Sarbjit

About the film

Sarbjit is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Pooja Entertainment, T-Series Films and Legend Studios Pvt. Ltd. The film stars Randeep Hooda as Sarabjit Singh, an Indian national wrongfully convicted of terrorism and spying, with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as his sister Dalbir Kaur. Richa Chadda, and Darshan Kumar play supporting roles.

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

Plot

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.

Production

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadda was Omung's first choice for principal characters in the film. On casting Aishwarya, as she does not resemble Dalbir Kaur, Omung 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."

It was reported that Sarabjit's daughters were also keen on Randeep Hooda playing the title role. The actor had lost 18 kg in 28 days. Richa Chadda was selected for the role of Sarbjit's wife. This is her second film opposite Hooda. Darshan Kumar was cast as Pakistani lawyer who fights for Sarabjit in the film. Ankur Bhatia was confirmed to play as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's husband in the film.

The film locations included Punjab, Delhi and Mumbai. Few crucial scenes were shot at the Wagah Border. The director had created the by-lanes of Pakistan in Mumbai Bohri Mohallah, besides Punjab. The protagonist's house was recreated in Aarey Colony in the city though it could have been shot in Tarn Taran (Sarbjit Singh's hometown), the filmmaker reasoned that the town looks a little too modernized for the Punjab of 90s. Since Sarbjit's home was to be shown over a period of two decades, the set was changed accordingly. It was reported on 18 March 2016 that the film shoot was halted for over four hours and producer (Zafar Mehdi) was arrested for hurting national sentiments while shooting a rally sequence with anti-Indian slogans in Urdu. The scene didn't go down well with the locals at Bhendi Bazaar and they filed a complaint against the makers. However Police officials has released Zafar Mehdi as they had valid permission to shoot for the film.

Release

Sarbjit was selected for the Indiwood Panorama Competition at the 2nd edition of Indiwood Carnival 2016 in Hyderabad.

Music

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.

Key details