Movie Review: Sarbjit is a Poignant Story With a Sloppy Treatment
Aishwarya is loud, while Randeep Hooda shines in the film.
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Director Omung Kumar has a knack for sniffing out real life stories and then spending all his energy in dulling them into insignificance. It’s a skill that makes him stand apart! Just like a magician makes a white pigeon disappear into thin air, Omung Kumar can take true stories and drain all life out of them… leaving us with a hollow, vacuous, sorry consolation!
He did it with Mary Kom and betters his own record with Sarbjit!
Sarbjit could well have been called Aishwarya! She is present in practically every scene. We understand that as Sarbjit’s grieving sister who fights tooth and nail for her brother, she will obviously be a significant character. But since she plans to compensate for her acting prowess with her lung power, it does take a toll on us.
The film starts with chilling intensity as Dalbir (Aishwarya Rai) and Sukhpreet (Richa Chaddha) frantically look for Sarbjit, who was last seen loitering around in the pind ke kehet! This lasts for exactly four minutes because Omung Kumar summons a flashback where Aishwarya Rai must be shown in her resplendent beauty, dancing and giggling before she agrees to make the ultimate sacrifice of going all de-glam!
It’s also the last time she talks softly. Be prepared to drown in her shrill shrieks as she shouts down everyone from her on-screen adversaries to our mumbling disapprovals.
Still Sarbjit isn’t a film I can dismiss entirely.
For one, this is a story that deserves to be heard. It is based on the life of Sarbjit Singh who, for no fault of his own, languished in a Pakistani jail while his sister put up a resilient flight to bring him back to his country – it’s gut wrenching! And most importantly, Sarbjit deserves all our attention thanks to the brilliance of Randeep Hooda and Richa Chaddha. The physical transformation that Hooda’s character goes through – his accent, body language, and the way he portrays his fear and pain – is simply mind-blowing. It’s an overused word, yes, but this is the only way to describe his stunning performance.
The same goes for Richa Chaddha who melts into her character. Sadly, she doesn’t enjoy as much screen time as Ms Rai, but every time she is in the frame you realise how phenomenal she is.
I cried buckets watching Sarbjit. The scenes of heartbreaking torture and Randeep Hooda’s honest portrayal will leave you with moist eyes. As will Omung Kumar’s sloppy mishandling of a poignant story.
Sadly, Sarbjit remains just an average affair. I’ll give it 2.5 Quints out of 5.
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