The Legend of Bhagat Singh

Santoshi's 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' tells a detailed biography of the martyred hero. He does provide both the good side and the dark side (his obsession blinding him to the fact that it's wrong to teach children to make bombs). Santoshi also shows the clash between Bhagat Singh's and Gandhi's viewpoints quite effectively. He has tried to stay historically accurate and even though it was released during the same time as Guddu Dhanoa's snoozefest '1930 Shaheed', 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' triumphs above that and is a masterpiece in comparison.

Ajay Devgan, though intense roles are his strength, may seem like an odd choice to play the title role, especially because there is no physical resemblance and he is too old for the part. Otherwise, he delivers a winning performance. Sushant Singh and Akhilendra Mishra are equally powerful. The supporting cast that includes an excellent Raj Babbar, a sincere Farida Jalal and dusky beauty Amrita Rao leave a mark. I liked the actress that played Durga who seems to be an important female figure in Indian history. I would like to see a movie about this woman. The actors who play the Brits are horrendous.

The cinematography is fine and A.R. Rahman's soundtrack is another winner. Most of the songs are patriotic but there are a few different numbers too. The background score, though beautiful, is intrusive at times and kind of adds a melodramatic feel (when that isn't necessary).

'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' is one of the fewer biopics in Indian cinema that tells a good story while attempting to stay true to the facts. Some might find it difficult to watch due to the violent content but it is a movie that is worth viewing.

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.

s an American, I had no idea who Bhagat Singh was, though I was familiar with the sort of repression that led to his movement. The British were brutal when it came to controlling India. The nation was huge...and the Brits realized that the only way to control such a large nation was through terror and violence. The film "The Legend of Bhagat Singh" does a great job in showing the massacres, the torture of prisoners and the coercion of confessions through beatings...and this is something folks outside of India must know about and accept that it happened. And, as a retired history teacher, I really thought this was a very good and important film. My only reservations were the singing. I know that most Indian films have a lot of singing...that is almost expected. But to throw in a fluffy love song in the middle and a song as the three men are being led to the gallows sure did a lot to deflate the otherwise powerful film. Ajay Devgn was great in the lead and the likeness to Singh was definitely present. The script also was very powerful and I found myself tearing up many times. But the songs...well, a couple of them just had to go. Otherwise, a very powerful and memorable film.

This movie would top my list of all the patriotic movies I have ever watched. To say the least I have seen a lot of this genre. Rajkumar Santoshi as already mentioned in the other comments must have done a lot of research to come out with such minute details. The narrative was very simple and the fact that it could reach out to the larger mass is evident. That indeed did cut down on the international appeal. But no complains as the objective set out is achieved. Now talking about the acting. It would be only fair to say that Ajay's acting in this movie is at par with his role as Mallik in RGV's "Company" if not better. To get into the skin of such a legendary character and to act like him was an ardent task and Ajay looked effortless while doing the scenes which according to me would give the Khans a run for their money. I had tears in my eyes, when the three martyrs break into that "Rang de basanti" mood in the climax. It will be remembered for a long long time from now. Last but not the least the supporting cast did a splendid job, which is crucial in such a huge feature. Everyone lived out their respective characters. With special mention to the Court Room scenes and the Hunger strike scenes in the cell. There is a lot the young Indians should learn from this movie which in turn would make Bhagat's sacrifices worthwhile. A sure winner from the first shot to the last. A highly recommended must see which should get nothing less but 8/10.

The Legend of Bhagat Singh is one of Indian cinema's most ambitious projects to date. After three years of painstaking research and set construction, veteran film maker Raj Kumar Santoshi and actor Ajay Devgan shot the film in a short stretch of six months. The film released early due to competition from other films dealing with roughly the same subject. Overall it's a pretty solid film but one can't help shake the feeling that it could have been a far superior product if it had been worked on for a short while longer.

The film tells the entire life story of Indian freedom fighter and martyr Bhagat Singh who, in a nut shell, grew disillusioned with Gandhi's passive movement and lead an independent violent struggle against the British.

Colonial India is recreated magnificently in the film and the British atrocities committed are portrayed with aplomb by the director. One can truly get a sense of how such frustrating conditions could drive youngsters to violence and revolt. Some of the film's strengths are its hard hitting portrayal of British atrocities, its court scenes and its action scenes.

The film's biggest highlight is its lead performer, Indian actor Ajay Devgan. The actor single handedly manages to uplift even the most dull and unconvincing scenes in the film to a high quality level. His every expression and mannerism is carefully calculated to maximize his impact on the viewer. This man can move audiences to tears or wide smiles with just a few short lines and quick glances from his intense eyes. His work here is par excellence and can easily rival any work done by any grade-A actors the world over.

The supporting cast is good as well, with fellow revolutionary Sukhdev (Indian stage actor Sushant Singh) Bhagat Singh's mother (Indian diva Farida Jalal) leaving lasting impressions as well.

The last excellent thing about the movie is the music by renowned composer A.R. Rahman. The music is not as festive as Bollywood movies usually boast, but that's to be expected considering the subject of the film. The well crafted, soothing ethnic tunes manage to evoke the right emotions without seeming rash and distasteful.

The film isn't without its weaknesses, however. For one, it's obviously a rushed effort. Segments of the script seem under developed and the impact of certain national tragedies on Bhagat Singh's mindset is never fleshed out as one would want them to be.

Also, Bhagat Singh's political ideology (he was a communist, by the way) is never really spelled out for viewers. Instead, they are left to put together pieces for themselves connecting the dots from dialogs and incidents in the film to really figure out the main character's mindset and view points.

The second half of the film moves at an awkward pace, sometimes lingering on minute details and other times racing ahead and skipping crucial events (which are referenced in later dialog). Finally, for a film that remains very objective in presenting most events, viewers will be surprised by a very negative portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi and India's first Prime Minister Nehru. This angle of the film stuck out like a sore thumb to say the least.

For all its faults however, Legend of Bhagat Singh has plenty of strengths to make it a superb film. It tells a great story with style and conviction. It has wonderful performances including one of finest performances ever in Indian cinema by Devgan. It has great action, moving drama, soothing music, and is (overall) a thoroughly rewarding and entertaining experience. It comes highly recommended by me.