Sarzameen briefly tries to distinguish itself from every other movie set in Kashmir that revolves around Army operations against terrorists. There’s a direct link drawn between disciplinarian military culture, poor parenting and traumatised children. Kazoye Irani’s film, written by Soumil Shukla and Arun Singh, sets itself up as something different – risky even.
However…
Army officer Vijay (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is in hot pursuit of the mysterious fugitive Mohsin. Vijay believes that Mohsin is none other than another terrorist, Qaabil (KC Shankar). On the home front, Vijay is warring with his wife Meher (Kajol) over his rejection of their shy, stuttering son Harman (Ronav Parihar). Despite Meher’s remonstrations, Vijay displays contempt towards Harman, whom he regards as weak and unworthy.
When Qaabil kidnaps Harman, Vijay refuses to negotiate. Presumed dead, Harman (Ibrahim Ali Khan) returns years later – with sculpted muscles, a hard stare and stutter-free speech. Is he really Harman or a terrorist plant?
Sarzameen is out on JioHotstar. The Hindi film’s basic premise is from Ramesh Sippy’s Shakti (1982), about a principled police officer who lets kidnappers take away his son rather than betray his uniform. But Shakti’s exploration of a son who harbours lingering resentment against his father simply doesn’t lend itself to a movie about an insurgency that is guided by political ideology.
As if it isn’t dodgy enough to link Vijay’s decisions with Harman’s journey, Sarzameen has one of the most ludicrous and asinine twists in recent memory. The side-splitting revelation wipes out Vijay’s much-vaunted reputation as a highly decorated officer. Whither Army intelligence – or, for that matter, basic intelligence?
The mishmash of parenting lessons, terrorist hunting and personal sacrifice only suits the characters played by Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kajol. The other actors, including Jitendra Joshi as the token good Muslim and Mihir Ahuja as Qaabil’s aide, barely register.
Ibrahim Ali Khan is unequipped to portray Harman’s seething rage or emotional conflict. Whatever flicker of psychological depth there is, is soon extinguished for an anything-goes melodrama about a dysfunctional family dynamic that doubles up as an unintended comedy.
