‘120 Bahadur’: A battle to remember, not the movie

Based on a little-known incredible true story about 120 Indian soldiers who stopped the 3,000-strong Chinese from marching into Chushul valley and annexing Jammu and Kashmir, this war drama hopes to celebrate the bravery of Indian soldiers during the 1962 Battle of Rezang La.

Fought on November 18, this battle holds immense historical significance as it symbolises extraordinary valour under impossible odds. The film though fails to make the cinematic experience memorable.

During the India-China war, 120 soldiers from the Ahir (Yadav) community, part of ‘C’ Company of 13 Kumaon, commanded by Major Shaitan Singh Bhati (Farhan Akhtar), fought valorously in sub-zero temperatures to prevent the Chinese from marching on.

This film is mainly about that mini battle that took place in Ladakh. The Indian soldiers held their ground, defending without artillery reinforcements, and managed to inflict severe casualties on the enemy.

While the battle was historic and valiant, the movie fails to do it justice.

The narrative opens with an introductory voice-over by Amitabh Bachchan, serves up documentary footage of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Chinese premier Zhou Enlai expressing “Hindi-Chini bhaichara” and then abruptly shifts to introducing the lead character Shaitan Singh in typically filmy fashion. It’s certainly not the most judicious way to generate warm feelings towards a historic event of considerable significance.

For a film to be memorable, the villain has to be powerful. Director Razneesh and scriptwriter Rajiv S Menon get caught in the uneven numbers game and forget to embolden the Chinese side with stronger characterisations. The Chinese come in only in the second half and with the exception of two, most of them have no names or faces. As a result, the climax plays out rather tame.

The movie plays altogether flat, with a large portion of it concentrated on ensuring a heroic arc around Shaitan Singh and his soldiers. Quite a few dialogues are used up to present Shaitan Singh as a leader who puts his motherland above all else. It would have been better if the action alone was geared to telling that tale. The script is more concerned with generating fake sentiment than presenting a gritty authentic re-enactment.

So, you get glimpses of Shaitan Singh and his wife (Raashii Khanna) and superfluous banter from some of the soldiers regarding their own families and the civilian lives they left behind. The soldiers jokingly spar regarding the food they are served and the inadequate winter wear they have to make do with. There’s a fair bit of jousting within the regiment too. Indian commanders (played by Ajinkya Deo and Eijaz Khan) are made to behave contrarily.

In reality, six soldiers from the Indian side survived the Chinese onslaught but the film would have you believe that only the radio operator Ramchander Yadav (a fairly competent Sparsh Walia) survived the battle.

The battle plays out to be ineffective because of a lack of intensity and tension in the narrative. The film would have been better served if it had shed some flab from the 2 hour, 17 minutes it clocks presently.

All this film does is rekindle memories of a battle well-fought. It is neither stylish, gritty, nor hard-hitting. The battle choreography is entirely one-sided, so there’s no great drama to be had. The cinematography by Tetsuo Nagata captures Ladakh’s harsh landscapes beautifully. But the battle shots don’t have the harsh, gut-wrenching grip you would expect from a war film.

The hyper-ventilating music also does grave disservice to the narrative.

The first half plays out in a familiar, boring fashion and it’s only when the battle heats up in the second half, as narrated by the radio operator, that you are awakened from your somnambulism. Even so, apart from the repeat firing of guns and ammunition, there’s not much drama. The cast is universally competent. There are no standout performances here.

This film was meant to be a tribute, but the sub-standard treatment doesn’t allow it to be impactful. It’s neither loud nor hopelessly over-the-top in its representations, but neither is it subtle in capturing the sentiments involved in making the ultimate sacrifice for the motherland.

The loose screenplay, half-baked characterisations, cliched melodramatic turns, uneven action and lack of emotional connect, make this movie experience disappointing.

Those valorous 120 Bahadurs deserved better!