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Tanhaji poster

Tanhaji

10 January 2020Hindi
ActionBiographyDrama
out of 10
Mixedlukewarm or divided
Monk Score · 6 scored reviews · 3 not rated

A visually grand but historically thin spectacle that dazzles more than it enlightens.

Verdict tier Mixed, lukewarm or divided, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Visual spectacle and action sequences
  • Criticised: Historical superficiality and slow pacing

Audience

User score 8.5 out of 10 from 2 ratings, not enough ratings for a verdict yet
Read 1 audience review ↓

Not streaming in India

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Critic consensus

What 9 critics are saying

Critical reception for Tanhaji is mixed, with several reviewers acknowledging its strong visual spectacle, action sequences, and performances — particularly Saif Ali Khan's villainous turn — while positive voices found it an effective piece of mainstream entertainment. However, a notable contingent of critics found the film slow-paced, exaggerated, and historically superficial, with at least one dismissing it as 'cartoon history.' A recurring undercurrent across both favorable and skeptical reviews is the film's prioritization of surface gloss and Bollywood extravaganza over narrative depth or historical authenticity.

How the 6 scores spread

3 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 9 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (9)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review ·

    Watch Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior for its surface gloss: one attribute that the film has no dearth of.

  2. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    I enjoyed Saif Ali Khan's maniacal bad guy, which comes off as yet another variant (Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt) of the flesh-devouring, diabolical, ruthless enemy that Bollywood currently delights in.

  3. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    'Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior' scores on various counts — superior performances, powerful action, visual impact, and most of all, it unfolds a story from the pages of history that deserved to be told, with just this kind of intensity, passion and vigour.

  4. Sify

    Film review ·

    There will always be the questions raised about authenticity of facts, of course. Not much is known about Tanaji Malusare in any case, which is why any debatable aspect of his story might just be fended off with the statutory disclaimer right at the start. Watch Tanhaji as a well-crafted piece of Bollywood extravaganza, more than an authentic lesson in history.

  6. India Today

    Film review ·

    ...an exaggerated and slow-paced ode to the great Maratha warrior. Saif Ali Khan plays the role of Rajput Mughal fortkeeper Udaybhan Singh Rathod in the Om Raut directorial film.

  7. Hindustan Times

    Film review ·

    Tanhaji is a complete package. It's magnificent, high on visual effects and has powerful action backed by rock solid performances.

  9. The Hindu

    Film review ·

    A historical that kicks off well, flounders in the middle and then serves some good punches in the climax

From our readers

Audience reviews (1)

2 ratings · user score 8.5

  1. Shashwat SisodiaFeb 2020
    7/10

    Om Raut's historical drama 'Tanhaji' is a celebration of India's historical warrior who, as it turns out, is unsung hero behind the most well-known of Indian medieval rajahs, Maharaje Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhonsale. While Tanhaji has been played by Ajay Devgan with right amount of heft and conviction, Saif Ali Khan's Udaybhan Rathore puts on a terrifically terrifying performance of an antagonist who'll just creep you out with his inhumane nature. But he's not a Muslim invader. Although the film takes the side of bhagwa, which results in some problematic politics, the script is compelling, the cinematography and visual effects ever enchanting (with and without 3D in equal measure) and the direction skills of Raut are nifty. The aesthetic and texture of the film compounds the new decade's historical advances and likes, technifying Bhansali's most opulent from 'Bajirao Mastani' and 'Devdas' to 'Ram-Leela' or 'Padmaavat'. Watch the film for all these and you'll be enjoying this remarkably uplifting film that's robust and bereft of jingoism.

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