Talking about any dark & ugly chapter of our recent history is certainly not an easy task for any creative mind, especially when it comes to a movie project more designed as a commercial venture and not just a realistic artistic expression revealing the exact truth. But before moving on to the movie, I would like to mention the big responsibility such esteemed projects have towards the society & its present or future generations to be precise.
Sadly the bitter truth remains that almost all the regretful chapters of Indian as well as World History are about the clashes between two religions and their blind, insane followers indisputably. Hence whenever a creative artist decides to recreate the same event or era in a book, a poem, a painting or a movie, then he essentially has to take care that any part of his depiction should not trigger some fresh hatred among the two sects irresponsibly.
Plus his creation should actually aim at establishing a new set of understanding between the followers of two different ideologies with a positive attitude, so that such shameful incidents are never repeated again by the future generations ever. And the people learn to become a better human being living a spiritual life instead of a religious one.
Now coming to PUNJAB 1984, thankfully its director Anurag Singh at least partially delivers a film which I expected from him honestly in its first hour. But then he too questionably bows down to many other commercial and moral obligations to be fulfilled in his second half, hampering the overall impact in the end quite drastically. So as I see it, there are two distinctive films here in PUNJAB 1984, one before the intermission for which I have all praises to shower upon and the other post the interval which just remains a more filmy and clumsy interpretation of the issue, willing to satisfy one and all.
Part One - (The story of a lonely mother waiting for her missing young son.)
Presenting a beautiful, emotional portrayal of a helpless mother first losing her husband and then a young loving son to the changing times, this first half of the movie is a must watch indeed directed with a focused vision and class, as expected by the experienced director of Punjabi cinema. Many brilliant sequences in this part truly win over the viewers, like Diljit's opening scene with a comic flair, his painful cry at the fields, Kiron's lovable interaction with Diljit's childhood friend, their scene together at the NGO's office, the confrontation sequence between Diljit & Pawan and the most powerful one wherein Pawan physically assaults Kiron Kher in a fit of anger.
Never giving away to any vague depiction of that era (influenced by any biased agenda), this one hour of the film remains highly authentic offering a pure emotional journey into the mind of a lonesome mother, brilliantly played by Kiron Kher reminding you of her another splendid act in KHAMOSH PANI (2003). Well supported by two other intense acts by Diljit Dosanjh and Pawan Malhotra, the trio makes you feel the painful trauma with moist eyes repeatedly and one cherishes watching a meaningful film till interval made with an honest approach.
Part Two – (The completely filmy or messy portrayal of the era with no specific vision.)
After narrating a highly impressive and touchy story of a suffering mother, PUNJAB 1984 sadly starts walking on a completely different clichéd path deviating from the focused vision displayed in its first half. Offering all seen before, unclear references of cross border terrorism, internal disputes between the so called movement's leaders, clever tricks played by the politicians and a lot more, the project loses the master touch somewhere in the second hour, turning it into a typical filmy take on the thoughtful issue regretfully.
In the music section, the soundtrack does have some exceptionally relevant lyrics written insightfully, but also lacks an equally appreciable melody in most of the tracks, except a few. The songs do hinder the pace towards the end as usual and one really misses any particular track bringing tears to the eyes in this weaker part of the film sung by the likes of Sukhwinder with his heart piercing alaaps and opening couplets.
Technically a well-crafted film with a noteworthy camera-work and an immensely contributing background score PUNJAB 1984 has some extremely good as well as ridiculous dialogues in its many important scenes quite weirdly. Now I have intentionally used this contradictory statement because where I was deeply impressed with the writing & dialogues till the intermission, I frankly felt simply shocked listening to a few, including the one having a very disgusting phrase used for the respected MOTHER in the climax (said by Pawan to Diljit).
So witnessing such a strange & uneven path followed by this much awaited project, I truly felt as if I had seen two different movies together in one show and therefore would like to rate it in two separate parts only considering it as a rare exception made by a talented team.
In short, PUNJAB 1984 is a perfect example of missing a gifted opportunity to make a milestone film in the history of Punjabi cinema to be remembered forever. Ironically, Yes it does have a worth watching first half featuring three brilliant acts for sure. But if one studies the film in its entirety then the excellence achieved before intermission is brutally sacrificed post interval, just in order to make it another money churning project based on the dark era.
To say the truth, Gulzar's MAACHIS (1996) and Shonali Bose's AMU (2005) still remain the only two path breaking, truthful films made on the issue
....straight from a crying heart.
Yet you need to watch PUNJAB 1984 just for the outstanding act of Kiron Kher alone!
