Bollywood star Vicky Kaushal’s much anticipated biopic’s new song ‘Banda’ is the perfect tribute to not just the legendary Sam Manekshaw, but also soldiers of the Indian Army.Sung by musical maestro Shankar Mahadevan, the song fully harbours the spirit of military decorum, mixing it with Bollywood flair.
Shankar Mahadevan’s own singing needs little mention at this point because it constantly reminds you of his brilliant performance in the title track of ‘Lakshya’, something with which ‘Banda’ shares many similarities.
The song has the rock signature while also being composed in a very traditional Bollywood style fashion, though much of the instrumentation and the high passion also oddly enough has a military decorum to it, which is really something very original.
Composed by the dynamic and acclaimed Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the music is fully suited to Shankar’s own voice and it does full justice. The production is also far more different than most Bollywood productions these days, as it is not overly booming, or stylistically pop-filled.
Everything is done in great balance, and this really helps the sound design do justice to the song. Penned by the legendary Gulzar, the song ‘s own music video also is very poignant showcasing various snippets of the legendary soldier’s own life, all the way from his time in the Indian Military Academy and days in WW 2, to his time as Chief of Staff of the Indian Army, and later Field Marshal.
The video shows how Sam grew up to be the person he is known to be today, and with 40 years of military career, having seen many wars in his life, Vicky Kaushal’s own look is nearly indistinguishable from that of the original Sam Manekshaw.
Directed by Meghna Gulzar, ‘Sam Bahadur’ has been shot in meticulous detail and will release theatrically on December 1.