I am afraid that the audience may not venture out this weekend to meet SARBJEET in a U/A certified film. I will be disappointed if the WORD-OF-MOUTH appreciation does not start filling the halls. It is a well-made bold film. However, the disturbing imagery may tune off the viewers.
While, it may be appreciated by people who have seen it, their comments may stop others from buying tickets. Unfortunately, Indian Cinema has primarily been about Romance- Action- Comedy- the three pillars of Entertainment. Hopefully, SARBJEET finds support like NEERJA and TALWARS.
Omung Kumar, director of MARY KOM, has done justice to the story. Sarabjeet is about the relentless fight of a sister, Dalbir Kaur’s ( Aishwariya Rai) struggle to bring Sarbjeet ( Ranjdeep Hooda) her brother back. He was captured straying into Pakistan’s unfenced territory. He was tortured to accept the identity of Ranjith Singh Mattu; a person of Indian origin blamed for five bomb blasts in Pakistan.
We have all followed the story in media. We are partially aware of the twist and turns and the final outcome. Nevertheless, we have seen it from an arm’s distance.
We appreciated, and we blamed. We were happy, and we were sad. Sarbjeet, the film allows us a shameless voyeuristic peep into the struggle and life of Dalbir, Sarbjeet and his wife Shuk played by Richa Chadha.
Randeep Hooda excels as Sarbjeet; the man in jail for something 
as silly as straying into enemies territory while drunk. Pawn in the hands of powers to be. He finally breaks down and momentarily agrees that he was not Sarbjeet but Ranjth. This is the start of the the long wait in solitary confinement. Randeep does wonders to the character with a sublime performance.
Aishwariya Rai rightly gets more screen time, Sarbjeet the film is after all a story from her point of view, but she fades before Randeep. She is so beautiful that even a performance looks unconvincing even in her de-glamorised looks. She fails to deliver highly charged emotional dialogues. So when you walk out of the hall, it’s Sarbjeet- Randeep Hooda who is on your mind.
Go and watch it with family. It is the something that we must know. Show it to new 
generation who could be unaware of such stories. However, warn them, it is not about Pakistan bashing or anti–Muslim stance. It is a part of life, a horrible episode gone wrong.
There are still innocent people trapped in jails across the border. Everyday many families like with hope and die with despair. Surprisingly, the Government on both sides remains inactive and unmoved.
One area where the film fails, is to ask a question. Was Dalbir feeling guilty of her role that led to Sarbjeet straying into Pakistan’s territory? Does she blame herself, or is it just a sister’s love and dedication? Somewhere it has been left unattended. It is so biased with Dalbir’s heroics that it remains blind to other possibilities. I can’t dispute the skew. It is a Director’s call what frame and point-of-view he uses to narrate the story.
As an overall package, it is a superbly made film. It gives Aishwariya and Randeep a canvas to excel in. It has its faults in being over dramatised, hugely melodramatic, over-the-top dialogues and suffers from Aishwariya inability to deliver stressed dialogues. Then there are a few flashbacks and songs that breaks the flow. Even the colour palette of the village (not just Sarbjeet’s family) changes and becomes so sad. Still, it is film to watch.
Sarbjeet is a film that hits you right at the heart and mind. It shocks you. It makes an impact. It makes you question the reality. It makes you shares passion and despair of the family.
Watch the official trailer here
Before I close, I must applaud the makeup and the continuity team, they have done a great job. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the background music. The film allows many pauses, and silent zones that the music director fails to capitalise on.
Question remains unanswered. Will SARBJEET win audience favour after bowling the critics?
FILM– SARBJEET. Cast– Randeep Hooda, Aishwariya Rai, Richa Chadha. Director– Omung Kumar
