Star Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla and others
Director: Suresh Triveni
What’s Good: Anil Kapoor and his Jhakkas action at 69!
What’s Bad: The story, the plot, and a villain who keeps pissing!
Loo Break: You will need one when you see the antagonist taking a leak every ten minutes!
Watch or Not?: You can miss it, but you should not for Anil Kapoor
Language: Hindi
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Runtime: 2 hours 23 minutes
User Rating:
At 70, most actors settle into the roles of graceful patriarchs; Anil Kapoor is out here as Subedar, breaking bones, throwing punches, and proving that senior citizen is just a label that doesn’t apply to him. After the high-society drama of Animal and the thrills of The Night Manager, he returns to the screen as a fiery Muchchad Fauji, and boy, does he mean business!
Directed by Suresh Triveni, the man who gave us the sweet Tumhari Sulu and the haunting Jalsa, this film is a complete 180-degree turn. It’s raw, it’s bloody, and it smells rage from a distance as well. It’s not just an action flick; it brings a man who was trained to kill for his country but doesn’t know how to live for himself. Does it hit the bullseye, or is it a misfire? That is for you to find out by the end of this review!
Subedaar Movie Review: Script Analysis
Subedaar follows Arjun Maurya (Anil Kapoor), a retired soldier from the Indian Army who is struggling to transition back into civilian life. Haunted by the ghosts of his past and the trauma of war, he finds himself in a different kind of battlefield: a society rotting with corruption and the abuse of power. On one hand, Arjun is going through a strained relationship with his daughter, Shyama (Radhika Madaan), since he has been an absent father! On the other hand, he is living with the memories of his late wife and a last gift she presented him – a red gypsy gifted to him by his wife, who used to run a pickle business!
Arjun, on the insistence of his friend, finds a job in his hometown to protect a local goon and sand mafia played by Aditya Rawal! However, his protective mode kicks in when his gypsy is destroyed by the local goon Prince. What follows is a relentless, bloody quest for justice where Arjun must decide if he can remain a disciplined soldier or become the monster his enemies fear.
Subedaar Movie Review: Star Performance
Anil Kapoor is aging like fine wine, and his performance here is phenomenal. He brings both strength and soul to Arjun Maurya. Whether he is breaking bones or breaking down in a moment of vulnerability, Kapoor proves why he is a legend. He handles the physical demands of the action with the grace of a pro. Playing the antagonist support is Mona Singh, who does nothing spectacular with her limited screentime. It is such a waste of talent and opportunity to have her grace the frame but not write anything powerful to let her breathe through her character!
Radhikka Madan as Shyama is fierce and vulnerable. She avoids the damsel in distress trope, giving us a character who has her own agency. Her chemistry with Anil Kapoor is the highlight of the film, making the stakes feel real. I wish we could have seen the father-daughter bond eventually grow over time. Aditya Rawal plays the antagonist with a chilling, entitled arrogance. He is the perfect foil to Kapoor’s disciplined rage. But yet again, his villain is too caricaturish!
Subedaar Movie Review: Direction, Music
Suresh Triveni takes a sharp turn into the action-drama genre here. His strength lies in his ability to ground even the most heightened situations in human emotion. And when emotions are put to action in dramas, they generally turn into brilliant storytelling. Triveni tries to capture the claustrophobia of a man trapped by his own traumas, but he falls prey to his own emotions.
There is a scene where Anil Kapoor remembers his late wife through some flashback scenes, and we see him saying I love you to her. Coming from Triveni, a man who knows how to handle emotions, this should have been one of the highlights, but it isn’t. The scene just passes, without leaving any impact.
While the first half builds the tension masterfully, the direction feels a bit rushed in the final act. The transition from a slow-burning emotional drama to a full-blown actioner, with certain sequences feeling like a series of random provocations hindering the flow, is a bit disappointing!
The background score is designed to be a rocksteady emotional core for the film. It oscillates between somber and strained, which reflect Arjun’s PTSD and high-energy, thumping tracks during the action set-pieces. While there isn’t a chartbuster that stays with you, the music serves its purpose to some extent!
Subedaar Movie Review: The Last Word
Subedaar has its heart in the right place. The exploration of a soldier’s PTSD and his struggle to reconnect with his family is handled with sensitivity. The stunts are raw and gritty. Seeing Anil Kapoor go into war mode, channeling his Nayak energy against local corruption, is incredibly satisfying.
However, the film struggles with a rushed conclusion after a thorough build-up, the climax feels like it wants to reach the end, and I’m still not sure about the end goals of this film! It picked up on corruption but never dived into the issue in reality! In fact, it just keeps oscillating between Anil Kapoor raging and trying to calm down, but with no substantial catalysts to tame this rage!
Nonetheless, Anil Kapoor wins with his performance as the Subedaar. While this is a half-baked revenge thriller that thrives on Anil Kapoor’s charisma, it could have reached a high point if Suresh Triveni had not missed the emotional sensibilities. The shaky pacing and a hurried climax make it without soul.
2.5 stars.
Subedaar Trailer
For more movie reviews, stay tuned to Koimoi.
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Google News
