Kesari (2019) - The fight for freedom - 9/10 (10/04/19)

Kesari is an epic Indian war movie based upon true events that tells the story of the Battle of Saragarhi when an outpost of the British Indian Army consisting of twenty-one soldiers needs to fight off thousands of Pashtun tribesmen.

The film doesn't only convince with brutal fight scenes but with clever strategies as the isolated soldiers try to stand their ground as long as they can on this suicide mission.

The movie also deals with social issues of its time as the Sikh soldiers were underestimated, ridiculed and mistreated by many of their British colleagues.

Kesari also has philosophical depth as the Sikh soldiers try to find motivations to fight beyond executing orders for the British Empire.

This makes for a dynamic mixture that will equally please fans of vibrant action movies, emotional dramas and history films.

Obviously, this kind of movie is filled with questionable patriotism as the twenty-one soldiers seem to be superior ideologically, mentally and physically not only over their opponents but even over their oppressors. If they had really been this strong, they wouldn't have been oppressed and attacked in the first place. Still, their sympathetic superiority helps viewers empathize with the resilient twenty-one characters. Many of them show intriguing development and especially their leader who is doubted first but admired later on is an honorable example to follow.

In the end, this emotional, energetic and emotional action-war film entertains for two and a half epic minutes despite some exaggerated patriotism and a few unnecessary song performances that try to lighten things up but end up being more distracting than anything else. Kesari is one of the best war dramas of the past few years and should receive more international acclaim than it has got so far. From the intriguing characters over the intense fight scenes to the breathtaking landscapes, Kesari is a high-quality production that equals and beats similar recent Hollywood films.