Ranbir Kapoor Breathes Fire And Soul Into Shamshera!

 Starring : Ranbir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Vaani Kapoor.

Directed by : Karan Malhotra.

Genre : Period action

Duration : 2h 39m

Shamshera is set in the backdrop of a fictional town, Kaza in the 1800s. At a time when British colonials were looting the village, Balli decides to rise to the occasion and fight for Kaza and its people even if it means locking horns with the ruthless inspector, Shuddh Singh.

Karan Malhotra tries to replicate Agneepath's magic in Shamshera and doesn't fail to weave an effective story. Karan Malhotra as the chief creative person in Shamshera sets a good formula for a mass entertainer. A good interval block—Check, World building —Check, employing the right elements of soundtrack and cinematography — double check!

Karan Malhotra alongside his writing unit Neelesh Misra, Khila Bisht, Piyush Mishra, and Ekta Pathak Malhotra establish the characters very well. A dual role with contrast in personalities and yet tied by the same cause, A villain whose brutality is chilling and villagers who are prey to the antagonist's gruesome acts, all of these characters are presented well through writing in the story. A good establishment makes the direction plain sailing. Karan Malhotra and the team nails the world-building.

It's not even original to comment on Ranbir Kapoor's acting abilities and his knack of shifting into the characters so impeccably. If it's a Ranbir Kapoor film, performances are delivered to the highest degree. No questions asked. Ranbir Kapoor is a well-crafted actor. This movie truly captures his charm of being emotionally expressive all the while not losing the reins of his character. Ranbir Kapoor will make you smile because of his sheer commitment to the role. His dual role is well designed in the second half rather than in the first. But he glimmers like a star throughout!

Sanjay Dutt is capable of materializing his emotions as a weapon, we can't be too sure about his character's intention and he plans on keeping it that way with his strong presence. He has a harness over his material. He is impressive in his craft counting for a few bone-chilling moments. He is sincere in his part, especially during conflicts.

Vaani Kapoor makes a stunning impression in this film. There is a warmth to her presence and at the same time, valor is not lost on her. She embraces the role gracefully. All the moments of tension and helplessness are carried safely by Vaani Kapoor. She embodies defenselessness and vulnerability with ease making us root for her without hesitation.

The lavish sets, aesthetically pleasing backdrop, and magnificent costumes all contribute to a visual treat. Anay Goswamy the cinematographer for Shamshera knew exactly what he wanted to create and executed it impeccably. Shamshera's technical prowess in the second half is nothing short of brilliance. The high voltage sequences paired up with eerie visuals are astonishing yet chilling to witness.

Movies are filled with moments that need music to communicate their intended message. In the case of Shamshera, there is a lot going on in the film, and if the background music had failed to cater to the plot points, Shamshera could easily come off as comical and superficial. Luckily no such thing happened, Mithoon, is the composer of Shamshera while Lyrics are penned by Karan Malhotra and Piyush Mishra. The Hindi soundtrack has Aditya Narayan, Arijit Singh, Neeti Mohan, Shadaab Faridi, Sudesh Bhosle, Sukhwinder Singh, Abhishek Nailwal, and Richa Sharma lending their voice. 

Shamshera's original soundtrack evokes emotions, urges people to groove to its beats but most importantly captures the intensity of the scene. Shamshera's title Track sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Abhishek Nailwal is easily the best.

Bear in mind this movie transitions with the character. The pivotal character's journeys from an underdog to a hero as he slowly learns to take charge is the essence of the film. With that established, the Plot development is slow. It tests your patience sometimes during its transition. Not much happens in the first half concerning the overall story. There are moments here and there but conflict building takes time.The duration that touches the 150 mark could have quick sequences instead of lengthy scenes in subplots.

The romance subplot of Bali and Sona slows the movie in the first half. The movie's core genre is action and adventure. Every movie taps into subplots to support the main story and for conflict building. In the case of this movie, viewers might only be interested in the legends of Shamshera, an almost mythical figure who acted like a guardian once upon a time, and consequently the revenge plot point. Undeniably there is a good chemistry due to the performances of the two leads but not enough banter and moments to root for them as a pair.

Even after so many years in the cinema business, why do creators shy away from giving it all to the core genre?

A good movie-going experience, Shamshera is technically sound with effective performances from the cast. This movie is meant for the theaters, so don't miss it on the big screen. Ranbir Kapoor even after 4 years is in fine form. A great comeback by the actor!

Stars: 3.5/5