Kesari Veer attempts to narrate the untold story of Hamirji Gohil, a rebel Rajput prince who leads a revolt against the Tughlaq rule to protect his land and honor. Set in medieval India, the film opens with aggressive depictions of the Tughlaqs as ruthless invaders. Hamirji, played by Sooraj Pancholi, is introduced as the savior of oppressed Hindus. He falls in love with Rajal, a noblewoman raised by the devout and battle-hardened Vegdaji (Suniel Shetty). As the rebellion gains ground, the antagonist Zafar Khan (Vivek Oberoi) rises as the symbol of tyranny. The film builds up to an epic battle to protect the Somnath Temple, a culturally charged setting, but is bogged down by messy subplots and misplaced emotion.
The film tries to cash in on the popularity of recent historical epics like Chhaava, but fails to reach even a fraction of its appeal. Despite the grandeur in costumes and sets, Kesari Veer falters in storytelling, direction, and execution. Historical authenticity is barely present, replaced instead with clichés and forced nationalism.
Suniel Shetty (Vegdaji): The only credible presence on screen, he brings intensity and some much-needed seriousness to the film.
Sooraj Pancholi (Hamirji Gohil): Attempts to emulate Salman Khan's Veer avatar, but ends up delivering a caricature of a warrior prince. Flat expressions, overdone machismo.
Akanksha Sharma (Rajal): Minimal emotional range, her performance feels restricted to pouting and slow-motion expressions.
Vivek Oberoi (Zafar Khan): Poorly written and executed villain with a dated evil ruler trope. A waste of a potentially strong actor.
Kiran Kumar: Surprisingly decent, despite limited screen time.
Aruna Irani: Criminally underutilized in a blink-and-miss role.
Cinematography: Ambitious, but often poorly framed and over-saturated with unnecessary slow-motion.
Visual Effects (CGI): Laughably bad, reminiscent of early 2000s computer games. Particularly jarring during battle scenes.
Action Choreography: Over-stylized and underwhelming; lacks the grit and realism needed in historical war films.
Forgettable soundtrack. None of the songs make a lasting impression or contribute meaningfully to the storyline. Background score tries hard to be epic but ends up sounding generic and repetitive.
Major pacing issues. The first half drags endlessly with unnecessary subplots and repetitive dialogues. A 30-40 minute trim could have significantly improved the overall watchability.
Suniel Shetty’s strong performance
Interesting premise based on lesser-known historical figures
Ambitious set design and costumes
Poor direction and lack of coherent storytelling
Terrible CGI and over-the-top action
Weak performances, especially from the lead pair
Inauthentic dialogues and anachronistic tone
Disjointed screenplay with forced romantic and religious tracks
Uninspired music and bland editing choices
Kesari Veer had the potential to highlight a lesser-known chapter of Indian history, but it ends up as a superficial spectacle that prioritizes visuals over depth. Its clear intent to piggyback on the success of films like Chhaava backfires due to poor craftsmanship. The film lacks soul, substance, and vision, making it more of a marketing gimmick than a cinematic tribute to heritage or valor.
Max Review: Kichcha Sudeep Delivers Entertainment with Some Shortcomings Kichcha Sudeep's latest Kannada action-thriller, "Max," premiered in theaters on December 25, 2024. Featuring an engaging plot and adrenaline-pumping action sequences, the film is a solid commercial entertainer despite a few flaws. In Short: Kichcha Sudeep makes a much-anticipated return to the big screen with Max.
Read More →
Plot Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy is a 73-minute horror film told from an unconventional viewpoint — that of a loyal dog. Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, lives with his owner Todd (Shane Jensen), a man recovering from illness and trauma. Seeking peace, Todd moves to his late grandfather’s isolated woodland home. But the silence soon turns sinister. As Todd’s health worsens and paranoia sets in, Indy becomes the helpless witness and protector in a terrifying descent into madness. The line
Read More →
Plot Governor: The Silent Saviour is set during India’s 1991 balance-of-payments crisis, when the country was close to bankruptcy. The film follows RBI Governor A Ramanan, played by Manoj Bajpayee, as he tries to protect the nation’s economy during a period of political instability, rising oil prices, global pressure and collapsing reserves. The story focuses on the difficult decision to pledge India’s gold reserves and the invisible battles fought inside government and financial institutions. O
Read More →
Young hero Kiran Abbavaram’s Meter released in theaters today. The film is promoted as a proper action drama with a cop backdrop and Kiran aggressively promoted the film. Here’s our review of it. Story: Arjun Kalyan(Kiran) is a careless SI who is least interested in the police job but anyways ends up being one. Incidentally, he finds himself at crossroads with the state home minister (Dhanush Pawan). What’s the story behind it? Can an SI esca
Read More →
The Goat Life (Aadujeevitham) is a 2024 Malayalam-language survival drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Blessy. It is an adaptation of the 2008 best-selling Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham by Benyamin, which is based on a true incident. The film has Prithviraj Sukumaran & Amala Paul playing the lead roles while Jimmy Jean-Louis, KR Gokul, Talib Al Balushi, Rik Aby, Nazer Karutheni, Shobha Mohan & others are seen in key supporting roles. The music is composed by AR. Rahman a
Read More →
Nandamuri Balakrishna's oora mass outing, Veera Simha Reddy hit theaters today amidst great anticipation. Here's our review of the Gopichand Malineni directorial which has Shruti Haasan in the leading lady role. Story: Jai(Balakrishna) stays in Istanbul with his mother and love interest. Meanwhile in Rayalaseema, Veerasimha Reddy(also Balakrishna) rules his region and people in a prosperous way. It is a story about ho
Read More →
Plot Gawtham falls in love with Nithya and both families agree to their marriage — but with a unique condition imposed by Nithya’s father. While Gawtham tries to fulfill it, his past relationship with Dia resurfaces and complicates matters. How Gawtham balances love, trust, and responsibility while handling two important women in his life forms the core story. Overview Nari Nari Naduma Murari is a colorful romantic comedy that blends relationship drama with situational humor. Though the central
Read More →
Pawan Kalyan and Sai Dharam Tej came together for Bro which released in theaters today. The film is billed to be an entertaining drama. Here's our review of it. Story: Markandeyulu(Sai) leads a busy lifestyle and he doesn't have too much time to spare. But once he meets with an accident, his life changes forever and in the process, he meets the god of time (Pawan Kalyan). How does this take his life forward? What about the actors' perfo
Read More →
The Raja Saab Rating: Mixed to Negative Review Summary: The Prabhas starrer The Raja Saab received a mixed to negative reaction from both audiences and critics. Many viewers expressed disappointment with the messy screenplay and lack of logic in plot execution, despite high expectations and strong initial box office performance. Critics noted that the film struggled to meet the hype and delivered a disconnected narrative. Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu Rating: Positive / Hit Talk Review Summary:
Read More →
Plot Sagar, a young man from the remote Godapalli Lanka, is a die-hard fan of superstar Surya. He falls in love with Mahalakshmi, but her father belittles him and rejects their relationship. Determined to prove his worth, Sagar challenges himself to build a grand movie theatre in his village, which lacks even basic facilities like electricity. When everything begins to fall in place, Sagar unexpectedly sells the theatre and sends the money to his favourite hero Surya. Why he takes this decision,
Read More →
