Kesari

1897, the northwest frontier. Saragarhi is a small signalling post standing between two large forts and carrying the telegraph line. Twenty one Sikh soldiers hold it. Havildar Ishar Singh has been posted there over problems of discipline. One day a force of thousands gathers around the post. Reinforcement is impossible; the nearest unit is far off and the road is closed. The soldiers are offered surrender. They refuse. Anurag Singh directs. Akshay Kumar plays Ishar Singh. The event behind the narrative is historical: the action at Saragarhi is known for the defence by Sikh soldiers serving in the British army and is commemorated every year in India. The film builds the defence in detail; the positions, the count of ammunition and the timing are inside the narrative. Its political ground is contested; the soldiers are fighting for a colonial army and the film does not discuss that directly. Akshay Kumar took one part after another in historical and social films in this period. The combat scenes are long and the violence explicit; the second half is given almost entirely to the battle. Its limit is register; the narrative elevates heroism and the other side stays one dimensional. It was a large commercial success in India. Who it is for: viewers who like historical war films and mainstream Indian production. Who it is not for: the violence is heavy, the narrative one sided, and the running time long.