Just a couple of weeks after the trailer for Panipat (2019) was released, another page from the history of the Maratha empire was brought to life with the trailer for Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020).
The odd spelling aside, Tanhaji, directed by Om Raut, features Ajay Devgn as Tanaji Malusare, the Maratha general who recaptured the strategic Kondhana fort near Pune at the cost of his own life.
The trailer is quite spectacular in its stylized action and is filled with moments of melodrama and punchlines that feed the film's key demographic.
From the sequences of the Mavla soldiers ziplining past the crags of the Sahyadri mountains to the gladiatorial battle scenes involving Saif Ali Khan's Udaybhan Singh Rathod and the influence of the Hollywood film 300 (2006) on the battle sequences, Om Raut's film certainly catches the eye.
The film is likely set around the famed battle for Sinhagad aka Kondhana in 1670. With the Mughals handing the fort to the care of a garrison led by the Rajput warrior Rathod, the Marathas under Shivaji were at a loss to find a way past.
With a natural formation preventing an all-out siege, Shivaji turned to his battle-hardened lieutenant Tanaji Malusare to recapture the strategic fort. Cue a fierce battle between the cunning Udaybhan and the straight-laced Tanaji.
The trailer has some interesting moments with Saif Ali Khan tapping into the unhinged villain and Sharad Kelkar making an imposing appearance as Shivaji. There is also the presence of Kajol as Tanaji's wife Savitribai to add to the experience. With some pumping music providing the backdrop to the battle visuals, the trailer certainly looks interesting.
The flaw, perhaps, is the hyper-masculinity in the trailer and its constant harping on 'bhagwa', or the colour saffron. With the political inference, it might have done better to focus on 'swarajya' (independence). But such is the populist tendency. Devgn also stays away from any forced Marathi accent in the trailer, which might make for an interesting watch.
Tanhaji:The Unsung Warrior is set for release on 10 January 2020. Watch the trailer below and let us know if you are keen to watch the film.