Sheen Review {1.5/5} & Review Rating
The Kashmir issue has been depicted on the Indian screen repeatedly. But the uprooting, the grief and the agony of the Kashmiri Pandits have seldom been depicted. Ashok Pandit's SHEEN tackles the issue and documents the mass exodus that occurred way back in the 1990s.
SHEEN has its heart in the right place, but it lacks that dramatic punch to make you think. Ashok has tried to illustrate the facts in the most simplistic manner for the common man to decipher, but the outcome could've been more hard-hitting.
Sheen [Sheen], daughter of Pandit Amarnath [Raj Babbar], is in love with Mannu [Tarun Arora]. All's well till the militants decide to uproot the Kashmiri Pandits from the land.
Initially adamant against leaving Srinagar, the Pandits are forced to evacuate their homes in Srinagar and take refuge in camps in Jammu.
The feeling of being rootless and leading the life of a refugee in your own country disturbs Pandit Amarnath and his family. In the path of regaining his lost pride, his aspirations and the struggles of returning to his roots, Pandit Amarnath travels from the refugee camps in Jammu to Geneva to make the world aware of the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits.
Though Ashok Pandit has made a sincere attempt of portraying the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits, the film has its limitations -
- SHEEN comes at a time when the Indo-Pak relationship is going through a major transformation, when the mood is upbeat, like never before and the relationship between the two countries is only getting better with each passing day.
In this context, SHEEN, which highlights the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits and the Pakistani hand in terrorism, may get sidelined in the process.
- Besides, there has been an overdose of anti-Pak themes and Pak-bashing in the recent past and though SHEEN is straight out of life - it focuses on the mass exodus in Kashmir - it might not really gel with an audience that is hooked on to escapist and feel-good cinema and not too inclined towards realistic and anti-Pak themes.
Notwithstanding the pros and cons, there's no denying that it requires guts to bare open the wounds and present it to the world through cinema. In that respect, SHEEN does boast of a few poignant moments that remain etched in your memory. Sequences like Pandit Amarnath finding a warning note pasted in the school premises or the one when Sheen confronts her friend turned terrorist when he enters their home and the massacre of the Sikh community is hair-raising.
On the flip side, depiction of blood and gore can prove to be a downer since it tends to put off the viewer after a point.
The first half of SHEEN has some interesting moments, but the film loses control in the post-interval portions. The film now runs on two tracks simultaneously - the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits and the love story of Sheen and Mannu.
Had the writers concentrated on the core issue, they would've succeeded in making a hard-hitting statement. But the love story tends to get perfunctory and the placement of romantic songs in the enterprise tapers the product to a large extent.
Ashok Pandit's intentions seem honest, but he should've stuck to making a realistic fare, instead of padding the goings-on with commercial ingredients. Had this film been a songless fare, the results would've been even more impactful.
The script [Raman Kumar, Dr. Agni Shekhar and Ashok Pandit] is also not without its share of flaws. While sequences pertaining to the terrorist [Anoop Soni] keep your interest alive, the romantic portions are absolutely bland. In fact, the hero's escape from the clutches of the terrorists is clich? jaded and least convincing.
Nadeem-Shravan's music is pleasing to the ears, but when viewed with the narrative, it stands out as a sore thumb. The only song that really leaves an impact is 'Aao Jannat Mein Jahannum Ka Nazara Dekho' - its placement is just right and the wordings [Sameer] have a hammer-strong impact. Nadeem Khan's cinematography is wonderful. Dialogues [Raman Kumar] are a major asset.
If SHEEN belongs to anyone, it's Raj Babbar who delivers a knock-out performance. The veteran seems to be in form after a long, long time and has been offered a role where he can sink his teeth into. The helplessness of a father and that of being uprooted is performed in the most convincing manner by the actor.
Anoop Soni as the terrorist leaves an equally strong impression. Sheen makes a confident debut. Tarun Arora draws a blank this time around. He gets no scope at all. Kiran Juneja and Samay Pandit are adequate.
On the whole, SHEEN will meet with diverse reactions - a few might empathize with the issue, while others may not really want to reopen the wounds. At the box-office, it stands a tough chance in the wake of low-key publicity and major oppositions [MAIN HOON NA, a week before and LAKEER, RUN and YUVA in the coming weeks]. If tax-exempted, the film might benefit to an extent.
