6 Reasons Why The Legend Of Bhagat Singh Deserved To Be A Blockbuster

There’s one piece of creative cinema post 2000 that audiences round the globe have truly not forgiven themselves for having let it down. 14 years ago on this day, when Rajkumar Santoshi’s patriotic biopic drama The LegendOf Bhagat Singh released, most of us mistook it in the name of yet another attempt to cash in on the fallen glory of our freedom fighters. The very same period had two other Bhagat Singh movies colliding with its release to further embed doubts within our minds weather to watch it or not. Just a few days into Legend’s theatrical run and it was made clear the film isn’t winning any battles at the box office.

To this day, if there’s one film the audience will forever be sorry for not taking it to its deserving box office fate, it is The Legend of Bhagat Singh! The absolutely spellbinding narrative that glued us to our screens as it premiered on TV, step by step unfolded events that most people of our generation hadn’t even heard of. The Ajay Devgn starrer had heart and guts and glory!

The events and episodes were so strikingly detailed that Rang De Basanti, one of the most successful modern day films to come out of Indian cinema was almost completely based on the way Santoshi had depicted his version.

While it didn’t get the recognition it merited, here’s why we think why The Legend of Bhagat Singh deserved to be a blockbuster:

Riveting Treatment/Absorbing Writing

From a rich board of writers including Rajkumar Santoshi along with Anjum Rajabali and Piyush Mishra, the writing of the film was as original and impactful as it could have been. The film had dialogues strong enough to move your soul and take us back to the times when our freedom fighters were struggling for independence.

It was Rajkumar Santoshi’s absolutely riveting handling of this fantastic screenplay that The Legend of Bhagat Singh was able to strike such a connect with the audience. The balance in the narrative was so poignant that somehow it never became that long driven drag that takes a toll on you and at no point of time did it make a mockery of past events. It had substance, it was based on facts and it wasn’t boring at all.

Detailed Narrative of Major Events

The film with all its taste of drama, humor and belonging didn’t try and dodge any major events or rush us through to make up for the duration they had in hand. It was as if the makers had taken us back to the times when people like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru and Chandrashekhar Azad were fighting it hard. Some of the special events were so breathtakingly real, they almost made us skip a beat.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: The tragic Jallianwala Bagh massacre where General Dyer had ordered to open fire on thousands of peaceful Indian protesters was showcased with deep insights. The scene was so emotionally gripping that it took a while for you to come out of it. Bhagat Singh’s eventual reaction to the tragedy was equally fabulous.

Saunders Murder: After Bhagat Singh along with other revolutionaries decides to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, they kill Saunders instead of Scott who they had initially planned to kill. The whole sequence was so amazingly real that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra placed it as it is in his film Rang De Basanti.

Revolutionary 116 Days of Hunger Strike: Watch it as how the actors and director come together to pull this stunning piece of dramatic sequence and make you submit your sympathies. The hunger strike that Bhagat Singh and all others inmates set out for, take us through an extremely disturbing yet emotional segment.

The Court Case Details: All the court hearings post Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt’s surrender after they bomb the parliament are given enough details. The sequence has humor, anger and drama all at once.

Breathtaking Lead Performance by Ajay

He didn’t win a National Award for Best Actor for nothing. If you have seen this film, you probably know what Ajay Devgn was to this film. The actor who often lets his eyes do the talking was unquestionably the best choice for the role. He didn’t just play Bhagat Singh, he lived him. You love him, support him, empathize with him but ultimately end up appreciating him in all proportions. His sentimental scenes with Farida Jalal and Raj Babbar were painfully emotional. Enough to assert his range as a performer!

Noble Support Cast

The Legend of Bhagat Singh wasn’t just a Bhagat Singh, it was as much a legend of Rajkuru, Sukhdev and Chandrashekhar Azad. The film was loaded with such accomplished performers that together they didn’t just let it remain a film, they made it an experience. From Sushant Singh, D. Santosh, Akhilendra Mishra, Farida Jalal and Raj Babbar, everybody in their parts were enthralling to say the least. This is how a film is made an experience.

Patriotic & Emotional Connect

The biggest victory of The Legend of Bhagat Singh was its ability to take viewers on an emotional patriotic ride without particularly making strong efforts in that direction. The film having stayed true to its essence and its core turned into a story beautifully told. The film hit you right in the feels on every occasion it spoke of something moving.

The Jallianwala massacre was as disturbing as moving it was! Watch out for the scene where a helpless Chandrashekhar Azad before putting a bullet in his head touches the soil and apologizes for not doing enough! Ajay Devgn’s emotional confrontation with his father Raj Babbar after he is sentenced to death will make you feel what a revolutionary father could feel in real. Not to mention the hanging of all three freedom fighters at the conclusion, if it doesn’t run a chill down your spine, nothing will!

Rahman’s Inspiring Background Score

To make an impactful product showcase better results, a ‘with the flow’ background score is pretty much needed. The film had AR Rahman to this end and he probably gave one of his most strong background music to this date. It literally made the setting more real, more emotional and supremely heartrending. Watch the film to know what we are talking about. The man even won a Filmfare award for best background score.

The Legend of Bhagat Singh may not have been able to mint money at the box office back in the day but it won all the hearts it opened itself to. The film won the Best Hindi Film National Award besides Ajay winning his second National Award for Best actor. But when you put this film in broader prospects, it is much more than just awards and recognition. It stays with you, it moves you, it makes you think and above all, it really takes you on a journey going back in the past!