Film: Chapekar Brothers
Cast: Govind Namdeo, Megha Joshi, Kanchan Awasthi
Director: Dvendra Kumar Pandey
Rating: * ½
Runtime: 98 mins
The Chapekar Brothers’ contribution to our freedom struggle is an indelible part of our history. But the re-enactment of that contribution , through this film under review, is not quite what the historians would have ordered. Firstly , the facts are not well researched and it shows up in the contrived set-up and the unrealistic period mechanics. are part of our great
The Chapekar brothers; Vasudev Hari Chapekar(Manoj Bhatt), Damodar Hari Chapekar( Abhijeet Bhagat) and Balkrishna Hari Chapekar(Sanjhit Dhuri) who were born Brahmins wanted to join the British Army but the British refused to allow it. Their meeting with Bal Gangadhar Tilak(Govind Namdeo) leads to an assignment that could well put their individual lives at risk. But the three fearless champions of our freedom were up to the task.
This film plays like an uninterestingly written history lesson. There’s no drama, the pathos is missing and the narration is pretty much pathetically drawn out. Govind Namdeo’s Tilak is theatrically overdone while the actors who play the three brothers try hard to infuse earnestness and sincerity into their performances- unfortunately for them the writing is so devoid of emotional and patriotic heft that their contribution appears trivial in retrospect. This kind of indistinct effort dishonours The Chapekar Brothers’ courage, valour and love for the motherland that was instrumental in them sacrificing their lives for India’s freedom. Our Freedom fighters certainly deserve much better!
