Sardar Ka Grandson REVIEW: Arjun Kapoor, Rakul Preet and Neena Gupta’s film is moving despite the stretch

Director: Kaashvi Nair

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Rakul Preet and Neena Gupta

Produced by: John Abraham, Divya Khosla Kumar, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani

Bollywood Bubble Rating: 

There are stories that tug at your heartstrings and moves you despite its loopholes, Sardar Ka Grandson, directed by Kaashvi Nair is that for me. While the first 45 minutes did exasperate me in parts because of its pace, the last 20 minutes moved me soothing the rather ‘filmy’ heart of mine. The two and a half-hour long film had its heart in its right place but lacked nuance. It all starts with Los Angeles based Amreek Singh aka Arjun Kapoor returns to his homeland to fulfil his grandmother Sardar’s last wish.

Sardar desires to visit her ancestral house in Pakistan which she had built with her husband Gursher Singh in Lahore. To soothe the aching heart of his grandmother and the void, Amreek thinks of the impossible. He wonders, ‘If Sardar cannot travel to Lahore to visit the home, he can bring the home to her.’ You might think that maybe, maybe he is being metaphorical, an impulse decision due to his grandmother’s state but no. But of course, the route wasn’t going to be easy.

After facing a lot of problems to legally take his dadi to Lahore, Amreek decides to bring her house here. Well, the idea in itself is not bad but the entire idea behind this, the messaging of cross border unity is too predictable and lacks the political understanding of a Kabir Khan who pulled off a Bajrangi Bhaijaan effortlessly. We wished a lot more was shown when it comes to the challenges they had to face, not just technical but also physical while doing the said task.

What moved me, however, is the idea of a grandson going to lengths to fill his grandmother’s, void heart. It is a story that explores the love the two generations harbour for each other and which stands out for me. Arjun Kapoor exudes a homely vibe in his performance, there was a sense of ease to him. On the other hand, Rakul Preet Singh had very little to offer to the script. Neena Gupta, for me, was brilliant in the scene where she gets emotional seeing her house in Amritsar and reminisces her romance with Gursher. But apart from that, apart from her playful side, there wasn’t much to do for her as well.

 

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Aditya Rao Hydari as young Sardar and John Abraham as young Gursher shared a good chemistry and a love story which made you invest in them. But I was too distracted by the lack of flavour of 1946 Lahore in their scenes. While Aditi had her dialect on point and made an effort to sound convincing, a similar effort from John seemed missing to me. The length of the film doesn’t help for me. I found it too stretched for no good reason.

But overall, if you want to watch a film which is a feel-good family entertainer, Sardar Ka Grandson is for you.

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