once in the first half. The storytelling improves in the second half but not enough to save the movie entirely. Rated it +1 for the in detail account of the massacre and the events that followed.

TLDR - The movie is definitely not worthy of an Oscar entry but if you are a South Asian you should probably watch it.

Such a nice Story turned into a Boring slow saga... Too slow and confusing .. Very bad editing..

Directors and Makers should do justice to biography.

I just finished watching Sardar Udham streaming on Amazon Prime. To be honest I was a bit skeptical about the film's length and the pacing as brought up in most of the critic reviews. After watching the film I can safely say without a doubt that it is a masterpiece!

Sardar Udham proves yet again that Shoojit Sircar is one of the finest storytellers of our times and with this one he has delivered not only his best but one of the best films in recent times. Sircar along with his leading man Vicky Kaushal pays a befitting tribute to the revolutionary freedom fighter Sardar Udham Singh. Vicky Kaushal gives a powerful performance here and is simply stunning in the sequences showing the aftermath of Jallianwala.

I was in tears during the last one hour when the Jallianwala Bagh massacre is shown. I haven't seen anything this heart wrenching in a long time. The effective screenwriting and brilliant performances keep you hooked inspite of a running time of 162 minutes. Not to forget the background score and cinematography which add on to the brilliance of this film.

I really hope this film is elected as India's official Oscar entry next year. Don't miss this one for anything. A soul stirring classic!