Surkhaab: Papers are incomplete

May 22, 2015 05:16 pm | Updated 05:17 pm IST

A still from the movie. Photo: Special arrangement

A still from the movie. Photo: Special arrangement

The Indo-Canadian co-production promises to be a stirring depiction of the plight of illegal migrants to Canada. It is indeed a tale of survival in the globalised world but the perils and the ensuing threats don’t fall in place naturally. They rather seem manufactured by smart editing.

Jeet (Barkha Madan) is a local judo champion, who is forced by circumstances to leave her village and mother for better opportunities. She wants to be with her brother in Canada and doesn’t realise when she falls into the trap of agents. As she faces police and the living conditions of migrants with incomplete papers, she realises that she is just one more story in this foreign land. A barnacle goose, who is being sacrificed for the proverbial gold. Sanjay restrains himself from opening the can of worms and keeps the hardships within the confines of feel good cinema.

Director: Sanjay Talreja Genre: Drama Cast: Barkha Madan, Sumit Suri, Vineeta Malik, Nishant Bahl, Naresh Gosain Bottomline: Despite a flagging second half, it is an engaging take on human trafficking.

But the point is that the film has come after Queen and the way Jeet is shaped it reminds of Rani of who also stood her ground in foreign land. The fact that she dresses up like Rani makes it all the more familiar. One doesn’t know which of the two was conceptualised first but Barkha’s big eyes, brimming with anxiety constantly remind you of Kangana. It doesn’t take away from the gutsy performance of Barkha though. She has returned to turnstiles after a while as actor-producer and gives it all to the author-backed role. Even when the plot points appear perfunctory, she makes us feel for the human condition of the exploited and the marginalised. The non-linear narrative adds depth and makes eager to find answers.

However, after a point there is not much to unravel as you can very well guess where it is headed.

And the way camera flatters Barkha you always know Jeet is safe. Similarly Kuldeep (Sumit Suri), the counterpoint to Jeet is too weak and one-dimensional to generate tension. It holds attention when it goes back and forth but this goose doesn’t really fly.

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