‘Kesari Veer’ Movie Review: A Wooden Sooraj Pancholi and a Stoic Suniel Shetty Lead This Overlong, Clunky Propaganda Disguised as History (LatestLY Exclusive)

Kesari Veer Movie Review: In Kesari Veer, there’s a scene where the antagonist Zafar Khan’s (Vivek Oberoi) soldiers hurl a huge Shivling down a cliff. Suniel Shetty’s character, meditating in a forest near the base of the cliff, sees it falling. He leaps into the air, performs a few somersaults, and hurls a spear into the cliff to break the Shivling’s fall - just metres from the ground. The stone deity, which took several men to carry, miraculously balances on the spear. But Shetty doesn’t trust gravity, so he throws in another for good measure before jumping down to hold it himself. ‘Kesari Veer’: Suniel Shetty’s Intense First Look As Vegdaji From Historical Drama Unveiled.

This isn’t Baahubali fanfiction, but Kesari Veer, a film that claims to depict a historical episode about Zafar Khan’s attack on the Somnath Temple. It has no regard for historical accuracy - or, going by that scene and many like that, for logic, physics, or gravity. Also, lest I forget, there’s little room for nuance, subtlety, or, in the case of its lead actors, the correct expressions. Kesari Veer is the kind of film that makes you wonder why propaganda films are so often this poorly made. Is it because capable filmmakers steer clear of this rubble? Or is it that the shoddiness helps the propaganda feel more visceral to its target audience? Food for thought, eh?

'Kesari Veer' Movie Review - The Plot

Directed by Prince Dhiman and written by Kanubhai Chauhan and Shitiz Srivastava (with Chauhan also producing), Kesari Veer is based on the historical attack on the Somnath temple in Saurashtra (now Gujarat) by Zafar Khan - a general of the Delhi Sultanate who later founded the Gujarat Sultanate (Mughals and Aurangzeb can take a break for time being). The film follows Hamirji Gohil (Sooraj Pancholi), a prince of Attila, who valiantly fights Khan and his army.

Watch the Trailer of 'Kesari Veer':

Then there’s Vegdaji Bhil (Suniel Shetty), the chieftain of a nearby village and a devout Shiv bhakt. His daughter, Rajal (Akansha Sharma), is in love with Hamirji. Vegdaji eventually joins Hamirji’s army to protect the temple. Historically, Khan succeeded in destroying Somnath and established his Sultanate before dying of old age. In the film, though…

'Kesari Veer' Movie Review - Cliches Galore

Kesari Veer contains all the ingredients of a historical propaganda film meant to stoke communal tensions. The Muslim invaders are bloodthirsty brutes - their first victims being women, then the poor - while Hindu kings are noble, moral rulers hailed as descendants of gods. The film constantly reinforces the idea that peace and prosperity reigned under Hindu rule in Bharat until the Islamic invasions brought ruin.

I won’t wade into the actual history here - it’s clear neither the filmmakers nor the intended audience care about that. They’re happier clinging to preconceived notions about what they assume to be their version of history. What I will point out are the clichés: all Muslim characters wear black, have thick black beards, and there’s even a ruthless qazi in tow. The villain repeatedly mocks Hindu gods and rituals - just in case his atrocities against innocents weren’t enough to enrage viewers.

Because the heroes are Shiv bhakts, the ear-blasting background score is filled with Shiva hymns, including near-operatic chants. Lord Shiva also shows up during action scenes in the background, where the hero is essentially equated with him.

The female characters are there to either morally validate the hero (like his sister-in-law) or to love him, like Rajal. Rajal initially seems like she might be a powerful figure - her introduction tries to pitch her like Baahubali 2's Sivagami - but once the romance kicks in, all she does is pine for her man.

Getting into technical cliches, there’s even a CGI eagle flying over a CGI kingdom, because apparently, no historical epic is complete without one.

The only thing missing is this historical propaganda handbook theft is Anil George playing another Muslim fanatic (Shiva Rindani takes his place here).

'Kesari Veer' Movie Review - Let Down By Direction and Editing

Kesari Veer certainly has ambition. It wants to be hailed like Chhaava - which at least was competently made and had a strong lead. Here, the ambition isn’t backed by finesse. The sets look painted, the backgrounds obviously fake. Even the Somnath Temple seems AI-generated. Occasionally, the weapons and wounds are clearly CGI too.

The film can’t decide what it wants to be - a grounded historical propaganda drama like Chhaava or Kesari (the Akshay Kumar one), or a fantasy epic like Baahubali. This confusion is most apparent in the action sequences, which veer between gritty hand-to-hand combat scenes and absurdly over-the-top heroism that breaks all laws of physics. The hero is frequently shown in slow motion as he dispatches enemies with flair before posing as if someone’s snapping photos from the sidelines. Most of the swordplay, though, is just frantic waving, hoping someone falls over by their throats so that CGI blood can be splashed everywhere.

The climactic battle borrows heavily from Chhaava’s depiction of Sambhaji Maharaj’s last stand before veering into pure absurdity, aping the end of Chiranjeevi’s Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. It rewrites history entirely and turns what should’ve been a poignant finale into unintentional comedy.

There is one scene I genuinely wanted to like - it’s when Hamirji’s unit, reduced to just five men, faces Khan’s mighty army. One of them cracks a joke about his comrade’s missing arm, and they all burst into hearty laughter - a rare moment of levity before impending death. But apart from the laughter sounding forced after a couple of seconds, what really dilutes the impact of the scene is that we hardly know any of these men beyond Hamirji. If only the film had spent time developing these characters instead of pouring its energy into pushing propaganda, this single moment could have resonated far more deeply.

The visuals are either unnaturally misty - maybe to seem 'stylish' - or overwhelmed by smoke during battle scenes, likely to mask flaws. The film could’ve benefited from a tighter runtime, particularly by cutting back on the extended slow-motion shots and the dull love story, where both leads seem to compete for who can deliver the most strained expression. The action editing is downright laughable.

'Kesari Veer' Movie Review - The Performances

As for the performances: Ignore the Islamophobia, I genuinely believe Sooraj Pancholi’s face is phobic to emotions. This is the kind of role that demands screen presence, and Pancholi just doesn’t deliver. You can see him straining to muster the right expressions. Akansha Sharma doesn’t fare much better; her performance - especially in an emotional scene where Vegdaji reveals a major secret - is flat and uninspired. ‘Chhaava’ Movie Review: Vicky Kaushal Dials Up the Aggression in Laxman Utekar’s Historical War Drama That Growls More Than It Roars.

Suniel Shetty gives the kind of performance you’d expect from Sunny Deol - roaring so much that villains stop in their tracks and then talking quietly to his loved ones. His character even meets the same fate he often does when playing second or third lead in an action film. But Shetty's voice and physicality at least give him a more commanding screen presence than his young co-star. Vivek Oberoi seems to be having fun in villain mode, but his portrayal of Zafar Khan feels more childish than cunning. His laid-back menace makes it hard to take the character seriously.

'Kesari Veer' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Kesari Veer isn’t so much a historical film as it is a clunky blend of jingoism, clumsy storytelling, and flat, one-dimensional characters pretending to be legends. It’s overlong, overwrought, and so poorly crafted that it fails even as effective propaganda - unless, of course, a loud, badly made movie is all it takes to validate your Islamophobia.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2025 11:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).