No, Shamshera is not a real story and all the characters, events and places depicted in it are fictitious. Shamshera is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language period action drama film directed by Karan Malhotra and produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. The movie stars Ranbir Kapoor in dual roles, alongside Sanjay Dutt, Vaani Kapoor, Ronit Roy and Saurabh Shukla.
The plot and specific events are fictional. The titular Robinhood-esque character of Shamshera is not rooted or inspired from any historical figure of the 1800s. There is also no city of Kaz as depicted in the movie, with the movie being shot in Nubra Valley, Ladakh. Having said that, the movie draws loose inspiration from the broader historical context of British rule in India.
Plot Summary
Shamshera is a period action drama set in the fictional city of Kaza in the 1800s during the British colonial rule in India. The Khamerans, a proud warrior clan, are discriminated against due to their lower caste and banished from Kaza. In retaliation, the Khamerans, under the leadership of Shamshera, begin plundering the upper-caste residents of Kaza.
The people of Kaza seek help from the British army, who ally with a ruthless Indian police officer, Shuddh Singh. A fierce struggle ensues which ends with the Khamerans getting incarcerated in a fortress. To protect his tribe from annihilation, Shamshera frames himself as a traitor during an escape attempt. Shuddh Singh captures and publicly hangs Shamshera.
25 years later, Shamshera’s son Balli learns about the truth about his father’s sacrifice and the ongoing oppression. He embraces his father’s legacy and becomes the new Shamshera. He rallies the tribe and launches a full-scale revolt against Shuddh Singh and the British forces.
In the climax, Balli avenges his father by publicly hanging Shuddh Singh. The Khamerans break out of the fortress, reclaim their dignity and march towards a hopeful future.
Parallels With Reality
Shamshera explores the theme of caste oppression of tribal and marginalised communities, prevalent in the 19th century in India. Forced labour depicted in the movie was also very much present back then in India.
The story is inspired from the many tribal rebellions that took place against the British colonial rulers of India. However, as the lead actor Ranbir Kapoor clarified, the movie, though rooted in independence struggle, is not a retelling of any specific real-life person’s life or events.