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The typical war movies follow the stories of strong, valiant men marching into battle in uniform. But The Warrior Queen of Jhansi is far from the typical war movie—instead telling the story of an Indian woman who led her people in a fight for freedom.
The Warrior Queen of Jhansi tells the true story of the young queen of the Indian kingdom of Jhansi (Devika Bhise). In 1858, after more than 250 years of conquest by the British East India Company, the people of India have had enough. When the company demands that the widowed Rani of Jhansi step aside, handing her kingdom over to British control, she refuses, knowing that it will lead the British army to attack. So she prepares to fight for freedom by training an army of strong, courageous women.
This inspiring biopic follows the Rani as she finds herself caught in the middle of a power struggle. The East India Company’s profits are down. The British government wants to “civilize” the Indian people. And Queen Victoria (Jodhi May) wants to rein in the fighting and casualties. The young, widowed queen is happy to work with the British government as long as they allow her to continue to care for her kingdom. But it soon becomes clear that things are about to change—so, instead of working with the traditional army, she trains other women to be warriors.
What follows is all rather straightforward and obvious. The director takes great pains to set the two groups apart. The young Rani may be strong and defiant when it comes to her enemies, but she’s also graceful and beautiful. She’s a loving mother and a passionate queen. And she’s kind and thoughtful enough to surround herself with women of all classes and castes.
The British men, on the other hand, are greedy and ruthless and power hungry. They’ll lie, cheat, and steal without a second thought. And they even have the perfect long mustaches for their villainous mustache-twirling. The only male British character with a heart is Major Robert Ellis (Ben Lamb), who offers the queen his assistance. The rest spit anger and hatred to that point that it’s exhausting. The characters simply lack depth. And while the main character is certainly strong and inspiring, it’s all a little one-note.
The Warrior Queen of Jhansi definitely promotes the strength, the power, and, most importantly, the heart of women. But the director works so hard to divide these two sides—male and female, British and Indian—that it loses all subtlety.
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