‘Sarbjit’ movie review: Brutal and heart-wrenching

Directed by: Omung Kumar
Produced by: Bhushan Kumar, Vashu Bhagnani, Sandeep Singh
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Richa Chadha, Darshan Kumar
Duration: 2 hours 11 minute
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3.5/5

With a noble thought of bringing to life a dead story, director Omung Kumar has presented us with one of his finest works till date in the form of ‘Sarbjit‘. It has been one of the most-awaited films this year and we must say it was worth the wait. The story of Sarabjit Singh is not something that we don’t already know. But to narrate it visually in 2 hour and 11 minutes is remarkable and Omung Kumar deserves an applause for his attempt. A commoner from Punjab gets trapped in the Pakistani jail for several years for a crime that he never performed, while back in India, his sister fights to bring justice to him. Is the justice served? Sarabjit does return to his homeland, but not before his demise. This unnerving story of a farmer has been soulfully narrated in the film starring Randeep Hooda as Sarabjit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as his sister Dalbir Kaur.

To narrate a 23-year-long journey in a film needs a visionary, so as to not lose out on the intrinsic details of the story. But hats off to director Omung Kumar who managed to cover every bit of Sarabjit’s life in his film.

Randeep Hooda is exceptional. The way he has portrayed his character in the film is something that he would be remembered for, for ages. From his physical appearance of being a distressed man who hasn’t been allowed to bathe for ages, to his dialogue delivery, to the accent that he has picked up, everything is impeccable. His role has been confined to four walls of the jail, but within those four walls, he has done wonders.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as Dalbir Kaur, has also done a fair job. Her character demanded her to be one strong woman yet an emotionally fragile lady at the same time, and she has managed to do so well. There are some wow and some not-so-wow scenes of Aishwarya, and she carries the film on her shoulders.

The surprise package in the film was Darshan Kumar who performed the character of Sarabjit’s lawyer. Even though he had a comparatively less screen time and he could only be seen in the second half of the film, he managed to stand out. Richa Chadha, as Sarabjit’s wife, has done a fine job.

The music composed by Amaal Mallik, Jeet Gannguli and others is decent to attract audience’s attention. Credit goes to the director who has not used music as a mere filler, and the visuals in the songs narrate incidents from Sarabjit’s life. In short, ‘Sarbjit’, is a film which will leave a lasting impact on audience.

Watch trailer