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

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.

‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ is cartoon history…

Like every unsung warrior is a hero by birth, every engaging character stems from good writing.

…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.

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

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.

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

‘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.