Fighting and laying down one’s life for the motherland is considered the highest form of sacrifice and patriotism. But what drives people to give their all to a war when the people they are fighting for are the very people who colonised them?
The Indians who fought for the British dealt with this paradox, hanging on to the slightest hope that a probable victory on the battlefield in a foreign land would help them get their much cherished freedom back home.
Pankaj Batra’s latest Sajjan Singh Rangroot traces the journey of the Sikh Regiment at Western Front during WW1.
It’s an interesting premise with its complexity adding to the beauty. We start from the present-day crisis in the Middle-east and the relief and rescue work being undertaken by the One Khalsa Aid in the war-ravaged Iraq-Syria border.
Talking about how Sikhs and their ancestors have always fought valiantly against injustice, we go into flashback mode.
Punjabi Cinema and Bollywood’s current heartthrob Diljit Dosanjh plays the eponymous hero Sajjan Singh who is recruited in the Lahore Division of the Indian British Army.
Soon summoned to fight the war, Sajjan and his friends find themselves in a situation that offers no easy answers. They are discriminated against, mocked and harassed by the British and yet they must strive to win the war.
At one point in the film Sajjan asks his regiment head Subedaar Zorawar Singh (Yograj Singh) if all the blood they shed would please the British enough to grant them their freedom. He answers with a “maybe”. Doubt is their constant companion and the meagre resources and depleting rations make their task all the more challenging.
Like any other typical war-drama, Sajjan Singh Rangroot has its fair share of a beyond-the-barrack bonhomie and reminiscence over homes and families left behind.
We move forward at an indulgent pace first establishing Sajjan as a fearless Khalsa channelizing his pent up anger against the British. The film also marks the debut of singing sensation Sunanda Sharma who has a pleasing screen presence in a bite-sized role as Sajjan’s love interest.
It is only post the half-way mark that the film picks up with the troops readying themselves for a ferocious battle against the Germans. The film with its many carefully crafted scenes and crowd-pleasing dialogues vociferously talks of bravery and fierceness that the Sikhs are known for, with their Turban pride and proclivity to fair play.
Although well-intentioned, it soon takes away from the nuanced narrative that such a complex subject warrants. The war scenes have been given a fine professional polish but don’t boast of anything particularly astonishing. Also the misplaced songs and flashbacks – sometimes between tense battle sequences – dampen the overall effect.
What makes the film worth watching are the performances. Diljit Dosanjh and Yograj Singh are in top form with ample support from the ensemble cast. If only the screenplay was deftly handled, Sajjan Singh Rangroot could have been a far superior film. However, it has its heart in the right place and makes for a good one-time watch.
For the non-Punjabi speaking audience the English subtitles would come in handy. 2.5 quints out of 5.
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