The story unfolds in Lahore at a time when Bhagat Singh is a child exposed to an environment dominated by the British Raj. Belonging to a family dedicated to the freedom struggle in India, Bhagat Singh's curiosity has always thrived in seeking justification for the actions taken by the British Government.

Death does not frighten this young child, so much so that witnessing the horrific Jalianwala Baug massacre leaves a deep impact on his mind, thus making him vow for revenge.

As a young man, he is fully dedicated to the freedom movement to the extent that he leaves his loving family behind and even rejects a marriage proposal.

Soon enough, he meets up with the legendary Chandrashekar Azad and eventually becomes the leader of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Party with Raj Guru, Sukhdev and Gopal.

As an activist, Bhagat has always respected Mahatma Gandhi and Lala Rajpat Rai - both leaders of the freedom movement. Whilst Gandhi's philosophies of peaceful resistance are against Bhagat's beliefs, Lala Rajpat Rai has always supported him.

It is the death of Lala Rajpat Rai at the hands of a British officer which leads to the eventual bombing of the legislative assembly meeting by Bhagat Singh and his associates. The result: Bhagat Singh receives a two year prison sentence.

During those gruesome years, he suffers the horrific conditions of prison life, but with true dedication he takes it all in his stride.

But on March 23rd 1931, he is hanged by the British officers. His body is smuggled to a secluded place where it is cremated in the middle of the night. The aftermath of this incident led to a national uproar in India.

It was obvious: Bhagat Singh's death has become his much sought after victory! This is his story...'23rd March 1931-Shaheed'.

Actor Bobby Deol enacts the role of Bhagat Singh with great sincerity and conviction. Most important is the fact that Bobby Deol's 'look' matches that of the character he plays, which is sure to be a plus point for this movie.

Pre-intermission portrays the Bhagat Singh's relationship with Chandrashekhar Azad whilst post-intermission is more action packed and is fully dedicated to Bhagat Singh as a revolutionary.

Director Guddu Dhanoa has handled all the sequences in this film with great thought.

Music by Anand Raaj Anand deserves a special mention. One cannot fail to notice the Punjabi and patriotic flavour in the songs. 'Rang de basanti', 'Des nu challo' and `Jogiya ve jogiya' which form the highlight of this political epic. The background musical score by Surinder Sodhi is effective and matches the mood of the scenes.

On the technical front, cinematography by Thiru is simply superb, whilst Tinu Verma's action sequences are believable and true to life. It's definitely worth mentioning also that the costumes designed by Simple Kapadia depict great detail and matches the era of the 1931 narration.

Producer Sunny Deol has made a commendable film full of conviction by keeping his audience in mind. An overall great entertainer worth seeing!

Reviewed By: Manish Gajjar
(BBC Shropshire's Bollywood Specialist).