Sardar (1994)
I was curious to find out the statue of the 600-feet Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel created such a buzz when it was unveiled to the world recently. From accusations of wasting taxpayers money to trying to erase the memory of Nehru's contribution to Independence, the structure, which is four times taller than the Statue of Liberty, attracted the attention for all the wrong reasons. Many feel that its cost of USD 400million, albeit being contributed by the private sector, could be used for more pressing basic needs. The monument is said to be able to withstand a wind velocity of 220 km/h and seismic movements of up to Richter scale 6.5. Then, there were allegations of misuse of land rights, environmental degradation and religious insensitivities.
Sardar was somewhat a reluctant politician who rose, from being a cynic of Gandhism to being an active member of the Congress Party to being the Deputy Prime Minister of newly independent India.
In school, we never really came close to doing about Patel in our (Malaysian) history books. So it was a surprise when some of my Indian friends told me that Patel was actually the best Prime Minister that India never had. Because of Gandhi's obsession with Nehru and Patel's reluctance to show prominence, Nehru ended up filling up the history books.
Patel, a shrewd lawyer and politician, was instrumental in many of the decisions and successes of newly Independent India. He tried to establish a robust civil service and motivations to the farmers to be self-reliant. By far, his biggest achievement is the political shadow of getting the princely states, 565 of them, to join the Indian Republic rather than be part of the Islamic state of Pakistan.
An active advocate of 'Quit India Movement', he was the first proponent of Partition after seeing senseless religious violence.
This almost 3-hour movie fast-paced movie will appeal to viewers who are familiar with the history of India. The story is a collection of many events that the screenwriter expects the audience to know beforehand as the constraint of time impedes elaborate storytelling. In that way, many may get lost in the details.
Rakesh Rawal gave a sterling performance of Patel and the black and white footage and newspaper clippings of historical events add to the authenticity to the storytelling. High educational value.
I was curious to find out the statue of the 600-feet Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel created such a buzz when it was unveiled to the world recently. From accusations of wasting taxpayers money to trying to erase the memory of Nehru's contribution to Independence, the structure, which is four times taller than the Statue of Liberty, attracted the attention for all the wrong reasons. Many feel that its cost of USD 400million, albeit being contributed by the private sector, could be used for more pressing basic needs. The monument is said to be able to withstand a wind velocity of 220 km/h and seismic movements of up to Richter scale 6.5. Then, there were allegations of misuse of land rights, environmental degradation and religious insensitivities.
Sardar was somewhat a reluctant politician who rose, from being a cynic of Gandhism to being an active member of the Congress Party to being the Deputy Prime Minister of newly independent India.
In school, we never really came close to doing about Patel in our (Malaysian) history books. So it was a surprise when some of my Indian friends told me that Patel was actually the best Prime Minister that India never had. Because of Gandhi's obsession with Nehru and Patel's reluctance to show prominence, Nehru ended up filling up the history books.
Patel, a shrewd lawyer and politician, was instrumental in many of the decisions and successes of newly Independent India. He tried to establish a robust civil service and motivations to the farmers to be self-reliant. By far, his biggest achievement is the political shadow of getting the princely states, 565 of them, to join the Indian Republic rather than be part of the Islamic state of Pakistan.
An active advocate of 'Quit India Movement', he was the first proponent of Partition after seeing senseless religious violence.
This almost 3-hour movie fast-paced movie will appeal to viewers who are familiar with the history of India. The story is a collection of many events that the screenwriter expects the audience to know beforehand as the constraint of time impedes elaborate storytelling. In that way, many may get lost in the details.
Rakesh Rawal gave a sterling performance of Patel and the black and white footage and newspaper clippings of historical events add to the authenticity to the storytelling. High educational value.
Memorable quote:''I hope I am making right decision. My biggest fear is if these decisions are wrong then people will make us evil and if decisions are right then people will make us heroes. But, they won't understand in what circumstances and situation we made these decisions.''
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