Kesari Veer REVIEW: ‘Vegdaji’ Suniel Shetty, ‘Hamirji Gohil’ Sooraj Pancholi Highlight The Sacrifices Of Somnath’s Unsung Heroes With Grace

Film:
Kesari Veer

Directors: Prince Dhiman

Writers: Kanubhai Chauhan, Shitiz Srivastava; Screenplay – Maulik Pathak, Nilesh Mohite

Cast: Suniel Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi, Vivek Oberoi, Akanksha Sharma, Barkha Bisht, Kiran Kumar, Aruna Irani, Shiva Rindani, Bhavya Gandhi

Runtime: 161 minutes (2 hours, 41 minutes)

Platform: In theatres

Kesari Veer Review

Kesari Veer is the story of Hamirji Gohil – a devote Mahadev follower who willingly sacrificed his life in order to save Somnath Temple from being looted by Zafar Khan – the brutal go-to personal of the Sultan of the Tughluq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. From giving an insight into his childhood and how his mother instilled in him love and devotion for Lord Shiva to his brief romance and marriage to Rajal and his selfless act in protecting the sacred pilgrimage site – that’s now one of the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva, the Prince Dhiman, Kanubhai Chauhan co-directorial beautifully captures Gohil’s life and that of those close to him.

Scroll below to read our review of Kesari Veer and know if this Suniel Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi, Vivek Oberoi and Akanksha Sharma-led historical drama is worth a watch in theatres.

What Works

The honesty with which the makers retell the story of Hamirji Gohil – a story not many are aware of, is commendable. Sooraj Pancholi is back and impresses us in both action sequences as well as emotional ones that can touch your heart and make you too chant, ‘Har Har Mahadev’

Technical Analysis

Direction

Kanubhai Chauhan’s attachment to the film’s subject has been known ever since the film was announced, and the final product we see in theatre reflects that. Mainly directed by Prince Dhiman, the film captures the raw emotions of all Hamirji Gohil’s (played by Sooraj Pancholi) friends and soldiers as well as Vegdaji’s (played by Suniel Shetty) village people in their fight to save Somnath Temple. They also manage to capture the evilness of Zafar Khan (played by Vivek Anand Oberoi) beautifully.

Writing & Dialogues

The screenplay by Maulik Pathak and Nilesh Mohite- though patchy in some places, maintains momentum and succeeds in keeping you engaged from start to end. While it’s obvious that certain cinematic liberties have been taken, the narrative – with its rawness, will touch the hearts of all Lord Shiva devotees. The dialogues are average – nothing outstanding but also not something that will make you cringe.

Costumes

Kudos to the costume and jewellery team for treating us to amazing Era era-appropriate attires for the royals and low folks alike. The oxidised jewellery worn by Akanksha Sharma’s Rajal is something every brown girl would love to have in her box.

Editing, Cinematography & VFX

The cinematography by Vikas Joshi and the editing by Satya Sharma is okay and much better than some we have seen in the recent past. Talking about the VFX, we wish the makers had invested a bit more into this aspect of post-production as it turns out to be one of the weakest links of the film.

Music

Monty Sharma has provided a wide range of music to Kesari Veer. While songs help in taking forward the narrative, it does get a little too much before the interval arrives.

Kesari Veer Acting

Sunil Shetty as Vegdaji is a highlight of the film, especially given the bond he builds with Sooraj’s Hamirji and the people of his village. Vivek Oberoi‘s Zafar Khan will make your blood boil right to the very end – you will have no sympathy for him despite his losses. And that’s an actor show play a character.

Sooraj Pancholi has impressed with his performance in Kesari Veer.. He’s brought to life Hamirji Gohil with utmost dedication. Despite the massive gap between his last film and this, he’s shown much improvement than than star kids we see today. Be it the emotional sequences with his bhabhi maa or Rajal, or the action sequences where you see him take on an army of thousands all by himself, you feel the rawness.

Akanksha despite having a much lesser screen presence than the above three, manages to capture the heart with her innocence.

Conclusion

Do watch Kesari Veer in theatres to know the story of the selfless warrior who went on to become a legend of Somnath Temple and have a statue erected in front of the holy shrine.

Watch the trailer of Kesari Veer here:

Hope our Kesari Veer review helps you in deciding whether or not to watch the film in theatres.

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