120 Bahadur is not only a struggle film. It’s a tribute, a historical past lesson, and an emotional journey into the guts of army braveness, states Lieutenant Basic Devendra Pratap Pandey (retd).

IMAGE: Farhan Akhtar in 120 Bahadur.

120 Bahadur is greater than a movie; it’s an act of remembrance — a cinematic salute to probably the most extraordinary final stands in Indian army historical past.

For any patriotic Indian or for anybody who appreciates struggle cinema that’s rooted firmly in fact, this movie is a should watch.

It transports viewers into the unforgiving battlefield of the early Nineteen Sixties, the place braveness, loyalty, and sacrifice weren’t summary beliefs however lived realities etched into the frozen earth of the Himalayas.

At its coronary heart, 120 Bahadur revisits the legendary Battle of Rezang La (1962), the place 120 troopers of the 13 Kumaon Battalion held their floor in opposition to overwhelming Chinese language forces.

The percentages had been unattainable, attacked by waves of enemies many occasions their quantity, battered by artillery, missing fortified defences, and uncovered to sub-zero winds that would freeze naked pores and skin inside minutes.

And but, these males fought to the final bullet and the final breath, embodying the infantry motto: ‘Akhri goli, akhri dum tak, morcha nahin chhodunga,’ that meant ‘is not going to depart put up until final spherical final breath.’

A Private Connection to Rezang La

IMAGE: Scenes from 120 Bahadur. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai/Instagram

Having been personally accountable for the operational space of Rezang La within the mid-2000s, the battle’s legacy has at all times been deeply emotional for me.

At any time when the pressures of army life felt overwhelming, I’d take the lengthy, demanding journey as much as the windswept go towering at almost 17,000 toes.

Reaching Rezang La requires correct acclimatization, peak health, and mountaineer-grade winter clothes — luxuries the courageous males of 1962 by no means had.

Standing there, amid the haunting silence and biting winds, I usually tried to think about what Main Shaitan Singh and his troopers endured: the shock of artillery hearth, human-wave assaults crashing into their place, our bodies strewn round them, the brutal chilly chopping by means of skinny uniforms, and the information that survival was unlikely.

What provides males the power to maintain preventing in such situations?

What stuffed their minds and hearts as they confronted sure demise?

My eyes would moisten then, as they did once more in the present day whereas watching 120 Bahadur. The movie rekindled these recollections and feelings with a power I didn’t count on.

Bringing an Untold Story to the Nation

IMAGE: Scenes from 120 Bahadur. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai/Instagram

For years, I puzzled whether or not the story of Main Shaitan Singh, PVC, and his extraordinary troopers might ever be instructed with honesty, dignity, and cinematic craftsmanship.

Might the spirit of Rezang La be conveyed to a wider viewers?

Might the frequent citizen actually perceive what these males endured?

The reply arrived within the type of Jai Samota, who painstakingly researched and authored Main Shaitan Singh, PVC: The Man in Half Mild.

Having met him a number of occasions, I sensed his ardour for army historical past and his dedication to telling this story proper. His work varieties the spine of the movie’s authenticity, and the interpretation of his analysis to the display screen is commendable.

Performances That Really feel Lived, Not Acted

IMAGE: Scenes from 120 Bahadur. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai/Instagram

One of many movie’s biggest strengths lies in its casting.

Not like a number of struggle movies that battle to decide on actors who genuinely look and transfer like troopers, 120 Bahadur achieves this with admirable precision.

The rugged, earthy look of the solid evokes the spirit of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan‘, reflecting an period when simplicity and toughness had been a lifestyle.

Farhan Akhtar’s portrayal of Main Shaitan Singh is outstanding. He brings dignity, composure, and the quiet hearth of management that outlined the true hero.

His efficiency units the bar excessive and calls for the identical sincerity from each different actor on display screen, they usually ship.

Via them, we expertise not solely the battle however the person journeys, fears, loyalties, and willpower of every soldier who stood with him.

A Trustworthy Recreation of a Relentless Battlefield

IMAGE: Scenes from 120 Bahadur. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai/Instagram

The directorial workforce deserves excessive reward for recreating the stark brutality of Rezang La.

The cinematography captures the barren, rocky terrain; the biting winds; and the heavy snowfall with exceptional realism.

For civilians who’ve by no means skilled excessive altitude, the movie gives a visceral sense of how the human physique is pushed to its limits in such environments.

For somebody like me, who has walked these very ridgelines, the movie’s visible accuracy was hanging.

At moments, it felt much less like watching a film and extra like revisiting the terrain itself.

An Infantryman’s Life on Display

IMAGE: Scenes from 120 Bahadur. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai/Instagram

As an infantryman who has lived years in isolation and denial, I can affirm that the movie portrays the fact of soldiering with uncommon honesty. It reveals the camaraderie that binds troopers, the humour that retains them sane, and the management that compels them to endure hardships for a trigger bigger than themselves.

The movie additionally fantastically brings to life the struggle cries, ‘Radhe Kishanji ki Jai’‘ and ‘Dada Kishan ki Jai‘.

These weren’t mere chants however a religious power, a regimental glue that fortified hearts and chilled the enemy.

Listening to them echo throughout the display screen was deeply transferring.

Dialogues That Resonate with Honour and Sacrifice

IMAGE: On the units of 120 Bahadur. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai/Instagram

The movie’s dialogues are highly effective with out being melodramatic.

Traces like, ‘As soon as the uniform is worn, demise is strapped onto the chest,’ and ‘Yeh wardi himmat hello nahi, balidan bhi maangti hai‘ seize the ethos of soldiering with poetic precision.

These are usually not cinematic elaborations; they replicate the lived realities of numerous Indian troopers.

The refined nods to the logistical challenges of the 1962 struggle — shortages of ammunition, heat clothes, and manpower — make the narrative extra grounded. These particulars matter, each for historic accuracy and for understanding the enormity of the troopers’ sacrifice.

A Movie Each Indian Ought to Watch

IMAGE: Scenes from 120 Bahadur. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai/Instagram

120 Bahadur is not only a struggle film.

It’s a tribute, a historical past lesson, and an emotional journey into the guts of army braveness.

It permits viewers to grasp the brutal surroundings of the 1962 struggle, the near-impossible situations during which the 13 Kumaon fought, and the legacy of sacrifice they left behind.

For me, the movie rekindled private recollections and delight. For others, it is going to illuminate a chapter of historical past that deserves far larger recognition.

Ultimately, 120 Bahadur accomplishes one thing uncommon: it makes the viewer’s eyes moist with emotion however leaves them proud, happy with a heroic legacy that continues to encourage generations of Indian troopers.

To every body, I wholeheartedly suggest this movie.

It’s a must-watch, not only for what it reveals on display screen, however for the spirit it revives in each Indian coronary heart.

Lieutenant Basic Devendra Pratap Pandey is the previous Basic Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based XV Corps and served almost 40 years within the Indian Military.

Images curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff