Kesari Veer

Driven by the aim of piggybacking on the current trend of infusing nationalistic fervour in a cinematic narrative, Kesari Veer tries to position itself as an entertainer by weaving some historical facts, legends and myths around the Somnath temple into the screenplay. Yet, it will be futile to look for historical accuracy in this fictionalised narrative. Instead of attention to detail, the film banks heavily on gimmicks as well as tries to arouse patriotic feelings. It also relentlessly talks about veerata (bravery), which is mainly defined by masculine aggression. Small wonder Hamir (Sooraj Pancholi), who is constantly hailed for his ‘veerata’, is made to look fierce. He rarely gets to relax his facial muscles. The overdose of valour also indicates that a section of filmmakers are still nursing a Baahubali hangover.

Kanubhai Chauhan's story is promising and has the trappings of a commercial entertainer. Kanubhai Chauhan and Shitiz Srivastava's screenplay, however, is substandard, cliched and also problematic. Shitiz Srivastava's dialogues are nothing special but a few one-liners are clapworthy. Prince Dhiman, Kanubhai Chauhan's direction is weak and also amateur. The way the storytelling progresses, it is clear that the director duo has failed to get the basics right. Certain developments happen randomly and the way one scene leads to another is incoherent. Technically, the film is below par with the VFX being very outdated. Moreover, certain scenes are too similar to BAAHUBALI, especially that of the lovers romancing while fighting the enemies through bow and arrow. Suniel lifting the shivling also gives a déjà vu of the Prabhas starrer. It is shocking the makers approved of this scene as it'll be dubbed as a cheap copy.

The film suffers from a major Baahubali hangover. The visuals feel like the film has been set in Mahishmati rather than Gujarat. It even has a sequence where Suniel Shetty does his own version of lifting a giant Shivling on his shoulders. The hero romances with his lady love on the bank of a giant waterfall. She’s cast in the warrior princess mould and impresses her lover with her archery skills. The same kind of slow motion action sequences that became the talking point of Baahubali films are employed here as well. The difference is that while Baahubali was a well-written, well-planned film, Kesari Veer is an extremely loud, over-the-top film suffering from a shoddy screenplay. The sound designer needs to be sent to a refresher course for sure. The writing is the culprit here and as a result, everything else, be it editing or direction too suffers.

Despite all this, Kesari Veer could have worked as a decent historical drama. But its biggest shortcoming is its hero—Sooraj Pancholi. The man just doesn’t emote! Growing one’s hair for a role doesn’t magically grant acting abilities. Suniel Shetty tries to lend some gravitas, but the story lets him down. Akanksha Sharma as Rajal is average, and falters in a key scene where she had the chance to shine. The VFX here is shoddy too. The music by Monty Sharma is okay, though the incessant song placements could have been avoided. Overall, the heart of Kesari Veer’s makers lies in the right place, no doubt. But noble intentions rarely guarantee a good cinematic experience.

On the surface, Kesari Veer is a tribute to the martyrdom of Hamirji Gohil, a Rajput warrior who fought Muslim invaders to protect the Somnath temple from destruction. But as expected, what we have is a high-pitched action spectacle masquerading as homage, much like what we saw in Chhaava. Unlike the Vicky Kaushal starrer, which had a few redeemable qualities, Kesari Veer is a tardy mixture of limp film-making and laughably bad performances that serves only unrelenting chest-thumping. Right from the beginning, everything seems off. And after that atrocious opening stretch, it's only downhill for the plot that takes us through the gibberish of yeh log and hum log. Everything in this film is written with the sole objective of latching on nationalistic fervour, and, as a result, there's no subtlety in the way it tries to push your buttons.

While the makers had a promising concept, they failed in execution. The plot gets diluted by forced subplots - romance, family drama, and religious devotion - all stuffed into one narrative. The CGI is shoddy, almost laughable, and the performances are dismissive. None of the songs leave an impression, and even the fight sequences, stylised it with high-speed movements, lack impact. The last few scenes absolutely look like a pirated, low-res version of 'Chhaava', without its impact. The editing department could have easily chopped half of the film, mostly in the first half, to have presentable content. As for the performances, the less said, the better. Suniel Shetty is the only one who brings some gravitas to the screen, while Vivek Oberoi is wasted in a poorly written role.