What is Shaurya? Is it getting medals or is it standing up for what is right? Why are laws made? What is more important - to uphold the law or to uphold the SPIRIT of the law?
These are some of the questions that arose in my mind as I saw the movie.
Written By Jaydeep Sarkar, Aparna Malhotra, Samar Khan and Directed By Samar Khan, The movie is about a soldier in the Army who shoots a fellow soldier while on duty. The shooter is branded a killer and is scheduled to be court-martial. The story is quite different and interesting that treads into human right violations in the Indian Army. It is a movie with a social message and it touches issues like racial discrimination within the Army, the people staying in the sensitive zone who live in a constant state of poverty and fear, the personal demons faced by a Brigadier and by the Major as they both deal with gruesome deaths of their loved ones. All these difficult subjects have been dealt sensitively in the movie and this is the USP of the movie.
There are 2 fast friends who are lawyers in the Army. When one of them is assigned for a posting as a prosecutor for the shooting of an officer by a junior officer, the other asks his friend to use his connections with his father and to get him posted as the defense lawyer for the shooter so they can stay together.
However, while flirting with a journalist the happy-go-lucky defense lawyer gives a statement that she publishes in the paper and the high profile case makes front news that the Indian Army is not upholding justice. When caught unawares and under fire for his careless statements to the media, the defense lawyer tells his superior that he want to go and investigate the case "on-site".
This "on-site" happens to be the sensitive area near the border called the Line-Of-Control. This is a place where cross-border firing and terrorist activities take place regularly. This is also an area where the Army has complete command and the law of the land is not applicable to them.
What happens next? Why did the shooter kill a fellow soldier? Is the shooter really guilty? Will the defense lawyer be able to crack the case or has he got more than what he bargained for? Will the case cause a rift between the two fast friends? Is the Army using its powers to protect or is it violating its powers?
Watch the movie to find out the answers.
The cast has done a very good job and they have conveyed the feelings of the characters very nicely on the screen.
Rahul Bose plays Major Siddhant Chaudhry. He is the irresponsible happy-go-lucky defense lawyer who faces the death of his father and changes his attitude towards life to pursue the truth. As in his past movies, he delivers a very nice performance and does not disappoint. Although this may not be his best acting, he still leaves 95% of the other actors in his dust.
Jaaved Jaaferi is Major Aakash Kapoor. He is a newly married and responsible soldier in the Army who is keen to do his duty and fulfill his obligation to the Army. He does a very nice job at playing the "elder brother" and a friendly mentor in Major Siddhant’s life.
Minissha Lamba is Kaavya Shastri - A budding journalist who is passionate about what she does. She flirts with the rules and with Major Siddhant in order to get her story, but does so to uphold the truth and to deliver justice.
Deepak Dobriyal is Captain Javed Khan - He is the shooter. but is he a killer is what the movie is all about. His role, as important as it is, is not much in the movie.
Kay Kay Menon is Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh - He is a tough as nails soldier who is decorated with many medals. He loves Single malt Whiskey and his presence strikes fear in the hearts of friends and foes.
The highlight of the story is the court-room confrontation between Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh and Major Siddhant Chaudhry. Sadly, this is also the weakest part of the movie. The battle of wits between these two fine actors could have been shown more tautly. As this is an Indian movie, I can compare it with other bollywood movies and still, the court-room scene could have been done in a much better way.
The actors are all capable of delivering a stellar performance that is comparable with any movie shot anywhere in the world. However, the director failed to tap the talents of the actors and they go under utilised. The otherwise alright script is weak in this part and it fails to maintain the electricity in the court scenes. What could have been fireworks is reduced to fizzle like a cracker that goes fizz in Diwali.
That being said, the movie is still a definite watch as the story is quite different from the sad and pathetic drivel being dished out in Indian cinema these days. If Rahul bose is acting in a movie, it is a must see as the actor has a penchant for taking up off-beat movies, most of which have a strong social message attached to them.
The friendship and bond between the friends and their family is shown nicely but I felt that the movie starts a little too slow and there was too much time wasted in character development and in infusing canned humor in the beginning. As the movie progresses the tenacity in the story was felt as the reins were drawn tight - but they snapped too quickly resulting in a fizzled climax.
Shaurya its a different story thats miles away from the average run-of-the-mill stuff. The actors Bose and Menon both are superb in their performances. Jaffery is very good and Lamba has a lot of on screen spunk. The locales are beautiful and some of the dialogues are worth remembering. The movie will make you realise what Shaurya really is. And to get that warm feeling in your heart, 2 hours is a time well spent.
My verdict - watch it - 3/5