10 Reasons to see Sam Bahadur
Especially with kids
I was told about the tales of Maneckshaw by my dad. His generation held him in high regard due to the Bangladesh war. So the circle completed when I saw Sam Bahadur with my kid.
This movie is a great way to teach our kids about people who are driven by a higher purpose than the daily humdrum.
Things that I liked :
§ Great acting by Vicky Kaushal. You almost forget it’s Vicky on screen and not Maneckshaw.
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§ Know when your cheese has moved. Then you also move on.
On the eve of partition, when the India/Pakistan armies meet for the final time, Maneckshaw raises toast to “Indian Army” — not the “Army”.
He understands that the situation has changed and he is not sentimental about it.
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§ Keep moving out of your comfort zone ( or Ask and you shall receive).
Maneckshaw’s wife keeps prodding him to be with his soldiers — to aggressively push himself.
As luck would have it, as soon as Kaul is sacked after the China war fiasco - Nehru gives Maneckshaw gets his chance.
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§ Don’t stick too much to emotions, especially if you are in a profession like Army.
Maneckshaw measures Indira Gandhi with respect to her father Jawahar, whom he finds emotional for the chair in which he was sitting.
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§ Learn How to hold a drink, especially at work related gatherings.
Yahya Khan gets drunk — Sam is still sober. In a way, it shows the weak emotional state of Khan. It’s Maneckshaw who drops Yahya Khan home. And Maneckshaw gives him his bike but bargains for the price !
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§ Have foresight
At multiple points in the movie, Maneckshaw reveals his forethought.
Sam doesn’t move to Pakistan after partition. Maybe he realised that in a Muslim state- there’s only so much that he would be able to rise as a Parsi.
He keeps copies of Pakistan maps when the partition formalities are being done.
He predicts the date of the Bangladesh war.
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§ Have Great people skills.
He remembers the ID of the jawaan that he meets after a long time.
He tactfully manages the situation where the senior is making his junior salute 1000 times.
He attends the funeral of a terrorist killed in Unit’s operation. (The terrorist’s father was a senior army officer in the same Unit.)
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§ Learn to rouse the troops.
He rouses the tired and demotivated Sikh Unit by quoting सूरा सो पहचानिए जो लरे दीन के हेत.
When he is posted in East he rouses the troops by sending bangles to a Unit who refused to fight to counter insurgency.
He gives an impromptu speech standing on a jeep where he tells the troops that there would be no retreat.
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§ Meaning is important in career .
The more meaning you have in what you are doing — the more heart and soul you will put into your work. Otherwise it’s just a 9 to 5 job.
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We should show our kids movies like these so that they can be reminded of our nation’s glorious history.
After all stories and pride bind a nation together.
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☘️Hope you found this useful
