Sarbjit (film)

''Sarbjit'' is a 2016 Indian biographical drama film about Sarabjit Singh, who was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991 and then consequently spent 22 years in prison for alleged terrorism and spying. Directed by Omung Kumar, the film stars Randeep Hooda as Sarabjit Singh. Aishwarya Rai, Richa Chadda, and Darshan Kumar play pivotal roles.

Made on a production budget of 15 crore and marketed at 8 crore, ''Sarbjit'' premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival and was released on 20 May 2016 to mixed reactions from critics. The film turned out to be a profitable venture at box-office by grossing about 43.88 crore worldwide after its two-week run.

Plot

Dalbir Kaur (Aishwarya Rai), two years after she suffers the stillbirth of her daughter, leaves her abusive husband Baldev (Ankur Bhatia) and arrives to stay with Sarbjit's family. She works in a textile mill to support the family alongside Sarbjit. Sarbjit Singh (Randeep Hooda) lives in Bhikhiwind, Punjab with his wife Sukhpreet (Richa Chadda), their two daughters Poonam (Ankita Shrivastav) and Swapandeep (Shiwani Saini) 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 as 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 (Darshan Kumar). 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 is 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 his life. As the film ends, Dalbir promises that she will always continue trying to fulfill his dying wish of being recognized as an innocent man.

Cast

*Randeep Hooda as Sarabjit Singh Attwal
*Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Dalbir Kaur - Sarbjit's sister
*Richa Chadda as Sukhpreet Kaur - Sarbjit's wife
*Darshan Kumar as Awais Sheikh - Sarbjit's lawyer
*Shiwani Saini as Swapandeep Kaur - Sarbjit's elder daughter
*Ankita Shrivastav as Poonam Kaur - Sarbjit's younger daughter
*Ankur Bhatia as Mandev Singh
*Trishaan Singh Maini as Maninder
*Charanpreet Singh as Sanjay
*Ram Murti Sharma as Darji - Sarbjit's father

Production

Casting and characters

Aishwarya Rai, Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadda was Omung's first choice for principal characters in the film. The Media has questioned Omung on casting Aishwarya as she does not resemble Dalbir Kaur.
He 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's husband in the film.

Filming

The film locations included Punjab, Delhi and Mumbai. Few crucial scenes was 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

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