Chaar Sahibzaade (Punjabi pronunciation: [t͡ʃaːɾə̆ sɑː˦.ɦəbᵊzaːde]; transl. Four princes) is a 2014 Indian Punjabi animated historical drama film written and directed by Harry Baweja. It is based on the sacrifices of the sons of the 10th Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh Ji—Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh, and Fateh Singh.[4] Om Puri provided the film's narration, and the voice artists for various characters were kept anonymous. It was also the highest grossing Punjabi film when it was released. It was surpassed by Carry on Jatta 2 in July 2018.
| Chaar Sahibzaade | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Harry Baweja |
| Written by | Harry Baweja |
| Produced by | Pammi Baweja |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Om Puri |
| Cinematography | Rowena Baweja |
| Edited by | Ninad Khanolkar |
| Music by |
|
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Aanna Films Sippy Grewal Production |
Release date |
|
Running time | 128 minutes[1][2] |
| Country | India |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | ₹20 crore (US$2.5 million)[3] |
| Box office | ₹70 crore (US$8.8 million)[3] |
Produced by Pammi Baweja under the banner Baweja Movies, the film was released on 6 November 2014 to positive reviews from critics and audiences, and the movie emerged as a major box office success, eventually becoming the highest grossing animated movie ever to have been produced in India.[3]
Synopsis edit
The film starts with invasions of India by the Mughal Empire. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (the ninth Guru of Sikhdom) sacrificed his life for the rights and freedom of religion of the Kashmiri pandits. Following this, Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa to counter the invading forces with martyrdom as the fundamental principle of defence. The film depicts the Battle of Anandpur (1700) in which the Mughal General Painde Khan was slain by Guru Gobind Singh. The film also depicts the Battle of Chamkaur which took place in December, 1704 CE in which forty two Sikhs (under Guru Gobind Singh Ji) fought bravely against ten lakh Mughal forces under the command of Wazir Khan. In the Battle of Chamkaur, both the elder sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh were martyred in combat. The Mughals were composed of large numbers, yet ultimately failed to capture Guru Gobind Singh Ji, culminating in their defeat. The younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, were taken to Wazir Khan's palace and were executed by the Mughal ruler of Sirhind. Wazir Khan gave orders that the masons immure both sons into a section of the city's wall.
Cast edit
- Om Puri as the Narrator
- Harman Baweja
Production edit
Pammi Baweja produced the film under the banner of Baweja movies. The Bollywood actor Harman Baweja is the creative producer of the film and Harry Baweja directed the film. The production took nearly five years. Harry Bajwa spent two years doing research for the project. He met the "Dharam Parchar Committee" of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and discussed his project. It is prohibited in Sikhism to depict Sikh Gurus in an animated form and their still images were used in this film. The voice artists for other characters were kept anonymous.[5][6] The film was produced in Punjabi and Hindi and also dubbed in American English.[7] Animation work for the movie was handled by iRealties and the film trailer was launched in Mumbai.[8]
Music edit
| Song | Artists | Music Director's | Running Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaar Sahibzaade | Sukhwinder Singh | N/A | 4:45 |
| Sat Guru Nanak Pargatya | Asa Singh, Shipra Goyal, Asees Kaur, Arvinder Singh | Jaidev Kumar | 4:02 |
| Mittar Pyare Nu | Amrinder Gill | Anand Raaj Anand | 4:47 |
| Vela Aa Gaya | Jaspinder Narula, Shipra Goyal, Simran-Tripat | N/A | 4:26 |
| Sochte Hue Guru Aaram Karti
Hui Foujon Mein Aye |
Om Puri | N/A | 3:00 |
| Sirsa Ne Rok Litte | Sukwinder Singh | N/A | 1:04 |
| Yodhe Ajit Singh Ne | Sukwinder Singh | N/A | 1:24 |
| Eh Prem Di Galli Hai | Sukwinder Singh | N/A | 1:31 |
| Gobind Ne Laal Pyaare | Sukwinder Singh | N/A | 1:19 |
| Daadi De Naal Potey | Sukwinder Singh | N/A | 1:03 |
| Balaan Nu Neeh Udeeke | Sukwinder Singh | N/A | 1:05 |
| Nainan'Ch Ne Udeekaan | Sukwinder Singh | N/A | 1:07 |
The main title tracks are sung by Sukhwinder Singh, whilst other tracks are sung by many other various artists. "Sochte Hue Guru Aaram Karti Hui Foujon Mein Aye" is a narration poem by Om Puri. This track is dialogue of the movie but was chosen to be added into the soundtrack. Most music director's were kept anonymous. The soundtrack was released through the Saga Music label
Reception edit
Critical reception edit
The film received mostly positive reviews from critics for its story, animation and in-depth research. Jasmine Singh of The Tribune gave the movie 4.5 stars out of 5. He praised its story, calling it a realistic portrayal and commending the delivery of dialogue and narration by Puri. He regarded the animation quality highly especially as it was the first 3D animated Punjabi film.[4] Shubha Shetty Saha of Mid-Day gave the film 3 stars and acclaimed the story for its sincerity but criticized the animation for its apparent lack of flexibility and expressions on the faces of characters.[9] Jesse Brar of PunjabiReviews.com also positively reviewed the story. He complimented the film's pacing and called it realistic by showing younger sons more like children and not morally objectified. He also approved of the film for keeping the story historical and "saving itself from becoming religious propaganda."[10] Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 stars. She enjoyed the film overall and recommended it for children to show them real Indian heroes.[5]
Box office edit
In India, the film earned 3.5–4 crore in the first week.[11] In the United States, the film earned ₹56.24 lakh (US$70,000) and ₹79.45 lakh (£83,000) in the UK. In total it earned ₹2.27 crore (US$280,000) at the international box office across its opening weekend.[12][13]
DVD/Blu-ray Release edit
It is available on the DVD format and was never released on Blu-Ray.[14]
Sequel edit
A sequel titled Chaar Sahibzaade: Rise of Banda Singh Bahadur was released on 11 November 2016.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Chaar Sahibzaade [2D] (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
- ^ "Chaar Sahibzaade". Bollywood Hungama (Hungama Digital Media Entertainment). Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
- ^ a b c "So much so that the movie, which cost Baweja Rs 20 crore, has earned around Rs 70 crore globally".
- ^ a b Singh, Jasmine (8 November 2014). "History in the making". The Tribune. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Chaar Sahibzaade". The Times of India. The Times Group. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Chaar Sahibzaade". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Animation film on Chaar Sahibzade (four sons of Guru) releases today worldwide". Punjabi Timeline. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Chaar Sahibzaade reflects Harry Baweja's animation mastery". The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Chaar Sahibzade is a valuable lesson in history". Mid-Day. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ Brar, Jesse. "Chaar Shahabzaade Film Review". PunjabiReviews.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ "Box Office Report: How Did Chaar Sahibzaade, The Shaukeens & Rang Rasiya Do In Week 2?". missmalini.com. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Happy New Year (HNY) Stoops before 'Chaar Sahibzaade' at Overseas Box Office". International Business Times. IBT Media. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Chaar Sahibzaade surprises, beats The Shaukeens". Bollywood Hungama (Hungama Digital Media Entertainment). 10 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ "Chaar Sahibzaade official DVD".
