Sam Bahadur

Meghna Gulzar's 2023 film tells the life of Sam Manekshaw, one of the best known commanders in the Indian army. Manekshaw continued his career after being severely wounded in the Second World War, served through the conflicts that followed independence, and was chief of army staff during the 1971 war with Pakistan; he became the first Indian officer raised to field marshal. The film concentrates less on battle than on the relationship between political authority and military command, with where Manekshaw drew the line against the government at the centre of it. Vicky Kaushal builds the man's known manner without slipping into impersonation. The approach sits close to tribute and does not press far into contested matters. Who it's for: viewers interested in military biography and recent South Asian history. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a many-sided account of the 1971 war; the film proceeds from a single perspective.