Movie Review: Sarbjit

Movie Review: ‘Sarbjit’

Rating: 4/5

Director: Omung Kumar

Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda, Richa Chaddha, Darshan Kumar, Ankita Shrivastav, Shiwani Saini, Ankur Bhatia, Charanpreet Singh, Ram Murti Sharma

Sarbjit Movie Trailer

Omung Kumar has a solid plot in ‘Sarbjit‘. This biopic, unlike the earlier one he made on Mary Kom, is not of the triumphant survival saga of an underdog. This is a story of Sarabjit Singh, a farmer, who, on a fateful night, is said to have just wandered off across the border in drunken stupor, never to return home as he gets caught by the Pakistani cops, tortured and kept in jail for 22 years. It is a story of helplessness, of despair and of an unending struggle for Sarabjit’s feisty sister, Dalbir Kaur. It is the story of a simple farmer’s family veering between despair and hope for more than two decades, as they struggle to prove Sarabjit’s innocence and get him back home.

Randeep Hooda brings Sarbjit to life with utter sweetness, ever-smiling, no bitterness mars Sarbjit’s face, he literally embodies this utter despair of hapless Sarabjit at being trapped in an isolated cell in an ‘enemy’ country with such sincerity that it seems all palpable and realistic. He goes from a happy go lucky, romantic fellow to a traumatized prisoner to a man on the brink of losing his sanity in a desperately helpless situation with such conviction and confidence that this Sarabjit stays in your psyche long after you have left the theater.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has a meaty role as she plays the immensely admirable character of Dalbir Kaur, who chose to spend almost her entire life fighting for her beloved brother’s right to be free, instead of wallowing in self pity. A lot rides on Ash’s shoulders as this is the role that demands dollops of courage even when under the most vulnerable of situations. She, more or less, gets into character and brings in a lot of energy and required aggression to the table. But, there are points when she simply goes overboard with her display of rage and emotions. The ever dependable Richa Chadha as Sarabjit’s wife doesn’t have much scope for performance, but she does a good job of being the timid, trusting woman that she’s supposed to play.

Sarbjit comes with an extremely emotional album. It opens with “Salamat” composed by Amaal Mallik. Tulsi Kumar’s verses have perfectly blended with Arijit Singh’s rendition to make it a beautiful track. Next is “Dard” which is again a sad number, sung by super singer Sonu Nigam. Adding masala to the music album of Sarbjit is “Tung Lak” which is a peppy dance number with a tint of bhangra. Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shail Hada have put in their best efforts to make this track a chartbuster.

“Rabba” is excellently sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali and other tracks including “Meherban”, “Barsan Laagi”, “Allah Hu Allah”, “Nindiya” and “Mera Junoon” go well with different scenes incorporated into this flick. All in all, the soundtrack of Sarbjit fits to the theme in an impressive way.

The story deftly weaves in a larger backdrop, from Pokhran to Parliament, 26/11 to Kasab, the editing sharp, the visuals – blue-green skies, grim dark cells, Sukh’s red ‘lapstick’, Sarbjit’s blackened ankles – memorable. The direction depicts a human being and a human truth – individuals often face prisons of politics where the innocent can be shackled in darkness.

Sarbjit breaks your heart – but in contrast to India-Pak fantasies like ‘Gadar’, it bears no blame. It makes you cherish your loved ones – and appreciate others too.

Sarbjit makes a point. Humans come and go. Humanity survives.