Movie: Sarbjit
Direction: Omung Kumar
Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda, Richa Chadha, Darshan Kumaar
Music: Shail Hada, Pritesh
Cinematographer: Kiran Deohans
Editor: Rajesh Pandey
Genre: Biography
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: This film is a biopic based on the infamous Sarbjit, who was caught behind the enemy lines under the false identity of a terrorist. The film revolves around the struggle went through by Dalbir Kaur (Sarbjit’s Sister) in making the people of Pakistan and India realizing that he’s not one, but an innocent farmer. This biopic is directed by Omung Kumar, from the fame of Mary Kom.
Why it’s disappointing: There isn’t much to be disappointed in this film. But in spite of being on a tight leash of 2hr 13 mins, it still manages to feel like a drag at few places. And being a biopic that drag kind of made the audiences restless. Apart from that, I wouldn’t ponder too much on the negative points.
What to watch out for: The film had a great plot and premise to build on, which gave Omung Kumar a great chance to showcase his talent. But what made “Sarabjit” a great watch was its cast. Which was picked extremely well and was played to the finest.
Aishwarya Rai never ceased to improvise herself, she has been continuously presenting her skills in a consistent manner without any glitches. Regardless if one of her film is bombed at the box office, she definitely receives the appreciation. As Dalbir Kaur, she literally lived it. She gets really deep under the skin of the character and churns out a powerful performance which ignites the screen with blazing heat.
Then comes Randeep Hooda, who is one of the most under rated actor in Bollywood. He deserves more appreciation than he actually receives. He has never given a performance which you could say is a dull one. And in “Sarabjit” he excelled quite a few notches up. A performance so convincing that you start to feel for the character. And he made sure to play that role in the finest manner, which required a dedication fitting the attire. Randeep nailed the character of “Sarabjit”.
How can we forget Richa Chaddha as Sukhpreet, she was great and carried the role with poise and integrity. Richa gave a commendable performance.
The film had a great cinematographer in the name of Kiran Deohans and was backed with a neat edit by Rajesh Pandey.
It was disheartening to learn the story of “Sarabjit”, sometimes few things get hidden from the majority of the population in the country. As there are many distractions. Thanks to a medium called cinema, which once in a while digs in to factual stories, bringing them to life. Wish there was a medium at that actual time, which could have saved those souls.
Verdict: Omung Kumar scores once again with this biopic and etched out a neat film depicting the real life character of “Sarabjit”. He was gifted with a great cast, which worked in his favour. Definitely worth a watch for the powerful performances.
