‘Shamshera’ movie review: Ranbir Kapoor excels in dual role with multiple shades

After dragging its feet for quite a while, this week mainstream Hindi film industry joins its counterparts from the South in celebrating the good old  masala entertainer with a socialist heart. Dressed like  KGF, Karan Malhotra’s  Shamshera carries the politics of  Asuran and  Karnan on its broad shoulders .

With no history books to bow to, the writers don’t have to rein in their imagination. However, co-writer Neelesh Misra has shown in the Tiger series how facts can enrich a fictional story that reads like a graphic novel. Here, together with dialogue writer Piyush Mishra, who is known to provide social commentary to filmy tales, Neelesh and Khila Bisht have written the story of a rebel who is shackled more by his lower caste identity than the colonial power.

Hailing from a warrior tribe who were rendered outcastes in the fictitious city of Kaza, Shamshera (Ranbir Singh in a double role), perhaps, belongs to one of those tribes that the British notified as criminal in the 19 ^th century. A dacoit by action and a free bird by nature, the braveheart is lured into signing a deal that turns him and his followers into slaves by the British on the advice of their Indian right-hand Shudh Singh (Sanjay Dutt).

Since Yash Chopra’s  Deewar, the  mera baap chor hai slur has consistently evoked a passionate response from the audience. Here again, the writers try something similar. Shamshera is punished by his own men. How his son Balli rises to take on his father’s mantle makes up for the rest of the ride in the VFX-generated scenery that is dotted with murderous hills, harsh deserts and picturesque jungles.

Known for revisiting  Agneepath, director Karan has shown a knack for making mass entertainers. Here he has rooted a Robin Hood story into a tangible universe. From Saurabh Shukla declaring religion as the biggest mask of humanity, to khameerans coming out of the altar during a wedding sequence, the film has multiple visual and aural metaphors that entertain, but at the same time shake the edifice of the caste system. How the martial tribe adapts itself to avoid scrutiny is a moving strand that rings more than a bell in the present context.

Piyush Mishra’s dialogues are terse and dipped in acid. The language conveys the heat in the caste cauldron. In a scene where Balli refuses to whip a Khameeran child, Shudh Singh, who carries his caste on his forehead, says, “ Ya toh tu shuru hoja, nahin toh hum prarambh karte hain (Either you whip or I would)” Living up to his name, Shuddh wants to cleanse society of the insects.

Made for big-screen entertainment, Sanjay Dutt is excellent as the reptilian villain of the piece.

After the forgettable  Bombay Velvet, Ranbir returns to action with a plan. The beard provides balance to the pumped-up body and he looks convincing in the gritty action sequences. Versatile that he is, Ranbir brings gravitas to Shamshera and imbues Balli with multiple shades. In front of Dutt, he doesn’t try to make the characters larger-than-life. As Billa, he showcases an effortless youthful exuberance to address the teenage fans. There is a reluctance to commit to a cause — a space he always excels in — and eventually, there is coming-of-age to complete the unfinished business of his father.

Mithoon’s rousing score and Sukhwinder Singh’s moving voice are integral to the narrative. The  veer  rasa of “Hunkara” reminds one of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, while the title track and “Parinda” impress with their sound and choice of words.

Having said that, after about 90 minutes, the narrative begins to lose grip. In the male universe, the women’s job is to bear children and use dance as a tool to trap the enemy; Iravati Harshe and Vaani Kapoor as women in the lives of Shamshera and Ballli do the needful. The romantic angle is just about passable, and despite the cinematographer’s best efforts, Vaani’s athletic body comes in the way of the old-world charm that the makers have in mind.

The use of crows to indicate the transfer of soul is impactful, but becomes repetitive by the end. Also, for all the talk of an equal society, the writers make the tribe wait for the bloodline to generate a new ‘Shamshera.’

But then playing to the gallery is a must if you have to cook a masala entertainer, and Karan delivers a formidable climax as the crowning glory of a gory duel.

Shamshera is currently running in theatres