"Banda Singh Bahadar The Rise of Khalsa" Animated Movie DVD by Vismaad: Review

The aim of the animated movie Banda Singh Bahadar The Rise of Khalsa to educate does not fall short. Its story within a story sequel to Sahibzadey, held my attention as I learned fascinating facts about the life of Lacchman Dev farm boy aka Madho Das Yogi aka Gurbux Singh Khalsa warrior, best known as Banda Singh Bahadar, illustrious leader of the Khalsa Panth, and avenger of Guru Gobind Singh's martyred sons and mother. Banda Bahadar pursues his enemies over a thousand miles through 18th century Punjab on horse back gathering an army of dedicated foot soldiers on his victorious quest to destroy tyrannical Mughal rule.

The animated movie Banda Singh Bahadar The Rise of Khalsa brings to life an important segment of Sikhism's history. The commitment of early Sikhs to willingly sacrifice their life on the battlefield in order to end tyrannical Mogul oppression of Punjab tempered with their unwillingness to compromise their faith and values is clearly showcased in this epic animated film.

The movie begins with an elderly Singh giving modern-day Sikh children a history lesson.

The next scene skips back to 18th century Punjab as two young Singhs leave home to join up with Banda Singh Bahadar's army. Along the way, they tell tales of about Bhanda Singh's early life and transformation from farmer and hunter, to mystic yogi who is met by Guru Gobind Singh and promoted to general of the Khalsa. The sequence is shown with Bollywood type flashing flashbacks interspersed with still historical images such as may be seen on langar hall walls.

Once the two Singhs reach Banda Singh and the Khalsa, a split screen is us used to to show the army on the move as it pursues evil perpetrators responsible for the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh's youngest two sons. Along with an ongoing narration, titled pages appear dating the various sequential scenes which take place over a year.

A troupe of young Sikh women join up with the army and the viewer learns about the Khalsa code of honor regarding conduct between genders.

The primary focus of the film is the battle of Sirhind and the tactics that Khalsa employ under the direction of Banda Singh to overcome their adversary and punish the slayers of the Guru Gobind Singh, his martyred mother, and his sons.

Subtitles employ adequate English, although in a couple of untranslated scenes and songs I had to rely on the animation for explanation.Though at times I found the different styles of animation appearing throughout the film a bit disconcerting, the main characters had a sense of realism in their eyes and expressions which I found quite captivating, as they reminded me of actual Sikhs from Punjab whom I've met. Sound effects of clinking swords made the battles scenes believable.

As a history lesson the animated movie, Banda Singh Bahadar, The Rise of Khalsa does it's job. I came away knowing more about Sikh history and the part Banda Singh Bahadar played in overthrowing the Mughal forces. However I definitely recommend watching Sahibzadey, A Saga of Valor and Sacrifice prior to watching Rise of the Khalsa in order to fully understand the sequence of events as Rise of Khalsa plays out very much like a sequel to Sahibzadey. When I watched Rise of Khalsa a second time after viewing Sahibzadey, I readily recognized the characters and understood the plot better than I had in my previous viewing.

Incorporated in 2004, Vismaad is a pioneer in bringing Sikhism to the screen via the venue of animated technology. Relying on donations and collaboration with private investors to fund animation ventures, profits realized go to production of forth coming films

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.