‘Sam Bahadur’ teaser: Vicky Kaushal takes charge as war hero Sam Manekshaw

The teaser for Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur was unveiled by the makers on Friday.

The historical war film stars Vicky Kaushal as Sam Manekshaw, a charismatic war hero and India’s first Field Marshal. In a decorated military career spanning four decades, Manekshaw fought in five wars and was India’s Chief of the Army Staff during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.

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In the 85-second teaser, Kaushal, who last collaborated with Gulzar on the spy drama Raazi (2018), transforms impressively into Manekshaw, complete with his distinctive handlebar moustache and a probing, unwavering stare. “A soldier’s uniform is more valuable to him than his life,” he tells his troops, rallying them into battle against the nation’s enemies.

The teaser underlines Manekshaw’s unshakeable devotion to the battlefield and his distaste for politics. “Your place is with your soldiers”, his wife, Silloo (Sanya Malhotra), reassures him at one point. We also meet Fatima Sana Shaikh as former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who tells Manekshaw that the duty of a soldier is to lay down his life for the nation. “I beg your pardon, madam,” he counters boldly, saying that their duty instead is to ‘take the enemy’s life’ in order to protect the country.

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Sam Bahadur is written by Bhavani Iyer, Shantanu Shrivastava and Meghna Gulzar. The film was shot in locations in Punjab, Kolkata, Jaipur, Kashmir and New Delhi. It is produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies, who also backed the 2019 blockbuster Uri: The Surgical Strike starring Kaushal.

Sam Bahadur is set to be release in theatres on December 1, 2023.