Subhedar Review - Loud & Soapy, But Still A More Accurate & Emotionally Absorbing Version Of Tanaji Malusare's Bravery Tale

Subhedar Review: Digpal Lanjekar's Subhedar, starring Ajay Purkar, Chinmay Mandlekar, Mrinal Kulkarni, and Abhijeet Shwetchandra, marks the 5th film in his 8-chapter series on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his brave maawlas. The tale of Tanaji Malusare is too great to fit into a feature film that hasn't been made on a huge budget. I don't know why, somehow, I get emotional while watching films made on Shivaji Maharaj or his maawlas. That's the least I owe to the greatest king! But then, I think, his life and tales deserve extraordinary movies on colossal budgets—something Hollywood did with their biblicals, "The Ten Commandments" (1956) and "Ben-Hur" (1959). This needs to be a part of our culture, not just one-week wonder money-spinner movies. Lanjekar doesn't seem to understand that, even though he's fully committed to Chhatrapati's life and the movies about it. Sadly, we have only one Rajamouli in India who can think larger-than-life with his stories and convince producers to provide humongous budgets. Soon after a sensational "Lokmanya" (2015), Om Raut debuted with a bang in Bollywood with "Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior" (2020) and delivered a cinematic spectacle on a moderate budget. He proved that filmmaking is not only about budget but also about vision, which one has to have in himself. If the director can't have this vision within himself, how can he present something to the audience and expect them to enjoy it? Digpal Lanjekar is far behind in that sense, and I wish he makes a big jump soon so that I can finally get those UNFORGETTABLE movies on Maharaj.Subhedar is Digpal's idea of a daily soap, served as a feature film. The first hour and the next half hour of the film take you home from the theatre to watch all those soaps you see on Star Pravah, Colors Marathi, Zee Marathi and Sun Marathi. Then, the film came to its senses in the last 30-35 minutes, when it finally felt like Tanaji Malusare's film. Om Raut misplaces history to exaggerate the mass appeal and heroic segments, but I'm glad that Digpal didn't do it. I have read Tanaji's chapter in the 4th standard, and Raut's Tanhaji was far different. Right from Ajay Devgn's look to Rayba's wedding to Tanaji winning the fort in the climax, this was not the history I read. I don't want to get into historical accuracy and details because they are entitled to vary and aren't available with 100% authenticity. I have read a brief in my school books, and I'd like to see it that way. Digpal stuck to the same history book as mine, except for the "Ghorpad" myth. But what a terrible prelude portion he made! God, I wanted to go home, but then I thought, even Raut's Tanhaji sealed its victory in the final hour. The 4th standard book taught me that Tanaji died fighting the war, and when the Marathas were feeling hopeless, Suryaji cut the ropes of the fort and encouraged them to fight and win the fort for their martyr leader. Tanaji sitting near Shivaji and Jijau's feet, taking the mission of Kondhana—that's the frame I have been craving for! Thank you, Digpal, for showing history in the right light. Subhedar may be loud, overdramatic, too aggressive, and soapy, but it is more accurate and emotionally powerful than Raut's Tanhaji.As we all know, the story of Subhedar revolves around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's (Chinmay Mandlekar) close friend and loyal warrior, Subhedar Tanaji Malusare (Ajay Purkar). The film does not cover the pact of Purandar, despite it being one of the most important events around Kondhana. After escaping from Agra, Raja Shivaji wants to regain those 11 lost forts, and Kondhana is the most vital and powerful fort among them. Aurangzeb sends one of his mightiest soldiers, Udaybhan (Digvijay Rohidas), to keep the fort. Now, who is going to win it against Udaybhan? Jijau (Mrinal Kulkarni) is desperate and most eager to get Kondhana back, so Shivaji decides to go on an expedition himself. Tanaji visits Raigad to deliver an invitation for his son Rayba's wedding but insists on leading the Kondhana expedition after learning that Raje himself is going on the mission. "Aadhi lagin Kondhanycha, mag Raybach," he quotes one of the most memorable lines in the history of Marathas and takes on Udaybhan to win the fort back to Swarajya.Subhedar has a problematic screenplay, and it's unbeatable in pre-interval time. It's so soapy that it was eligible enough to win any pan masala award for the best serial in 2024. Thank God, things came back to normal in the last half hour, and I had a blast and also went through an emotional patch before getting off my seat. The dialogues, background score, expressions, execution—everything went wrong in the beginning, and it remained so for almost 2 hours. First of all, why do you have to make 2.5-hour movies nowadays? Cut those unnecessary songs, and you are at least 20 minutes safer than before. Cut short your extended introduction of the character and the storyline because every Maharashtrian notes them very well, and you are 20 more minutes shorter than before. 100–120 minutes of cooking, and you have a sure-shot digestible dish on the table. Why can't they just understand this basic formula at once? Even in the climax, you have to add some illogical histrionic scenes just to elevate the character graph and provide mass appeal, but don't they know that these gimmicks are two decades old? Had Digpal made these films in 2003 instead of 2023, then, I'm sure, I would have been the first one to call them "Marathi ki Gadar". It's a funny coincidence that I don't have to mention Gadar 2, which was made around the same time as Subhedar. If that one is making a lot of money despite being an outdated film, then what's wrong with Marathi movies? You tell me.Talking about performance, Ajay Purkar as Tanaji Malusare is satisfactory. His look, that beard and moustache, his accent, that hardcore voice, and those extra-loud screams have put him in a safe zone. Chinmay Mandlekar and Mrinal Kulkarni have been doing the same roles since the last 4 movies of this series, so what is different about them this time, or what different words can I say? Yes, their makeup and technical glitches did annoy me here and there, but otherwise they are fine. Digvijay Rohidas has made a good villain who also wins your respect with one of his dialogues on the greatness of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The physics could have been bulkier, though. Suryaji, played by Abhijeet Shwetchandra, defines brotherhood and bravery at the same time. The supporting cast, including Smita Shewale, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Nupur Daithankar, Alka Kubal, Srikant Prabhakar, Uma Sardeshmukh, Shivani Rangole, Arnav Pendharkar, Sunil Jadhav, Sanket Oak, Mrunamayee Deshpande, Aastad Kale, and others, is decent at best.Subhedar is a poor film in technical aspects. The extra loudness in the background damages the viewing experience; the sound design is also weak; and the camerawork doesn't consist of any creativity. Every entry has to have a background score, seriously? What era are we living in? And why is that melodramatic tune playing in every emotional scene? God knows how, but Digpal played a smart trick with lofty emotional reactions in the final segment to leave us all in tears. Those legendary Tukaram's lines, "Aamhi Jato aamchya," have added extra emotions in the final scene. This is where Digpal excels as a good director, but sadly, it has to come after two hours of boredom. Can I forget that? No. But can I forgive that? Yes, I think I can. Subhedar is like an ODI match where the team is losing for 40 overs but turns the tables in the last 10 overs. Yes, it is pulpy and dragging in the first two hours, but what a dramatic turnaround we see in the last 30 minutes! The only problem I have with Lanjekar is that he continuously fails to understand the real potential of these tales. Believe me, we can make 10 Bahubalis from the history books on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; all we need is one Rajamouli. Marathi cinema hasn't reached that level yet, so it's unfair to blame anyone. Let's just enjoy what we have on the table right now. Subhedar will have no issues with daily soap lovers or mass audiences, so I don't know what more is needed to recommend it. I would have gone with 2.5*, but the unbelievable bravery tale of Tanaji deserves something more.