“I do not feel pain. I see death, feel no pain.”

Udham Singh, Sardar Udham

Indian history never tells the history completely. There are stories hidden in the dark. Many are untold. However, there’s an event, an act that is etched clearly into our minds. An event that can’t be forgotten. An event that still lacks an apology.

Movie- sardar udham

It is clear from the movie’s name itself ( Sardar Udham) that, this is a revolutionary story. Not any ordinary one, but a real, noble revolutionary. When the golden light of the sun reflected the holiness of the Golden temple, a demonic act unfolded in the soil of Jallianwala Bagh. The bullets rained on thousands of people, leaving them wounded and lifeless. The bullets didn’t know that they were people, children and women included. But the men who fired did know. Still, they continued. Until the wails were slowed down.

The path

The movie doesn’t start from there. It starts with a jailed man getting released and his journey to the center of England. He passes through different terrains. From the cold mountains of Russia to the iron mountains of the British Empire. His goal is a simple yet noble one. Because he was the friend of Bhagat Singh, he comes to London with sparks of revolution to spread. For that, he has to succeed in something even greater. He has to kill the man who was behind the massacre. He couldn’t finish off the hand which pulled the trigger. But he came to finish the one who started it.

He lays down for six years, doing various jobs, trying to find arms and ammunition. He snooped around the nose of the police, yet they couldn’t smell him. They could only capture him after the assassination of O’Dwyer. He is tortured, interrogated, and beaten. However, he doesn’t shake. He stands firm. The British fear him because they were not in the position to handle a revolution. In fact, they try to claim it as an act of terrorism. They try their best, but his voice echo in the halls of the imperial court. Soon, many voices will rise. The once-feared will happen. But to see or hear it, he is not there anymore. His life ends in a single loop of rope.

Review

In the initial, the pace of the movie (Sardar Udham ) is slow. It flows calmly but gains momentum in the go. The path is not an ordinary one. It shows the steps of revolution. From the beginning scenes, we can only see the acts of a man who is on a mission. His mission target and reason become clear at the end. At first, it is confusing, because it was silent. In the first half, apart from the assassination, there isn’t any explosiveness. It feels like it is a silent tribute to the martyrs. His mission indeed becomes successful. How he approaches it and how he planned it, are shown brilliantly. In fact, it keeps us hooked.

After the arrest, his satisfactory face shows a sense of belongingness. His face reminds us, the lost sense of the act. In the investigation scenes, air barely passes through our lungs. It feels we are with him. Still, we are unable to completely comprehend the exact reason for his actions until now. But it becomes clear when the second half starts. The second half is the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh. The screams and crying filled the next entire hour. The explosiveness that lacked, it comes here. The bullets hit us directly. We are once again, reminded of the brutality of British rule.

The blood, people, everything come on naturally. The pain the man carries becomes visible here. A barely adult trying his best to save the wounded. In addition, to keep himself from falling. The emotional sense of viewers is tested in this entire scene.

Conlcuded- Sardar Udham

In conclusion, this movie shows what it wanted to show. They wanted to remind us, and they were successful. A law, that is not lawful. A sense of duty turned into a selfish desire. A wish for freedom and the thorny path for it. The sacrifices for freedom. And a gentle reminder, that the freedom we breathe came at a heavy price.

Crew

Director- Shoojit Sircar

Cast- Vicky Kaushal ( Udham Singh), Amol Parashar ( Bhagat Singh), Shaun Scott, Stephen Hogan, Banita Sandhu