Sarbjit (film)

Sarbjit is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language

Sarbjit was made on a production budget of ₹15 crore and earned ₹43.88 crore worldwide after its two-week theatrical run.[5] It premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival^[6] and released theatrically on 20 May 2016 to a mixed response from critics.^[7][8]

Dalbir Kaur, two years after she suffers the stillbirth of her daughter, leaves her abusive husband Baldev and arrives to stay with Sarbjit's family. She works in a textile mill to support the family alongside Sarbjit. Sarbjit Singh lives in Bhikhiwind, Punjab, with his wife Sukhpreet, their two daughters Poonam and Swapandeep, and his father Darji. He works as a farmer and is a loving younger brother.

In 1990, after becoming drunk, Sarbjit accidentally crosses the border and arrives in Pakistan, where he is convicted as an Indian spy. He is alleged to be Ranjit Singh and accused of causing bomb blasts in Lahore. His claims of innocence are ignored and he is tortured for months before he is able to inform his family of his captivity through a letter. In an attempt to appease the Pakistani police, Sarbjit falsely confesses to terrorism and is promptly given a death sentence. Dalbir, determined to free her brother, enlists the help of lawyer Awais Sheikh. Their plea for justice is supported across India and condemned in Pakistan; the media in both countries continues to cover the case, causing Sarbjit's sentence to be repeatedly delayed.

In 2012, after 22 years of imprisonment, Sarbjit's family was allowed to visit him in jail. They are heartbroken to witness him as a tortured prisoner but he rejoices in the short-lived reunion. Subsequently, his death sentence commutes to life in prison; having already served nearly twice the length of a standard Pakistani life sentence, it is assumed that he will be pardoned and released imminently. The Pakistani government soon clarifies that the release order they issued was not for Sarbjit, but for a prisoner named Surjeet, devastating Sarbjit's family. A year later, Sarbjit is attacked in his jail cell by Pakistani prisoners, and is admitted to a local hospital in critical condition, eventually succumbing to a comatose state. His sister, wife and grown daughters visit him but are forced to leave shortly before his death. Sarbjit's body is delivered to India, where his village and family mourn as they reminisce about his life. As the film ends, Dalbir makes a promise that she will always continue trying to fulfill Sarbjit's dying wish of being recognized as an innocent man.

• Randeep Hooda as Sarabjit Singh Attwal
• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Dalbir Kaur, Sarbjit's sister
• Richa Chadda
  as Sukhpreet Kaur, Sarbjit's wife
• Darshan Kumar as Awais Sheikh, Sarbjit's lawyer
• Shiwani Saini as Swapan Kaur, Sarbjit's elder daughter
• Ankita Shrivastav as Poonam Kaur, Sarbjit's younger daughter
• Ankur Bhatia as Mandev Singh, Dalbir's husband
• Trishaan Singh Maini as Maninder
• Ram Murti Sharma as Darji, Sarbjit's father

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadda was Omung's first choice for principal characters in the film.^[9] The Media has questioned Omung on casting Aishwarya as she does not resemble Dalbir Kaur.^[10] He said that "It is the story of the character not the resemblance. Everybody told me I was mad to cast Aishwarya. But then, they said similar things when I cast Priyanka Chopra for Mary Kom; that she won't fit the role, she doesn't look North Eastern, and so on. But I’d decided that for Dalbir's part, I wanted someone who's mature enough, who could play a 22-year-old and 60-year-old as well, someone who commands and demands respect when she speaks. Aishwarya is a director's actress, she is a fantastic. We can see her in any role possible, but yes, they talk about her beauty more."^[11]

It was reported that Sarabjit's daughters were also keen on

Sarbjit was selected for the Indiwood Panorama Competition section at the 2nd edition of Indiwood Carnival 2016 in Hyderabad.^[20]

The music for Sarbjit was composed by Jeet Gannguli, Amaal Mallik, Tanishk Bagchi, Shail-Pritesh and Shashi Shivam. The first song "Salamat" was released on 18 April 2016. The music rights of the film were acquired by T-Series.

The film opened to positive response from reviewers,^[21] with praise drawn towards its screenplay, engaging realistic portrayal of the situations and editing.^[22][23]

Rachit Gupta from Filmfare gave 4 stars and noted "The actors really save the film. Hooda as Sarbjit is beyond brilliant. Rai Bachchan performance is a bit inconsistent, but scenes where she lets the silences and eyes take over are just marvelous. Richa Chadda plays the stoic wife with just the right amount of underplay.^[24] Zee News rated 4 stars said "The biopic will strike a chord for its genuine attempt to share a story not told on the celluloid before, coupled by stellar performances of its lead, particularly the man himself – Randeep Hooda".^[25] Critic Shaiju Mathew gave 4 out of 5 stars and said, "The movie is a dark movie with no scope for entertainment but Omung Kumar does a fabulous job with his direction to keep the audience attention captivated. Randeep Hooda has given his career best and gets into the skin of Sarbjit. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan barring few high-octane scenes where she goes overboard with histrionics delivers a strong performance.^[26] Bollywood Hungama gave a rating of 3.5 stars mentioned "On the whole, SARBJIT is a landmark film with great performances and a superbly told narrative. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan delivers a performance of a lifetime. Randeep Hooda is outstanding. Richa Chadha makes a solid impact and Darshan Kumaar is effective as the liberal Pakistani lawyer".^[27] The Times of India which also gave 3.5 noted "Sarbjit breaks your heart – It makes you cherish your loved ones – and appreciate others too. Randeep imbues Sarbjit with beautiful, powerful humanity".^[28] IANS rated 3.5 stars stated "The film is evenly paced with a few lengthy and unwarranted scenes but overall, Sarbjit Aitwal's story is worth a watch, as it touches the right emotional chord. Aishwarya as Dalbir Kaur puts her heart and soul into her character. Randeep Hooda as Sarbjit steals the show".^[29] Deccan Chronicle gave the film 3 stars said "Overall, the film takes you on an emotional ride. Randeep's stellar performance may earn him loads of accolades and respect as an actor. Rai Bachchan convincingly portrays Dalbir's ordeal through her role. Scenes between Aishwarya and Randeep in the Pakistan prison will leave you teary eyed".^[30]

At the end of second week, the film has grossed ₹439 million (US$5.1 million) worldwide and became a financially profitable at the box office.[44]

• Sarbjit at
  IMDb