Kesari (2019)

[Drunk Monk]

It's been a long time since I checked in with Akki. After 2.0, I thought I might see what he's been up to lately. This is heavily dramatized version of the Battle of Saragarhi (1897) when 21 Sikhs faced off against 10,000 Afghan tribesmen. It's the Sikh Alamo. Kesari mean saffron, a sacred color, particularly for turbans. This was one of the highest grossing films for Bollywood of last year.

It's freakin long - 2.5 hours - and a lot of that could've been cut out. Ultimately, it's a siege film, the 21 defending a hillside fort, but the siege doesn't get going until the last half hour or so, and the rest is typical sentimental fodder. I do admire the Sikh take on the way of the warrior. It's reminiscent of Bushido, what Klingon aspires for (remember it was Khan Noonian SINGH). But man, this film is long. The siege does deliver some interesting moments, like when someone climbs a rope up your wall with a knife clenched in their teeth, the counter is to face palm them. It's a lot of slo mo Akki spinning in some flying cut - totally absurd but each death scene has its poignancy, assuming you've watched the whole freakin thing.

Sword fights during the siege - Sikhs, right? Not DOOM recommended, not even the final siege.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Thanks for that — this one has been on my list for a while. I’ll just take it off now.

[Drunk Monk]

Really? This was on your list? I'm impressed. I didn't even know about it and just stumbled across it doing some research on Akki. 

If you just skip to the last half hour, the final siege might amuse you, especially if you like poignant death scenes. I don't think you'll need the backstory for those scenes - you can figure it out - it's painfully overdone and obvious but this is war. I did like that all the Sikhs wore their chakras around their turbans. That was a cool fashion statement.