Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's "Sarbjit" opened to positive response at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, but critics in India have given a mixed response.
The biographical drama directed by Omung Kumar, features Aishwarya, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadha in the lead roles. "Sarbjit" is based on the life of Indian farmer Sarabjit Singh, who was convicted of terrorism by a Pakistani court, and how his sister Dalbir Kaur fought relentlessly for her his release. Randeep plays the titular role, Aishwarya plays the role of his sister Dalbir and Richa is featured as his wife.
While the actors have given their best performances, the overdose of melodrama affects the movie in general, according to critics. The film is a must watch for the performances, especially Randeep, who steals the limelight.
Read below what critics have said about Aishwarya-Randeep starrer "Sarbjit."
Bollywood Hungama critic said: "SARBJIT is a landmark film with great performances and a superbly told narrative. The entertainment quotient is missing which is compensated by the phenomenal manner in which the story is told."
Kaleem Aftab of the National said: "The film picks up Âmomentum as the focus shifts to Kaur's campaign, but Âbecomes heavy-Âhanded as it attempts to frame Singh's plight in the context of Indo-Pakistan relations."
Sreeju Sudhakaran of BollywoodLife.com said: "Sarbjit's real tale makes for a compelling human drama, and we are glad that the makers chose to highlight his plight with this film. However, if they had reduced the melodrama in the way they narrate his story, the movie could have been more gripping."
Manjusha Radhakrishnan of Gulf News said: "Sarbjit would have benefitted greatly had it been a no-frills affair rather than making it a mainstream movie filled with commercial elements."
Surabhi Redkar of Koimoi.com said: "A contrived plot and over the top performance by Aish makes this movie a lengthy affair. For not doing justice to the actual Sarabjit issue, I'd say this film is passable."
Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV said: "The script seems more intent on giving the heroine a platform to holler and hector her way though than on crafting a balanced narrative that tracks the impact of Sarabjit's disappearance on the family as a whole."
Watch Kamaal R Khan's review below:
