120 Bahadur: Action Packed Historical Drama is All About Guts and Glory

Starring: Farhan Akhtar, Raashii Khanna, Ankit Siwach, Vivan Bhatena, Ajinkya Deo, Eijaz Khan, Brijesh Karanwala, and Devendar Ahirwar

Narration: Amitabh Bachchan

Direction: Razneesh 'Razy' Ghai

It has been, albeit belated, a go-to move by filmmakers to deal with wars, patriots and as a corollary to lampoon the enemy.

A by-product of war, cinema has filled our archive with films on terrorism. Even Bollywood filmmakers perceive that there is but a thin dividing line between terrorism and war. Director Razneesh 'Razy' Ghai salutes Major Shaitan Singh, a hero of the 1962 Sino-India war, with '120 Bahadur'.

It is now a part of history, folklore and new wisdom politics to focus on the poor state of the resources with oblique potshots at a former prime minister. Needless to mention, the film does touch upon it, but not too brazenly. Not in the style of Vivek Agnihotri. Razy decides to take history as it is, substantially without exaggerating the failures. He steers clear of converting the film into a contemporary political vehicle based on narratives or the infinite knowledge from WhatsApp groups.

The script of the film written by Sumit Arora and Rajiv G. Menon is a near elastic extension of Kaifi Azmi's 'Kar chale hum fida jaan-o-tann sathiyon / Ab tumhare hawale watan sathiyon (We have given our lives; now the homeland is in your hands, my comrades)', an all-time great Rafi rendition of Raag Bhairavi, and the historic song of Pradeep, 'Aye mere watan ke logo' (O people of my beloved country...)'.

Kaifi's lyrics, in his celebrated 'Haqeeqat' song, 'Kat gaye sar hamaare / Toh kuch gham nahi / Sar Himalay ka hum ne na jhukne diya' Though we lost our lives, we bore no grief; for we never let the proud head of our Himalayas, our motherland, ever bow)' is the central theme of the bravery that constitutes '120 Bahadur'.

The battle happens at the Rezang La, a mountain pass in Ladakh, in the midst of the surprise Chinese aggression. The betrayal, as is stated in the baritone narration (courtesy Amitabh Bachchan), the surprise element and the non-preparedness for war may today sound naive. It is a moot argument historically whether the defence allotments in the 1960s were a luxury that the then developing country could afford. Let us not forget that the wisdom of hindsight is not what functional politician-statesmen have.

At Rezang La, we have the 120-member Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon Regiment made up of Ahirs. The Ahirs are traditional farmers. There is today, a memorial for the brave 120 soldiers led by Major Shaitan Singh (Farhan Akthar). The memorial may not be the biggest statue warranting tourist attraction but to the genuinely patriotic (forget the paradox), the memorial is cement and mortar dedicated to a great cause, a brilliant fight and to quote contemporary historians, a lesson not taught in schools.

To the statistically inclined, the 120 soldiers defended their post against a 3,000-strong Chinese army force. It is also stated that Rezang La was important to stop the Chinese from marching further towards an area from where they could have controlled our showcase territory, J&K.

The two-hours-plus film deals with the bravery, the courage of the Indian Army and the strategic role of the Battle of Rezang La in the larger geopolitical scenario.

Inadvertently or by design, the filmmaker steers away from chest-beating nationalism. Maybe that is in keeping with the patriotic tenor of the 60s. This saves the viewer from needless melodrama and cause pushing. Also, perhaps because our present relationship with the villain in the act is a little dicey.

The filmmaker decides to eschew the path of building a narrative of hatred which is thematically the characteristic of our patriotic films when the border is on the western side. In fact, in the final stages of the film, a Chinese army official salutes the bravery of Major Shaitan Singh.

The Param Veer Chakra awardee has a great story and his "Hum peeche nahi hatenge (We will not go back)" is an echo of the Kaifi lyric 'Kheench do apne khoon se / Zameen par lakheer / Is taraf aane paye na Ravan koo' (We draw a line on the Earth with our own blood. Let no Ravana, no enemy, ever cross over)'.

The grit and determination in the absence of proper diet, warm wear in freezing conditions, is more than just human endurance and patriotism.

The cast which includes Ankit Siwach, Vivan Bhatena, Ajinkya Deo, Eijaz Khan, Brijesh Karanwala, and Devendar Ahirwar, depicts the brave 120 who sacrificed their lives for the nation, not as soft targets but as the patriotic, where patriotism is not just lampooning the liberal but is made of sterner stuff. Raashi Khanna makes a non-descript appearance as the wife who is telling the audience the courage of the Rajput clan and how the nation is always the soldier's first priority.

As an incurable pacifist, war, to me, is always a tragedy beyond heroics. Heroics are as much reality as the tragedy which is the caste cousin of war. Most performances in the film are adequate at best. From the technical aspects, the music is a huge letdown, and the cinematography (Tetsuo Nagata) is amazing.

Farhan Akhtar may well be his own critic after seeing the end result. The director who invested tremendous punch and purpose in 'Lakshya', especially with Hrithik Roshan, fails to replicate the same here. Typically sincere, and perfectly emotive, he fails in the dialogue delivery area at least within the limited perception of a common Indian's understanding of an emotive patriot. Having said this, his soliloquy to the soldiers is far more impressive than the 'Chak De' inspirational speech.

As a Farhan Akthar fan, I am a tad disappointed. However, he, like probably Abhay Deol, is one who understands his art and adjusts his craft within sane parameters, not necessarily dramatic demands.

In the ultimate analysis, the film is a reminder of what Pradeep said, when he wrote: 'Jab ghayal hua Himalay / Khatrein mein padi azaadi / Jab tak thi saans lade wo / Phir apni laash bichaadi.... Jo shaheed hue hai unki / Zara yaad karo qurbaani (When the Himalayas were wounded, freedom itself was in danger..... As long as they had breath, they fought - and when their breath left them, they laid down their bodies. Remember, even for a moment, the martyrs who gave such sacrifice)'.