The Queen is back

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is back with her next release Sarbjit. We give you five reasons why you should see this film.

AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN came into the spotlight with, "Hi, I'm Sanjana" in the Pepsi commercial in 1992. And she can still kill with her drop dead gorgeous look at 42. She recently scorched the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and now she is all set with her next release Sarbjit where she will be seen in a deglamorized avatar. Sarbjit, the true life story of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who inadvertently crossed the India border into Pakistan, and was subsequently arrested, jailed and put on death row, is set to release in the UAE tomorrow.
This film features an ensemble cast of Randeep Hooda who portrays the role of Sarabjit Singh, Aishwarya who essays the role of Dalbir Kaur, the brave sister, fighting for her brother's freedom while the critically acclaimed Richa Chadda essays the role of Sarabjit Singh's wife.
 
Beauty VS Acting skills
Okay, let's be honest. Aishwarya was never known for her great acting skills but let's agree that she has been the face of Indian cinema across the world for over 20 years. Even after doing some terrible movies, she is still the most loved actress from Bollywood. With films like Guru, Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, she has proved that if she gets a good script and a good director, she can rock the big screen as well. Her previous film Guru and Provoked were loosely based on real life stories. With Sarbjit, we feel that she is hamming through the trailers, but let's hope that we are proved wrong and there is a wonderful display of her acting abilities in this film. We have to give her credit for trying: even at the peak of her career, she did parallel movies like Raincoat and Choker Bali.
Ah! She looks ordinary in this film
Aishwarya was always accused of being plastic, 'perfect', and not spontaneous on-screen and off-screen. But motherhood has made her more real and relatable to people. When people saw her with that extra pound that she gained post pregnancy or how protective she is of her daughter Aradhya, she suddenly became more human. Maybe she always was, maybe we failed to see that side of her. In Sarbjit, she will essay the role of Dalbir, who fought for her brother's freedom, relentlessly, for over two decades. Her character matures from a young girl to an elderly woman during this period. Towards the end of the film, it will be interesting to see her as a deglamorized 62-year-old  woman. "I met Aishwarya and told her that I am extremely happy that she is playing a role based on me. She had researched about it too from her end. She has done full justice to the part and she is an exceptional actress," Dalbir said recently.
Omung Kumar after Mary Kom
Omung Kumar, whose last release, the National Award Winning biopic Mary Kom featuring Priyanka Chopra, was met with mixed response, directs Sarbjit. His previous credits also include his role as production designer for Saawariya and Black.
Real life stories should be told
It is important to bring the real life of people on to the reel screen. With the success of films like Chak De India, Airlift, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Neerja, more and more producers are willing to invest in this kind of cinema, that is less of songs and more of content.
Sarbjit is a tale, depicting a 23-year tumultuous period, which Dalbir Kaur endured trying to secure her brother's release from imprisonment. Her character is a reminder to us all to fight, to hold on and never give up.
Richa Chadha and Randeep Hooda
Both Richa Chadha and Randeep Hooda are critically acclaimed actors. In fact, this year Richa marked her third year at the Cannes Film Festival. She first impressed the audience with her role in Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012. In 2015, Masaan received a standing ovation and two prestigious awards at the festival. This year, the actress attended the festival for Sarbjit at the French Rivera. Time and again, Randeep has proved that he is a very good actor though it is unfortunate that Bollywood has not given him his due as yet...
 arti@khaleejtimes.com