‘Sarzameen’ movie review: Prithviraj Sukumaran and Kajol can’t salvage this emotional misfire

Sulking sons, duty-bound fathers, and suffering mothers make for engaging Hindi cinema. This week, emerging director Kayoze Irani revisits familiar daddy issues with mixed results. Sarzameen’s basic premise reminds me of Ramesh Sippy’s Shakti, where circumstances force a father in uniform (Prithivraj Sukumaran) to choose between his son (Ibrahim Ali Khan) and his duty.

Set in the picturesque political cauldron of Kashmir, the stakes get higher here when the neglected son stutters his way into the enemy camp led by dreaded militant Kabil (K.C. Shankar). As expected, the mother (Kajol) tries to be the connecting link, but a past that needs to be addressed remains unhealed, leaving wounds unresolved.

After preparing the audience for a realistic terrain, Irani takes mainstream leaps of faith, landing in no man’s land. The film attempts to explore parenthood, patriotism, and militancy, but fails to effectively integrate the personal within complex socio-political dynamics, instead resorting to tropes that have become clichéd due to overuse.

It seems the makers set out to map the complexity of militancy in the Kashmir valley through a personal story, but ended up making a safe product to populate the OTT shelf. Hence, the drama doesn’t leap at you, the conflict doesn’t engage you enough, the suspension of disbelief doesn’t hold, and the layers in the story don’t add up to create an emotional swell.

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Prithiviraj and Kajol form an interesting screen pair. However, despite their immense talent, their chemistry doesn’t click, and the melodrama falls short. Shankar is no Amrish Puri to generate the dread of revenge. For a script that demands a deep emotional commitment, Ibrahim Ali Khan, like the film, is undercooked.

Sarzameen is currently streaming on Hotstar