Customer Reviews

The Legend of Bhagat Singh

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is clearly one of my absolutely favourite films ever! It is extremely well-made and Santoshi isn't afraid of portraying history as he sees it. The film is very informative as well as exciting.
I cannot think of a single thing to say negatively about this film. It is just awesome!

The Legend of Bhagat Singh is Rajkumar Santoshi's well produced and thoughtful docudrama of the life of the freedom fighter and the surrounding envents of his time (1910-1931). We only know this story in RETROSPECT now, it being obscure at the time, i.e. not in general knowledge of interpretation.

Why is it a legend? Is Bhagat Singh bigger than history? Are the facts abused by popular belief?? Attia Hosain (Sunlight on a Broken Column) has one of her characters call the freedom fighters of Lucknow "children in politics, that's what terrorists are, heroic but misguided. To fight British imperialism we have to be organized and disciplined, and use weapons that will not misfire." (II/3). Sounds just like S.R. Mehrotra (Towards India's Freedom and Partition (Deluxe Reprint, 2005)), he does not even mention Bhagat Singh or the Irwin Pact.

It seems Bhagat Sing is a legend because he was not AT THE CENTER OF POWER, and the British did everything they could to suppress it's media coverage of him and his cause, its very existence as a piece of history.

Mihir Bose (Bollywood: A History) an NRI living in London and writing on Indian cinema does not even know who Bhagat Singh is. Amaresh Misra knows.(Lucknow: Fire of Grace - The Story of Its Renaissance, Revolution and the Aftermath.

And assisted by recent history investigation, so does Rajkumar Santoshi.

Released in 2002, "Legend" is the precursor in every way of "Rang de Basanti" (2005), and should be viewed by any westerners who have seen "Rang" and and have questions about its meaning.

"Rang de Basanti" uses all of the information in "The Legend of Bhagat Singh" as "received". It even acts directly on Rajkumar Santoshi's penchant for leaving written message for the audience, here a message at the end of the movie which definitively frames the idea of a potential follow-up, which becomes "Rang de Basanti." (See my review of Santoshi's "Lajja" [Lajja] and its use of a written message to the audience at the beginning.)

Even cinematic effects from "Legend" are used in "Rang" in depiction of the "dusty history". Interesting variations on events portrayed in the first film are offered in "Rang" in a different form. In light of the facts, the diary device of filmaker Sue in "Rang" now appears as a mere dramatic device, and a kind of phoney British apology, ultimately a piece of satire, just like the opening scene in "Rang" where filmmaker Sue is rebuffed by her London editors saying "Gandhi sells..but these freedom fighters?".

A.R.Rahman writes one great song, "Mera Rang de Basanti, for "Legend", and then another, "Rang de Basanti", as the title song for the second movie by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra!

Bhagat Singh's obsurity is more than just a suppression of historical events. It is a free standing negative point of view, and a social and political dynamic. The plot of "Rang" has its characters endeavor to overcome that obscurity by parallel action in a modern media world, immune to being blockaded by government.

After seeing this movie, go back and view "Rang de Basanti" again!

Note: The film is presented in Hindi with English subtitles.

Background/Synopsis: Bhagat Singh was an ardent follower of Gandhi in his youth but as he grew and witnessed the continued harsh treatment of his people at the hands of the occupying British he turned his back on the philosophy of passive resistance. This film tells the story of his transformation from his early pro Gandhi years to his defiance of British rule by meeting violence with more violence. His popularity eventually rivaled that of Gandhi and many would make the argument that if not for Bhagat Singh the British may never have embraced Gandhi's demands for fear of the alternative embodied in Bhagat Singh.

Critique: Some movies entertain, some inform. If one film succeeds in doing both than it is unquestionably a very good film. Sometimes a film rises to even greater heights by fusing the medium and the message in such a way as to give birth to an even higher art form. What is that special something I speak of? It's inspiration.

The 2002 release `The Legend of Bhagat Singh' starring Ajay Devjan as the revolutionary Indian freedom fighter and martyr is truly an inspirational work bringing to life tumultuous times in the history of India and providing the audience with an iconic, unforgettable portrait of a man of great conviction and courage. The film excels on every level; excellent production values, superb acting, well conceived story development and memorable soundtrack. However even with all the excellence one finds in this film there is still one thing that outshines everything else, the performance of Ajay Devjan. Ajay was born to play Bhagat Singh, exuding all the emotions and interior motivatiions that defined the man and his movement; idealism, hope, love of country, determination, defiance, self sacrifice and yes, hatred of the British. I would consider this to be his signature performance, absolutely mesmerizing.

Please watch this film and after you do ask yourself one question. Why are we all familiar with the name Mahatma Gandhi but we have never heard of Bhagat Singh?

The Legend of Bhagat Singh is a wonderful representation of India, in the middle of its struggle to throw the British out. As with any with movie with a historical basis, I was a nervous that Bollywood would use artistic license to cheapen the story. In fact, the director, Santoshi shows in details how Bhagat came to develop his views of the British with very little outside distraction.

Ajay Devgan is excellent as a the title character, bringing the necessary passion that only he can provide with his steel-y stare. Of particular note is the scene showing the freedom fighters telling Gandhi to stop working within the British framework. Westerners can see the parallel between Gandhi's nonviolent methods and the more revolutionary Bhagat Singh with Martin Luther King's methods vs Malcolm X "by any means necessary" credo.

As the last reviewer mentioned, it's a great reference for those interested in India's independence struggle and it truly reinvigorated my interest in Indian history.

See this movie if you enjoy eastern history, but won't go for the traditional Bollywood flick.

Stunning, absolutely stunning. Whenever one witnesses a film like 'Legend of Bhagat Singh', one can only just stare and mentally get back to the earlier days. It's hard to find a single flaw throughout the film as the whole cast and crew join hands to give a stunning presentation of the events that took place in 1928 British-India. Ajay Devgan is absolutely brilliant, he gives a performance of a lifetime! Devgan effortlessly gets in the shoes of the legendary patriotic hero and takes us on a ride through history. An excellent performance from almost the whole cast and above all Sushant Singh who gives his very best as 'Sukhdev'. Top notch performances along with a beautiful score is not all you will get, there is much more here that makes the film much more than just a biographical epic.

In the list of top Biography epics like 'Joan of Arc - The Messenger', 'Queen Margot' and many more, 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' definitely hits the list as well. It's a true masterpiece.

I ordered this movie to watch with my 13 year old. I had always believed Ghandi was the only pioneer of India's revolution until I heard about Baghat Singh. I had trouble at first because it was in hindi. I had to change the setting with my DVD remote and then it changed to english subtitles. Great movie. What a story.