STORY: On the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary, the film attempts to pay a tribute to Swami Vivekananda, one of the most revered philosophers and Hindu monks of India. REVIEW: The film attempts to capture the life, ideals and beliefs of the much revered Swami Vivekananda. His take on caste, religion, God, family, marriage, social work and well-being of his country and people forms the story. His devotion for Swami Ramakrishna is also an integral part of the film. Biopics are generally exaggerated or incomplete. They either glorify the lead character or underplay his or her brilliance. Either way, they often make for an interesting watch as it’s intriguing to see iconic events unfold in front of your eyes as they may have happened years back.

The Light: Swami Vivekananda doesn’t belong to either category. It’s a kind of biopic that makes its influential subject look so uninteresting that even a believer might turn agnostic. For starters, the film is loaded with umpteen unmelodious songs. The songs are probably more in number than dialogues. The dialogues have their own tragedy. The actors are extremely loud and speak in slow motion, making you wonder if they were instructed to do so, since the film is set in the 19th century. Whatever the reason, the effect is unbearable. Barring the lead actor Deep Bhattacharya, the supporting cast overacts, making the film look unintentionally funny.

Deep Bhattacharya is probably the only saving grace of this film, which becomes somewhat tolerable in the second half. He acts well and looks the part. He tries his best to salvage the situation but too many things go wrong in this project. We also like the last scene of the film, where we see the silhouette of Swamiji after he took the Samadhi. Made on a modest budget, the film has been rarely shot in real locations. This further degrades the credibility of this biopic. You don’t even get to see his rock memorial. Worst of all, the screenplay is so boring that it can put you to sleep. Whether you are or are not a follower of the legendary Swami Vivekananda, this is one film you must avoid watching for neither does it inspire you, nor does it make you want to know more about him. You’d rather visit the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari to seek spiritual happiness.