Sweet but facile vignette reel of a charming war hero

Sam Bahadur has so much going for it. It comes on the back of two glowing successes by director Meghna Gulzar-Talvar (2015) and Raazi (2018).

- Prannay Pathak

SAM BAHADUR

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub

Direction: Meghna Gulzar

It stars Vicky Kaushal, who is no stranger to playing men on a mission against the nation's adversaries, having done it for both fictitious and real-life figures in Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) and Sardar Udham (2021). Most importantly, it's about the life of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, a near-mythical colossus who lived after being shot nine times by a Japanese soldier in WWII.