Screen india review:
REVIEWS | HAWAYEIN Truthfully told...
Devesh Sharma
Cast and Credits Producer Mannerism Productions
Director Ammtoje Mann Music Babbu Maan Cast Ammtoje Mann, Babbu Maan, Aanandi Tripathi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Kamini Kaushal awayein, written, directed and co-produced by Ammtoje Mann (who is also the lead actor) offers an all-encompassing view of the terrorist situation in Punjab which developed as an aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assasination.
Ammtoje has shown a sure grasp of storyline and has handled the crowd scenes (especially those depicting riot) quite-well. Also, without being overtly preachy and didactic, he has pointed out that we must pay heed to the lessons of the past to stop such atrocities from occurring again.
The film isn’t about your everyday angst-drama where the hero takes up a gun to avenge himself but tries to lead life as a farmer in Punjab even after losing most of his family to Delhi riots. However, his uncle, in a bid to grab his nephews share of inheritance, frames him as a terrorist. With no where to go, Sarabjit (Ammtoje Mann) decides to take-up arms against evildoers who want to divide the Hindus and Sikhs along caste lines. However, not everyone followed the same ideology in those troubled times. Balwant’s (Mukesh Tiwari) and his band of militants symbolises those opportunists who, with the aid of Pakistan, wanted to carve out a separate state for sikhs and rule it as their personal fiefdom. How Sarabjit learns ti separate the chaff from the grain forms the crux of the story.
As an actor, Ammtoje is good in emotional scenes but falters a bit in romantic sequences. Heroine Aanandi Tripathi too is competent. Popular Punjabi folk singer Babbu Maan, who has also given the music, excels in the role of Kanpuriya and so does Kulbhusan Kharbanda in an all too brief cameo as Sarabjit’s father. Yesteryear’s heroine Kamini Kaushal is a picture of grief and sensitivity in a grandmother’s role and lends solid support to the principal actors. The film has already done well in North and overseas and in the wake of Mumbai blasts, should find an empathetic audience here as well.
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