Sarbjit, another biopic after Shakuntala, though I am late in discovering this movie. It was released in 2016 and available on prime for a long long time. But, one way or the other, it kept sliding out of my watch list.

And, now after four years, I have finally watched the movie and am stunned by Randeep Hooda’s stalwart performance . I never thought of him as a great actor, though he was able to do justice to his roles in Ravi Verma and Highway. But, here in Sarabjit, he has surpassed the big wigs. His expressions, dialogue delivery, accent and looks have been spot on. He has essayed the role of a broken man, trapped in enemy’s jail for 21 years, so convincingly that I struggled to hold back my tears while watching him rotting in the jail, losing his mental balance, suffering in agony, writhing in pain. If nothing else, the movie can be and should be watched for his sake.

Though, the movie is not without flaws. Aishwarya Bacchan had the centre role. As Sarabjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur, she was supposed to essay the role of a strong willed woman who fought for more than two decades to free her innocent brother. The role proved to be a bit too much for Aishwarya. Though her looks and expressions were somewhat convincing. But she lacked the accent and timbre required for essaying this role. She neither appeared rustic nor determined in her dialogues. In fact, Richa Chaddha appeared more comfortable on screen than Aishwarya.

Another sore point is the pointless song sequence that Omung Kumar kept peppering the movie with. In a movie with such sombre serious subject, music should have been relegated to background. In his bid to add punjabiyat in the form of peppy gidda and folk songs, the director made a terrible mistake.

Still, the movie is worth a dekko, especially if you like watching films with a different storyline. Randeep Huda is a treat to watch. Couldn’t stop crying for his (Sarabjit’s) fate… Anupama Sarkar