Bollywood

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Kajol, Sharad Kelkar, Luke Kenny, Padmavati Rao

Director: Om Raut

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan Starrer Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior showcased the life of an extraordinary warrior who fought for the nation till his last breath. Tanhaji Malusare was the right-hand man of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The story revolves around the famous battle of Kondhana (now called Sinhagad) 1670, 4th February.
Under the settlement of Purandar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Sharad Kelkar) surrendered 23 forts to Aurangzeb (Luke Kenny), including the Kondhana. Rajmata Jijabai (Padmavati Rao) swore that she would walk bare feet till the fort is taken back by the Marathas.
Four years later, Aurangzeb played a game plan and sends Udaybhan (Saif Ali Khan) with an enormous army and a gigantic canon called ‘naagin’, to make sure that Shivaji Maharaj cannot recapture the fort.

On the other side, Shivaji plans for the recapture of Kondhana, but he doesn’t want to send his trusted friend, Subedar Tanhaji Malusare on the battlefield because his son is about to get married. But when Tanhaji gets to know about the campaign, he entreats Shivaji to allow him a chance to triumphing over Kondhana. His wife, Savitribai (Kajol) always shows to be Tanhaji’s unspeaking strength. A ferocious battle crop up where Tanhaji fights with the dangerous Udaybhan. At last, he won the Kondhana fort by defeated the Mughal warrior, Udaybhan.

In this film, Ajay Devgn is in topmost position to playing the braveheart Maratha warrior, Tanhaji, with all his might. Kajol as Tanhaji’s strong and supportive wife makes very limited screen space with a convincing performance. Saif as Udaybhan is extremely strong; he exposes the brutality and villainous touch of his character with ferocity and evil madness. In some times he actually builds on a tinge of humour to the scene. This movie is one of his most outstanding performances. Sharad Kelkar as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj brings the grandeur to the part of the warrior-king.

Director Om Raut shows a stylishness and originality for storytelling in his thrilling movie. He keeps alive a solid unyielding grip on the film and balances the emotions & drama with tact. There is munificent use of CGI, which is merged seamlessly in the narrative. It helps the film to ascend on a scale that is needed to create a solid impact. The action, sword fighting, slicing, dicing is designed by action director Ramazan Bulut and shot skillfully, aesthetically.

‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ win scores on various counts like high- graded performances, powerful action, visual impact, and last but not least is that it develop and reveal a story from the pages of history that needed to be told.