The Revolutionaries:
There was more than just rhetoric to winning our freedom. The Revolutionaries dives headfirst into the bloody, violent aspect of India’s freedom movement — those brave young men and women who believed that gunpowder, guns and sacrifice were what the British would understand all too well.
This new period action thriller, directed by Nikkhil Advani, is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, and it is inspired by Sanjeev Sanyal’s book Revolutionaries: The Other Story Of How India Won Its Freedom. As you might have already guessed from the title, this is going to be anything but a conventional take on history.
The series revolves around a group of brave young revolutionaries who refuse to wait and sit around until they win their freedom. They are angry, fearless and, in some cases, recklessly so. But there’s always a reason behind that kind of recklessness.
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And that’s what makes it really addictive.
Rather than depicting revolutionaries as mere characters from history books, the series attempts to reveal the humanity behind these ideologies, the friendships, fears, anger, loyalty, and doubts of those people. They are not superhuman heroes. They are people who make difficult choices during harsh times.
Action is another advantage of the show. It has a gritty and rather violent nature – guns hurt, fights are tough, and there is always a price to pay for your actions. Historical setting also adds to the overall feeling of danger; it becomes clear that one single act of defiance will be enough to bring the whole British machine down upon your head.
But the true power of the show is in the question it asks: how far would you go for freedom?
The series doesn’t give any answers. It neither worships violence nor condemns those people who made the choice to resort to it. Instead, it puts you in the position of people who had gone as far as to realize that pacific means weren’t enough anymore.
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That makes for quite an engaging tale.
There are certain flaws. At times, the narrative loses its pace and the stronger dramatic instances come off as being overly preachy about the message. But when the narrative is on fire, there’s no doubt about the momentum.
Above all, it brings to light aspects of the struggle for freedom that deserve more coverage. India’s fight for independence wasn’t simple nor straightforward; it consisted of several factions and was full of individuals ready to risk their lives. And that’s what the series manages to highlight.
It’s far from perfect but it has passion.
And that’s exactly what historical thriller requires.
Verdict: Engaging, gritty and ambitious. The Revolutionaries takes a different approach at the story of India’s fight for independence, making it impossible to stop watching.
Rating: 3.5/5
