Ek Yodha Shoorveer is not a new Hindi film

Director: Santosh Sivan

Starring: Prithviraj, Prabhu Deva, Genelia D’Souza, Nithya Menon, Vidya Balan, Tabu, Amole Gupte

First things first, Ek Yodha Shoorveer is not a new Hindi film, it is more of an afterthought, a six years too late dubbed version of Santosh Sivan’s Malayalam historical fantasy Urumi (2011, available online now). A lot has happened in the interim, most significantly the birth of a gigantic franchisee called Bahubali that has upscaled Urumi aka Ek Yodha Shoorveer in the sheer spectacle and entertainment quotient.

Yet Ek Yodha Shoorveer holds interest, in the way Sivan pitches the present against the past and sees history with a contemporary eyeview. The encroachment by multinationals into tribal land and the displacement of tribals, with active support from corrupt politicians, is seen parallel to the Portuguese invading, fighting and exploiting the indigenous people of Kerala in the 16th century, to gain dominance over the black peppercorn (believed to be more pricey than oil) trade and more. He also reinvents some myths and legends, showing us a cruel, brutal and sadistic Vasco da Gama as against the intrepid traveller and explorer that history would have us believe.

So you have a present day mining company Nirvana wooing Krishnadas (Prithviraj) with big money to buy off his mineral rich ancestral land where a tribal school is being run by an NGO. Then a tribal chief takes Krishnadas back to his past as warrior Chirakkal Kelu in a long flashback. A vicious Vasco da Gama is tearing away people’s (and dog’s) ears, hanging freedom seekers and killing Muslim pilgrims aboard a ship. One of his victims happens to be Kelu’s own father so Kelu joins hands with Vavvali (Prabhu Deva) to wreak vengeance on Vasco with a gold Urumi (coiled sword) as the choice weapon. He is joined in his enterprise later by warrior princess Ayesha of Arackel (Genelia D'Souza). There is also a subplot involving intrigues in the Chirakkal royal household by the vily minister Chenichery Kurup (Jagathy Sreekumar). He conspires with Bhanu Vikraman (Ankur Khanna) against his uncle King Chirakkal Thampuran (Amole Gupte) and has him assassinated even as princess Bala (Nithya Menon), besotted with Vavvali, leaves royalty for good.

There are a few irritants here: a voiceover that seems to go on and on and the dubbing in Hindi which robs the film of its cultural specificity and makes for an alienating experience despite the cameo Bollywood presence of Tabu and Vidya Balan. Subtitles always make for an infinitely richer understanding, at least for this viewer. But there is the Sivan touch which makes up for the cribbing: the stylised way he mounts his scenes, the use of Kalaripayattu in fights and battle scenes, the costumes, eye-catching imagery and lush, moist locales. Also, unlike Bahubali, where the warrior woman had to eventually get tamed into a sultry seductress for the hero’s convenience, here she continues to hold her own and fights fiercely till the end. And then motherhood takes over everything and she has to play her desired, destined role in bringing forth the next generation of warriors to fight newer round of injustices and exploitations.