Tanhaji

Om Raut's Tanhaji: The Unsung Hero is a weak attempt to glorify the Maratha warrior. The director takes a lot of CGI help, which makes the film a grand affair, but poor writing and its slow pace make it unbearable in parts. The action sequences have been shot with absolutely zero consideration for basic Physics. Men are walking on the walls parallel to the ground and there's no logic behind how the ropes are able to pull the men by just being hung on the sidewalls of the fort. We understand that Issac Newton was a few years late in discovering gravity (he discovered it in 1687 and the Battle of Sinhagarh was fought in 1670), but then again, gravity always existed. No?

A certain ennui begins to set in, in the middle, despite the grand scale and execution. However, things do come to a head effectively again in the climactic sequence. The scaling of the steep hill fort of Kondhana, Tanhaji’s kinetic combat with Udaybhan and that last strike at victory. It does work itself to some kind of collective catharsis and adrenaline rush. The hero and villain sit on convenient extremes. Devgn is suitably efficient as the one who can’t do anything wrong. But Udaybhan (Saif) gets interpreted a la Alauddin Khilji, perhaps just because of his association with Aurangzeb. Saif Ali Khan plays the manic, unhinged character who’d chop off an elephant’s trunk without so much as blinking and eats crocodile meat.

But If we make our peace with the creative liberties and some not-so-well hidden biases and prejudices, Tanhaji is actually visually stunning. Director Om Raut, who has also written it along with Prakash Kapadia, vociferously hold on to the narrative as we get ready for the epic battle of Sinhagad. The masterfully choreographed battle sequences against a stirring background score is hugely impactful. Keiko Nakahara’s camera luxuriates the lavish frames with resplendent colors and a grandness of vision that compliments this legendary tale of bravery. It also helps that both Ajay and Saif imbue their roles with the necessary vigour, so we can suspend our disbelief as they collide head on a number of times! Their compelling portrayal, despite coming across as slightly exaggerated, is arresting enough for us to sit through this extravaganza.

Tanhaji has so much fun recreating a bygone legend and fictionalising history, authenticity and spellings, it gets infectious. Considered Shivaji Maharaj's right-hand man and friend, Tanahji Malasure occupied an invaluable position as the military leader of his army. The latter's sacrifice whilst fulfilling the Chhatrapati's Swaraj pursuits are lionised for purpose of drama and sentiments like duty, honour and friendship on screen. Following the treaty of Purandar, Shivaji (Sharad Kelkar) has lost several forts to the Mughal empire. His mother Jijabai (Padmavati Rao) is displeased about this development and vows to walk barefeet until Kondana or what we know as Sinhgad today is back in Maratha charge.

Given the times we are in, as long as we get an array of costumery, and our noble ancestors rattling their sabres, flag-waving period films will get audiences. Or will they? Whatever happened to provenance? I enjoyed Saif’s maniacal bad guy, which comes off as yet another variant (Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt) of the flesh-devouring, diabolical, ruthless enemy that Bollywood currently delights in. Devgn and Kajol have a couple of soft moments.