Viji Thampy's epic 2011 biopic of the Sahib is over-sanitised, but Prithviraj's performance captures why Mohammed Abdurahman (a k a Sahib) was a great soul. The film traverses Sahib's life and his struggle in the freedom movement. At the age of 21, Sahib discontinued studies at Aligarh Muslim university to participate in the non-cooperation and Khilafat movements. His efforts to bring peace during the Moplah riots of 1921, imprisonment in 1921 and participation in the salt satyagraha in 1930 are the key aspects in the film. The man himself lived a very short life - all of 45 years. But, it was a life seeped in grace under pressure, and courage in the face of adversity. It is in portrayal of these aspects that the film broadly disappoints.
The film's most glaring bias is its depiction of Sahib's deep-rooted relationship with his wife Kunhubeevathu (Raima Sen). It is whitewashed to suit the needs of commercial cinema. Sad, there was much more passion there. But then these are times when couples break up through texting. Another void that this period film just could not fill is in creating the authenticity of the 1920s and 1930s. Of course, director Viji Thampi did not have the budgets of Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. Having said this the movie scores with decent performances from the artistes involved and the gripping narrative that it unleashes. Definitely worth a visit to the theatre.
