Sarzameen review: Prithviraj, Kajol and Ibrahim Ali Khan's 'Mission Kashmir' navigate an overfamiliar terrain

Sarzameen story:

Vijay Menon (Prithviraj Sukumaran), a respected army soldier renowned for his unwavering commitment to duty and selflessness, navigates an increasingly dangerous Kashmir in this gripping drama. Harman (Ibrahim Ali Khan) offers a raw, simmering intensity to the character of a young guy caught between shadowy memories and unpleasant facts, while Mehr (Kajol) is a strong mother and wife who tries to keep the family together.

Sarzameen review:

Nowadays, anyway, there's a dearth of originality in movies, and every time there's a film announced with a teaser or a trailer, all we do is think hard about which film had a similar story before. Sarzameen succumbs to the same cliches. I couldn't help but think the film's plot was taken from Mission Kashmir when the trailer came out. But did it feel the same when I was watching film? Let's find out...

Sarzameen is a story about a typical army father who has a son and wishes to see him as tough as he is right now. But yes, the father himself has a childhood trauma of his father making him feel the same. The generational trauma continues and the respect further diminishes as it passes on. Here, however, we see that although Vijay Menon (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is a tough father, his son seeks his validation every now and then. Harman (Ibrahim Ali Khan) is timid and stammers, which makes his weakness more obvious in this situation. He doesn't shy away from holding his father's hand while walking, which is a rarity we see in a father-son relationship.

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Naturally, Mehr (Kajol), a mother and wife, finds herself caught between her husband and her son, yet she aspires for everyone to be in agreement. She makes the father understand that their son can't be treated the way he is by him; in a way, she is trying to break the generational trauma. On the other hand, she assures the son that he is near-perfect and things will get better eventually.

But what goes wrong? Well, very simple... The family lives in the sensitive area of Kashmir, where attacks happen frequently. Plus, Vijay is an army soldier; thus, he always had to be on the war front and his family always worried. In no time, we see that Harman gets kidnapped by the terrorists, and, in return for having him freed, they have to release the terrorists who were imprisoned.

The film follows the typical narrative of a soldier prioritising his country over his family, similar to the theme presented in Raazi (2018)—Watan ke aage kuch nahi khud bhi nahi (Nothing comes before the nation, not even oneself).

In Mission Kashmir, Sanjay Dutt's Inayat Khan adopts Hrithik Roshan's Altaaf, whose parents are killed during a police raid. When that child gets to know that Inayat is the one who killed his parents, he runs away and years later returns as a trained terrorist for a militant leader who manipulates his pain.

Oh, did I spoil the Sarzameen further plot? Pretty much. Here too, we see that Ibrahim's Harman gets kidnapped and returns to his parents saying that he was tortured and is now pleased and feels safe to be with his family.

The film shows violence, loss, identity, and the cycle of hatred—highlighting how children caught in conflict can be turned into weapons of war, just like in the Vidhu Vinod Chopra directorial. Interestingly, Sarzameen, the supposed debut of Ibrahim, became his second release, just like how Mission Kashmir was the second film of Hrithik.

But the latest film's plot is so vague that it doesn't match its original intent. The screenplay, written by Soumil Shukla and Arun Singh, is so derivative and unoriginal that as the film progresses, it becomes increasingly predictable, revealing how they constructed the plot. Moreover, the film makes a shift indicating that they have made a suspense reveal, but, nope, they don't—until they reach the third act. That's when the real suspense comes out, as throughout the film it pushes towards that as Vijay keeps on asking who is giving him a tip every now and then.

Despite this, the film ultimately fails to make an impact, even as it maintains suspense until the end. Kayoze Irani, who has made his full-fledged directorial debut film, takes it heavy on subject, be it with the "maqsad pura hona chahiye" theme or the emotional moments that are spread from the word "go." However, his direction works with the given material; it doesn't ooze out well enough to feel like heavy emotions—patriotic or familial—in any way.

Furthermore, Kausar Munir and Jehan Handa's dialogues lack depth, resembling other films with similar themes. The film doesn't try to elevate itself with the screenplay and story, nor with dialogues. Therefore, despite the presence of two well-known actors and a newcomer who performs decently, the film fails to even meet the expectations of the actors. For Prithviraj and Kajol, these roles come effortlessly as they portray tougher characters, which they masterfully portray onscreen. On the other hand, for Ibrahim, this was supposed to be his debut film, and he does give it all, as it's a heavy-loaded subject for a newcomer. However, the film fails them, trapping them in a familiar battleground with an almost predetermined outcome from the outset.

Although the film is about a father-son relationship, it might seem like Kajol has quite a limited role. But that's where the film excels as well; Kajol performs beautifully and will leave you surprised, taking the cake with her impeccable performance.

The film's music is a poor fit; it tries to evoke feelings about family and country but doesn't advance the plot.

By the end of it, Sarzameen is a lost opportunity—what could have been a stirring tale of love, loss, and loyalty gets buried under the weight of clichés and a narrative that feels all too familiar.

Sarzameen verdict:

Sarzameen walks the tightrope between patriotism and personal conflict but never finds solid balance. Laden with heavy themes, the film carries too much emotional baggage without strong storytelling support.