Sarzameen Movie Review: Prithviraj Sukumaran And Kajol Come Very Close To Ibrahim Ali Khan's Poor Performance

Sandwiched between an emotionally drab father-son tale and an army man's love for his country is Sarzameen, a movie casually burying serious themes like patriotism, terrorism in Kashmir, espionage and indoctrination under its overwhelming musical elements. Early on, while the storyline explores interpersonal relationships, family grief and extremism, the overpowering background score and songs continually flow from and into each other, leaving no scope for reflection or contemplation about the characters' feelings or director Kayoze Irani's intent. Instead, it guides the viewers into a trap of sentimentality as what's shown onscreen is also being force-fed. Emotional overtones are diluted this way and boredom seeps in early on, leading to complete cut-off from the movie. This is repeated throughout the runtime and there is no rescuing Sarzameen from the trap it creates and falls deep into.

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One sequence, however, becomes the highlight. Seemingly inspired by the Pulwama attack of 2019, only thwarted in the movie, the planned convoy attack sequence has good action, and fast editing bring back the emphasis to the urgency in the film. This is well shot and executed. The Valley, which has stood witness to years of violence, becomes a beautiful background for bloodshed and this stark contrast makes one contemplative.  

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The climax comes attached with the mandatory "peace" message and a twist. How the movie lands here is a no-brainer though. In this is haphazard mix-up, Sarzameen forces you to find its redeeming qualities.  

Ibrahim Ali Khan, who marked his debut with the Netflix movie Nadaaniyan, has failed to deliver second time around. In scenes where he features with Kajol and Prithiviraj, his flat dialogue delivery makes him a stark stand out. His role is limited largely to montages, and fortunately or unfortunately, that's all he has to offer. He's weak and it is evident in the father-son face-off scenes, which the movie builds up to but are wasted. The pre-climax, blended with action, is a bit better and allows more scope to deliver. Here too, there is no hiding Ibrahim's shortcomings.

Prithviraj somehow, with his husky and tonal voice, also seems like a miscast. Kajol's emotional performance and modulation and Prithviraj's calculated and cynical approach, emerging from his character of an Army officer, are a mismatch. Instead of complementing each other, they are out of sync. To his credit, Prithviraj's act works more in silences than talkie portions.

Sarzameen is neither grounded in realism nor emotions. The movie wanders and the audience interest in it will too from start to end.  

Rating: 1/5 Stars