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Sarhad Paar
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'Sarhad Paar' Worth a miss

By Nikhil Kumar
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

The subject and look of Raman Kumar’s movie ‘Sarhad Paar’ is absolutely out of sync with the present-day tastes of moviegoers.

The reason for this is that the film has been long in the making and is hitting the theatres perhaps 2-3 years later than its previously planned date. The result is an outdated movie based on an expired theme. Not even accomplished actors like Sanjay Dutt and Tabu manage to salvage the film from its ill-fated doom.

‘Sarhad

Paar’ tells the story of an Indian soldier Ranjit Singh (Sanjay Dutt) who returns home to his wife Pammi (Tabu) and sister Simran (Mahima Chaudhary) years after being declared ‘missing in action’ by the army. The truth is that he strayed into the Pakistani side of the border and was taken prisoner by a group headed by a dreaded mercenary.

After his return, Ranjit is not the same man as before. He has been tortured and tormented. He has lost his memory. The only thing he remembers is the face of his tormentor.

Both Pammi and Simran try to heal Ranjit’s mental scars. But the wounds are too deep. Simran, who is engaged to Ravi (Chandrachur Singh), perseveres to help her brother in any which way.

What follows is an emotional drama and Ranjit’s fight with his enemy within and without.

‘Sarhad Paar’ suffers on many counts. The most prominent being that the movie almost appears pointless in the second half. It appears that many parts of the film have been put together haphazardly. Moreover, the film has more-than-needed songs (perhaps to fill the space) and an absolutely dispensable item number which seems deliberately squeezed in the movie to enhance its entertainment value. Even the music by Anand Raj Anand is below the contemporary standards.

Among the performances not a single one sticks in your mind. Sanjay Dutt wears a persecuted look for most part of his role. Tabu is gloriously wasted in a role that deserved more footage in the second half. Mahima Chaudhary is strictly okay. Rahul Dev hams without restraint while Chandrachur Singh’s acting is wooden.

‘Sarhad Paar’ does manage to create a convincing ambience of a Punjab village. The movie starts off pretty okay but loses its direction halfway. What follows thereafter is a disjointed effort to somehow put a film together.

Rating:

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