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Join UsStar Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Ajinkya Deo, Sahib Verma, Sparsh Walia, Ankit Siwach, Eijaz Khan, Vivaan Bhatena, Raashii Khanna & Others
Director: Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai
What’s Good: A warm and emotional tale of valor and courage, knowing the end is inevitable!
What’s Bad: The Music and the Background Score
Loo Break: Only in the interval
Watch or Not?: Yes, the least we can do is know the stories of such unsung heroes!
Language: Hindi
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 2 hour 17 minutes
User Rating:
It has been 168 years since India first roared for its Independence in 1857. Many years later, we fought tooth and nail with the Britishers for our Independence, and ever since, we have been an Independent Nation, but we have been fighting with India and China to protect our borders. One such war was the Indo-China War of 1962 and Farhan Akhtar and his team decided to celebrate some more war heroes, while narrating some unheard tales and events of the Battle of Rezang La, fought between 120 Bahadur Jawans of the Indian Army who gave it back to 3000 Chinese Soldiers!
Whenever we talk about Indian Defence stories, there is a sense of pride, but honestly, this time, it was something different! Something that settled deep and something that I slept with overnight, something that did not resolve even after the film ended! This time, it is all gratitude and all my life, being a movie buff, I have judged films, criticized them, loved them, and slammed them. Some of these opinions resonate with people; others do not.
But Farhan Akhtar’s 120 Bahadur has silently stayed with me, and left me with gratitude, and a very strong thought! Who am I to judge a war hero’s story (probably fictionalized in parts to add drama and satiate the parameters of entertainment)? Why should I mellow down a martyr’s sacrifice in the name of entertainment? Why not just celebrate such stories? Why not just be thankful that someone dared to tell this story, without thinking or caring about box office numbers?
120 Bahadur Movie Review: Script Analysis
So to begin with, I would like to celebrate 120 unheard heroes. Heroes, who initially were forgotten and refused to be acknowledged as war heroes (watch the film to know the story behind this). The film, as seen in the trailer, sets the premise straight – India is in war with China, they are a well-equipped battalion of 3000 soldiers, marching towards a very narrow pass – Rezang La!
On the other hand, Farhan Akhtar plays Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, who pumps up courage in his army of 120 soldiers and tells his commanding officer, “Lade bina to nahi jaayenge.” Mind you, the Param Vir Chakra awardee is given an option to vacate the post and come back with his men. But the Ahir Boys refuse to do so. And while this might look like another decision to you, just think about how you decide to choose between death and life? These men, however, chose their duty; if it be dying while protecting, then so be it!
And let me remind you, these men, many of them might have been even in their 20s. The age when we just can’t decide what to wear to a birthday party tonight – these men could not wear a jacket in freezing cold temperatures and were told, “Apna pehla China ka sipahi maar ke, le aa jacket uski.” The Indian government, which was a baby at that time, could not afford jackets for its men. Men who still chose to serve their country above all!
120 Bahadur Movie Review: Star Performance
Farhan Akhtar as Major Shaitan Singh Bhati delivers a film that isn’t just a historical document – it recalibrates our understanding of courage. It is calm, it is relentless, and it is, above all, necessary. The narrative is structured as a countdown to his inevitable, but glorious end. The film spends the first hour not on melodrama, but on establishing the unreal circumstances and the sheer responsibility of being a soldier. The second half takes you to the battleground and the film just elevates its stature, leaving you physically exhausted and emotionally hollowed out.
The boys, including Ankit Siwach, Devendra Ahirwar, Ashutosh Shukla, and others, shine. But Sahib Verma and Sparsh Walia will leave you speechless with their performance. Ajinkya Deo, Eijaz Khan, and Vivaan Bhatena channel their best to portray this tale of valor! Raashi Khanna’s presence is appreciated as she struggles at times with her accent, but still moves the audience with the end.
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120 Bahadur Movie Review: Direction, Music
Interestingly, director Razneesh Razy Ghai chooses a very different grammar to tell the stories of these 120 Bahudur men. They miss home, but unlike usual war hero films, which have a separate flashback segment for such arcs, this film chooses to be in the present. It narrates the emotional journey of a soldier at the battleground. They fight with each other, they get punished, they have issues, they crush on Madhubala, they tease each other, they sometimes skip protocols and ask their commanding officer – why is he named Shaitaan? Men, who are as common as all of us, but men who become special the day they decide to choose duty above all!
The 1962 war is a chapter that is often overshadowed by defeat and political turmoil. The Battle of Rezang La, specifically, serves a purpose: it is an act of restoration. It ensures that the selflessness of these 120 men is immortalized not just in army archives, but in the collective consciousness of the nation.
Honestly, if someone tells you otherwise about the film, then to each his own! But mellowing down someone’s sacrifice in the name of entertainment felt too personal and insensitive. I did not know Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, but now that I know him, I just do not want to critique his story on the parameters of how well this film could have been made. However, being true to my movie buff tag, the only thing that does not work here is probably the music! War films generally thrive on great music albums, and this one misses that target hugely, probably not offering you the adrenaline pump that is required. The background music falters a bit when we hear Dada Kishan Ki Jai in the BGM.
120 Bahadur Movie Review: The Last Word
Well, it is not that I have not judged war films in the past. But something about Farhan Akhtar‘s film stayed with me and pushed me to feel a lot of gratitude and acknowledgement. How about not judging martyrs & their stories? Let us just watch their valor and salute them! The only verdict here should be a standing ovation!
PS. I loved how director Razneesh Ghai made sure to roll the name of each and every soldier in that army of 120 Bahadur. Such a fine detail and such a necessary and heartfelt move!
120 Bahadur Trailer
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