Tanhaji Movie Review

2 min read

Tanhaji The Unsung Warrior is a visual adaptation of an important chapter from Indian History executed brilliantly.


 Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
(2020) on IMDb

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Kajol Devgn, Sharad Kelkar etc.

Directed By: Om Raut

Release Date: 10th January 2020

Stream on Hotstar

Introduction

Tanhaji is a movie that brings on-screen the life history of the brave Maratha warrior Tanhaji Malusare who was an aide and the military head of King Chathrapathi Shivaji. The story focuses on the historic battle led by the Marathas for re-capturing the fort of Kondhana from the control of Aurangzeb by fighting against his warrior Udaybhan.

This movie brings out a tale that should be known by every Indian regarding the sacrifices made by the brave Marathas. Tanhaji received highly positive reviews both from the critics and from the audience.

As per the review of the Sify Movies: 

Om Rauts Tanhaji – The Unsung Warrior starring Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, and Kajol retells the story of a Maratha war-hero who changed the course of history.”

~ Sify Movies

I will give the movie a rating of 09/10 for its classy yet stylish depiction and for being a visual extravaganza on-screen.


Synopsis

The Movie Tanhaji, as the name depicts, is the story of the brave Maratha warrior Tanhaji Malusare who always stood by King Shivaji and also was the military head. The story unveils with the visuals of Tanhaji’s father Kaloji Malusare teaching him sword fighting and later he gets killed in a battle with the Mughals where Tanhaji is seen taking the responsibilities from his father at a very young age. 

Years later, King Chhatrapati Shivaji’s mother Jijabhai swears that she will stay barefoot till the fort of Kondhana is re-captured by the Marathas after she was insulted by the Mughals. The Kondhana fort was submitted to the Mughals as a part of the treaty of Purandar. Shivaji plans to lead the army in the mission of capturing back the court as his military head Tanhaji’s son’s marriage was coming up. But as Tanhaji gets to know about this move by Shivaji, he requests Shivaji to let him be a part of the campaign and takes responsibility.

Parallelly, Aurangzeb sends Udaybhan with an army and a huge cannon in-order to guard the fort and stop Shivaji from capturing it. The rest of the movie revolves around the fierce battle between Tanhaji Malusare and Udayban. Tanhaji’s brilliant war-tactics to win the fort of Kondhana.


Performances

Ajay Devgn has excelled playing the role of Tanhaji Malusare and delivers his best on-screen with his looks and dialogues. It was convincing enough to see him play the role of a patriotic Maratha. Kajol has played the role of Savitribhai, wife of Tanhaji Malusare. Even though she had been provided with lesser screen space, she delivers a strong performance being a supportive wife. 

One major highlight of this movie is the role of Udaybhan portrayed by Saif Ali Khan. He pulls off the antagonist’s role in the movie with a cruel attitude and entertaining us with his witty one-liners just to show some of Udaybhan’s cold-blooded mannerisms.

The combination scenes of Tanhaji and Udaybhan is a treat to watch as both actors have competed with each other onscreen.

Another notable mention to be done here is about the role of King Shivaji portrayed by Sharad Kelkar. To pull off such a strong character is a tedious task and Sharad was convincing enough as Shivaji with his looks and performance.


Technical Strengths

A movie like Tanhaji won’t be successful just with strong scripts or stellar performers. It demands a strong technical backup and director Om Raut had made sure that Tanhaji is delivered in the best possible way.

Right from the visual grandeur of the Maratha Culture to the visualizations of the historic moments right from the past, Tanhaji was very convincing to watch. The 3D version of Tanhaji was like a cherry on the cake. It took the experience of watching this historic action-drama to a whole new level. The efforts of the cameraman to costume designers to make the whole thing look the best are commendable.

The music of Tanhaji is composed by Ajay-Atul, Sanchet-Parampara, and Mehul Vyas. The background score of Tanhaji is pretty racy and grippy that the viewers won’t forget any soon. Along with that, Tanhaji is rich with a couple of beautiful songs in its music album.


Overall Verdict

There is no need to stay confused when it is about Tanhaji. Just Go For It! Movies like Tanhaji will be always under the ‘must-watch’ list and this brilliantly made historic drama is a promising entertainer packed up with visual brilliance and strong performances.