Bose - The Forgotten Hero: A cinematic gem

Rating:- **

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten hero is truly an epic which brings alive the life and times of the great revolutionary.

The film captures the last five years of the life of Netaji. This was a crucial phase not only in Netaji's life, but it also marked the turning point in India's struggle for independence from British rule.

The film is divided into three chapters. The first chapter is about Netaji's great escape from Bengal to Kabul. The second chapter is about Netaji trying to contact and convince the Russians, Germans, Italians and Japanese about his mission. And the final chapter pertains to the fight against the British.

The film seems to have stuck to the history books by and large, but gives its own unique touch. Fortunately, there are no cinematic liberties taken. Right from the events like Netaji's daring escape from India, from where he travels across Afghanistan in disguise, to his historic meeting with Adolf Hitler in Germany, the formation of Indian National Army, there is enough drama to keep you engrossed.

The visuals, of course, are the high points of the movie. A.R. Rahman's music is of standard. It gels seamlessly with the narrative.

Sachin Khedekar proves that one doesn't really have to be a commercial star to shoulder a film. His depth as an actor comes to the fore in this challenging role. Perhaps no other actor could have resembled Netaji as he has. In the supporting cast, Rajpal Yadav and Divya Dutta stand out with competent performances.

On the whole, BOSE - THE FORGOTTEN HERO directed by veteran Shyam Benegal is indeed amongst the better lot of movies produced of late. Let’s see how it is received at the box office.