An amazing movie on an Indian politician, which is probably better than Gandhi by Sir Attenborough. Paresh Rawal, always a brilliant actor, was outstanding in this movie. The subtleties of politics at that time, the characterization and the attention to minute details makes it a gripping movie from the start to the end. Yes, probably every aspect of Sardar's life was not covered but then it would be unrealistic to do so in a movie. The movie tries to portray the strong political will of the great man, especially during the biggest crisis state of Indian history, the partition, and succeeds in it. His quick decisiveness, his ability to convince Congress, his differences with Nehru on almost all major issues, are all lucidly elaborated and well executed. The movie game me goosebumps, that such a strong man indeed existed on Earth. Sardar Patel was responsible for shaping India as we currently know if. If only he was India's first Prime Minister (sigh). All in all, a must watch for all Indians, current politicians included!
20 Reviews
A good historical film
samyaksambuddha23 April 2018
This film was based on the role played by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in the freedom struggle of India and glimpse of his personality and character. Though based on very important elements with the complementary role of Paresh Rawal this could not do well in providing much impact. This could have been better portrayed.
Best way to understand the partition era politics of India
sujit_kumar26 March 2020
The movie details out the sequence of events just before independence and partition of India till event right after it. The issues of Partition of India on a religious basis by Jinnah is shown with great details. The aftermath of partition and Kashmir conflict is also covered in a way that is understandable to most. The role of Sardar Patel in making India the way it is now is vastly ignored. This movie should be watched by anyone who wants to understand the politics behind creation of Pakistan.
A Chanakya of 20th century India
Pankaj-329 January 2006
Sardar Patel played the same role what Chanakya did in classical India. This movie shows it in detail. How he united more than 500 smaller kingdoms into one nation which came into being in 1947 after centuries of foreign rule. Paresh Rawal plays a rare historic role in this film. It shows all the intricate details of creation of India and Pakistan as two separate nations. At times, he is very tough against Jinnah's demands. At times he concedes to them, applying all the political and diplomatic tactics. Sometimes, Sardar even ignores Gandhi and his non-violence and appeasement to Muslims. Ketan Mehta's direction is tight. Cinematography and art direction are appropriate. Some use of Gujarati songs is also done.
good but not up to full potential
anshul2001anshul23 March 2007
First bad points editing leaves a lot to be desired. cinematography is good in patches. Annu kapur is not impressive as Gandhi. Many crucial details of sardar's life are left out as how he organised congress ? his relationship with Bose. his early struggle to become lawyer.
gud points. A different take from NEhru-Gandhi view on Indian freedom struggle. Brings out grayness of various characters not always black or white. shows Nehru's communist leaning which kept India poor for last 50 yrs. doesn't blame partition on British but shows that Muslims never wanted to live with Hindus. Shows how honest sardar was as he refuses his brother in law business favor while Nehru got everyone in his family appointed to constitutional posts. overall a must watch & should have got Paresh rawal a national award.
gud points. A different take from NEhru-Gandhi view on Indian freedom struggle. Brings out grayness of various characters not always black or white. shows Nehru's communist leaning which kept India poor for last 50 yrs. doesn't blame partition on British but shows that Muslims never wanted to live with Hindus. Shows how honest sardar was as he refuses his brother in law business favor while Nehru got everyone in his family appointed to constitutional posts. overall a must watch & should have got Paresh rawal a national award.
Very Gripping
sachin_14109 April 2009
Its a very noble attempt to portray a great man in another perspective. The facts are shown very honestly and without adding a lot of unwanted drama. I specially liked the original B&W clippings in between so that viewers can relate to the happenings around that era. The portrayal of Nehru is very natural. He is shown a little childish yet loyal to Sardar Patel.
Paresh Rawal did a tremendous job at playing Sardar Patel as did Benjamin Gilani and Tom Alter. I couldn't take my eyes off the movie even though there were minor editing glitches. The movie is very fast paced so even a dull autobiographic topic like this turns to be very interesting. A must watch for all Indians and people interested in Indian history!
Paresh Rawal did a tremendous job at playing Sardar Patel as did Benjamin Gilani and Tom Alter. I couldn't take my eyes off the movie even though there were minor editing glitches. The movie is very fast paced so even a dull autobiographic topic like this turns to be very interesting. A must watch for all Indians and people interested in Indian history!
Simply THE BEST... !!!
jmendpara19 January 2007
Awesome movie...
This movie is a must see to get an idea of what our great leaders sacrificed for independent India and realize what's happening to their dream in 21st century with violence, hatred, racism, and corruption at all time high.
If you think "SARDAR" is brilliant, you're wrong. It's more than that. Ketan Mehta has made a movie that's someway different from many other movies. What's so different? What is so great about "SARDAR"? It's the acting, the real story, the directing, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the sense of humour and the whole rest. In my opinion it's all worth nothing less than a 10 out of 10.
A masterpiece ....
In short simply "THE BEST".
This movie is a must see to get an idea of what our great leaders sacrificed for independent India and realize what's happening to their dream in 21st century with violence, hatred, racism, and corruption at all time high.
If you think "SARDAR" is brilliant, you're wrong. It's more than that. Ketan Mehta has made a movie that's someway different from many other movies. What's so different? What is so great about "SARDAR"? It's the acting, the real story, the directing, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the sense of humour and the whole rest. In my opinion it's all worth nothing less than a 10 out of 10.
A masterpiece ....
In short simply "THE BEST".
Must watch movie
ashishsri-8263222 February 2020
One of the best movies on politics at the time of India's independence
basantm9 November 2011
One of the best movies on politics at the time of India's independence.
A very well researched and well made film with excellent direction, screen play and performances. Very objective and bold film giving a amazing critical view on the life of Sardar Patel, his unmatched contributions to India's freedom and solidarity and also the politics of that time. A must watch for all esp. for those like me who were born decades after that era. I just wish if Sardar Patel had been India's first PM!!
Even though biographical - the film is extremely gripping and well paced. The performances of all the lead actors are excellent, but the screenplay and Ketan Mehta's direction takes the cake.
A truly National Award worthy film.
A MUST WATCH
A very well researched and well made film with excellent direction, screen play and performances. Very objective and bold film giving a amazing critical view on the life of Sardar Patel, his unmatched contributions to India's freedom and solidarity and also the politics of that time. A must watch for all esp. for those like me who were born decades after that era. I just wish if Sardar Patel had been India's first PM!!
Even though biographical - the film is extremely gripping and well paced. The performances of all the lead actors are excellent, but the screenplay and Ketan Mehta's direction takes the cake.
A truly National Award worthy film.
A MUST WATCH
A very gripping tale of india's tallest leader
abhinav-k-sharan16 February 2019
It's a unconventional Indian movie where facts are presented in your face using paper cuttings , file videos etc.Its raw yet presentable.
Paresh Rawal take a bow for this excellent memory you have given us.
A must watch if you want understand the truth about Modern India and it's struggle for unison.
This movie should have earned much more recognization and award but well ...
Average
ragavacharyar12 December 2006
I was very intrigued to watch a movie about the strong man of India, but found the movie to be a bit lackluster. I think this is due to the fact that the editing is so choppy and the film doesn't transition well from scene to scene. The film has its good moments and doesn't completely miss the mark, as there are some scenes that reveal a bit about the man, Vallabhai Patel, but other than that this is almost like a recitation of facts on film about his life, without much reference to why these scenarios are important. This isn't obtuse in the way that films sometimes willfully are to leave some things to the viewers imagination, but rather is just not all that well done. Anyway, if you're interested in Sardar Patel, it's worth a view, but it's no Legend of Bhaghat Singh, or Gandhi for sure.
Really well made
harshdjoshi22 November 2020
Great movie.
vikasjoshi-997052 August 2018
Must watch movie for every indian..Such a stellar unforgettable performance by Paresh Rawal .. Awesome..He is at epitome of acting ..Career best performance surely.. Outstanding direction by ketan mehta .. He deserves standing ovation for making a masterpiece
... Cinematography , background score ,editing , art direction is too impressive ..
Wonderful movie
snakez-4373529 November 2020
Independent India was not built in a day
ridi-arahan13 June 2020
What worked:
- amazing screenplay and execution; it's hard to not be mesmerized by the storytelling. The makers put strong priority to the dialogues and editing which makes it a powerful movie.
- it's a true story and also an important movie; the use of the real life footages and images worked as a surplus positive narrative for the movie . I personally did not know much about him till I watched this movie
- great ensemble cast; Paresh Rawal, Benjamin Gilani, Tom Alter and Annu Kapoor brought life to their respective characters
- real footages; although the use of footages were meant to enhance the storytelling, the repeated and constant clips of the newspaper article over the pivotal period of the movie can be disturbing and unnecessary at times, unless extremely essential in the narration
- run time; the movie is tight and engaging but it would be better if the run time was shorter
Well written, well directed, wonderfully portrayed Sardar movie
ratnesh-vavia19 January 2024
The movie portrays the period of India when India got independence, a time when the Sardar gave the most to our nation and made us one whole nation. It is no doubt that we needed Gandhi when we needed gandhi, but we only need Sardar when we needed Sardar. It is remarkable what he did.
The movie portrays not only Sardar's very realistically. All the other characters are also well portrayed. The events in the movie are well paced and well cut. Acting is phenomenal by Paresh rawal as well as other characters. By watching this movie one would not only peek into life of Sardar but also visualise how the time was after we got independence.
A must watch for everyone who is interested in our nation's history. Must watch for every Indian. One should know how efforts of our freedom fighters have shaped our nation and biggest democracy in the world.
The movie portrays not only Sardar's very realistically. All the other characters are also well portrayed. The events in the movie are well paced and well cut. Acting is phenomenal by Paresh rawal as well as other characters. By watching this movie one would not only peek into life of Sardar but also visualise how the time was after we got independence.
A must watch for everyone who is interested in our nation's history. Must watch for every Indian. One should know how efforts of our freedom fighters have shaped our nation and biggest democracy in the world.
Fine Rawal in low budget film which focuses on partition
wildlife-ptech31 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Rating
8/10
This low budget film on Patel lacks epic sweep but wisely focuses on a brief period of his life namely the period between 1946 upto his death. It pays minute detail to the administrative nitty gritty of India's traumatic partition. Rawal is very good. A must for Indian history buffs.
8/10
This low budget film on Patel lacks epic sweep but wisely focuses on a brief period of his life namely the period between 1946 upto his death. It pays minute detail to the administrative nitty gritty of India's traumatic partition. Rawal is very good. A must for Indian history buffs.
A great film for a history enthusiast
david-161-2839011 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
It has a "raw" style of presentation - a kind of documentary film. I liked seeing original footage from the 40s slotted into the 1990s flim - it gave me a sence that this is a very factually correct docu-film. Acting was under-stated and respectful of the incredibly devoted Sarder whose world-class diplomatic skills prevented a disintegration on the day of freedom that could so easily have been the outcome. A failure of the film was to show how Sardar Patel was so anti-nepotism - in total contrast to Nerhu. Diserves a wider audiance - this was world-changing history!
Movie to watch
ankitradadiya-1211820 November 2020
An eye opener!!
aakash_coolpunk20 November 2020
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