The opening frames of Subedaar remind one of the epic Tamil film Nayakan directed by Mani Ratnam. As the camera tracks two teenage boys in an arid landscape, we are reminded of similar scenes in Shekhar Kapur’s The Bandit Queen. Not just the visuals, but also the story and theme of Subedar are akin to those of these two films. Not just these two films, but as the film progresses, we are also reminded of a recent Rajinikanth Tamil film, Jailer. If Rajinikanth played the role of a retired Jailer living a peaceful life and then getting drawn into a criminal syndicate, in Subedaar, Anil Kapoor is an ex-service man who is pushed to take on the sand mining mafia in the hinterlands of Madhya Pradesh.
In terms of a template, Subedaar takes us back to 70s Bollywood masala fare featuring angry young men taking on rooted, heartless villains, but packaged as a more Rajinikanth or Allu Arjun-type mass flick. The familiar tropes are evident. Anil Kapoor portrays Arjun Maurya, a retired Jawan still grappling with his wife’s loss. He has his own inner demons to tackle in his dull and dreary retired life. Additionally, he must contend with his teenage daughter, who cannot forgive him and holds a constant grudge. Against this backdrop, writers Suresh Triveni (also the director) and Prajwal Chandrasekhar (of Jalsa fame) bring in the sand-mining mafia and rogue male students at college that Kapoor and his daughter have to deal with. The final output is a mixed bag that is high on craft, details, and nativity, but low on novelty.
The fraught relationship between the father and daughter is deftly interwoven into the screenplay, making the proceedings interesting. The screenplay, which follows a chapterisation format much like Dhurandhar, is all about action, reaction, counteraction, counterreaction, and repeat. But after a while, this cycle gets tiring, particularly when we head to the climax, which turns out to be rather tepid. This film needed a high-octane, engaging climax, but what we get is a long, drawn-out act that leads to a probable sequel!
Among the cast, Anil Kapoor labours hard in the film and carries it single-handedly on his shoulders. He pitches his performance right without going overboard. Though nearing 70, he is extremely fit and pulls off action sequences masterfully, making them believable. Aditya Rawal, who plays Prince, the main antagonist, bears the brunt of some poor characterisation. He is perennially in a “pissing off” mood, and you will understand this when you watch the film. Mona Singh is a surprise cast as a mafia queen, but again doesn’t get much play. Among others, Saurabh Shukla is, as usual, good, and so is Radhika Madan, who plays Anil’s daughter. After a long while, it’s nice to see Khushbu in a Hindi film, but her role is more of a cameo as Anil Kapoor’s wife.
The film does a lot for Anil Kapoor, with repeated hero-elevation scenes and one-liners that land very well. The stunt scenes are well-choreographed and finely edited to elevate the impact. The action scenes are also somewhat excessively violent and gory. Cinematography by Ayan Saxena is brilliant from the first frame, using close-ups and low angles effectively throughout the film.
Director Suresh Triveni, who had impressed me with films like Tumhari Sulu and Jalsa, once again proves why he is such a fine technical talent. Much of the staging and framing in the film is excellent. This film would have made for a rich big-screen experience, so it comes as a surprise that the makers chose to release it exclusively on OTT (Prime Video).
Subedaar scores high on style, form, and craft but relies on the usual tropes in the screenplay. That Subedaar reminds us of many past films is both a plus and a minus of the film. Suresh and his team clearly missed an opportunity to hit the bullseye like a Jailer. Yet, if you are a fan of the typical Bollywood masala fare, it is a good watch.
My Flash Verdict: Good watch if you are a fan of the masala genre.
Post Credits: No
AnandKumarRSonFilms 
nice review, Anand! Don’t know whether one should watch it?! But very well covered….as always! 👍
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Watch it only of you like the typical commercial masala genre
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