Kesari
2019 · Directed by Anurag Singh
Original language: Hindi
- action
- drama
- history
- war
The story
In 1897, an army of 21 Sikhs battles 10,000 Afghans to prevent the Saragarhi Fort from being taken down.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached frontier vistas of dust, scrub and stone give way to tight, hard-lit fort interiors, with the camera pulling in close as a small garrison braces against a vast enemy. The palette runs warm and dusty, and the score swells with brass, drums and devotional chant at each moment of resolve. Battle scenes are kinetic and heroic, with slow-motion beats and rousing reaction shots that favour the defenders' faces over the chaos around them. The mood is earnest, stirring and proud rather than bleak, and the pacing alternates long stretches of camp life and recollection with bursts of sustained combat. Violence is frequent and sometimes graphic, with gunfire, close hand-to-hand fighting and visible wounds, though it is stylised rather than lingering on gore. There is little romance or lightness beyond brief warmth between characters. It suits viewers who want a patriotic historical epic with big emotion and a sense of occasion, not a quiet or gentle watch.
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