Sadiyaan

Sadiyaan
Film poster
Directed by	Raj Kanwar
Starring	Rekha Rishi Kapoor Hema Malini
Cinematography	Anshul Chobey
Music by	Sravan Kumar
Distributed by	B4U Movies
Release date	2 April 2010 (2010-04-02)
Running time	162 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Sadiyaan is a Bollywood film released in 2010 which stars Rishi Kapoor, Hema Malini and Rekha. The story is about a family during the partition of India. The film was directed by Raj Kanwar and it has been distributed by the B4U (network) and known as a B4U Movies Production. It was released on Friday, 2 April 2010. The film is genred as a Drama film and targeted for single screen audiences. Some of the scenes have been seen in other films lately. The film was the launch vehicle of Luv Sinha and featured Ferena Wazeir as his love interest.

Sadiyaan bombed at the boxoffice and was declared a disaster.

Plot

During the 1947 partition, the Lahore based family of Rajveer (Rishi Kapoor) and Amrit (Rekha) has to flee Pakistan and settle in Amritsar, Punjab. In the house that they get to stay, Amrit finds an abandoned baby boy of the Muslim family who owned the house but fled to Pakistan because of communal riots. Amrit raises the boy as her own and he grows up to be Ishaan (Luv Sinha). During a summer camp visit to Kashmir, Ishaan falls in love with Chandni (Ferena Wazeir). When he goes to her house to ask her hand in marriage, her father (Deep Dhillon) and uncle (Ahmed Khan) tell him to forget her as they are against her marrying a Sikh boy. When Amrit and Rajveer come to know about this they finally declare the truth to Ishaan that he is a Muslim in reality and not their own child. He doesn't believe them and Chandni's parents refuse to believe it without proof. The old couple then decide to track Ishaan's real parents down and also succeed. Ishaan's real mother, Benazir (Hema Malini) comes down with his real father (Javed Sheikh) to take back custody of a now grown up Ishaan. Chandni's parents immediately agree to the marriage when Ishaan's real parents visit their house. What complications arise when Ishaan's parents start making plans to take back Ishaan and his bride back to Pakistan and how they are handled by the principal characters forms the rest of the plot.

Cast

• Rekha as Amrit
• Hema Malini as Benazir
• Rishi Kapoor as Rajveer
• Luv Sinha as Ishaan
• Ferena Wazeir as Chandni
• Javed Sheikh as Ishaan's real Father
• Vivek Shauq
• Shakeel Siddiqui
• Neetu Chandra
• Deep Dhillon
• Ahmed Khan

Reception

The scrawny star kid lacks the charisma and punch that helped his father, despite his unconventional looks; wipe out all prejudices to be widely acknowledged as a leading man of substance. With Luv, it's a case of zero chemistry between the camera and him. Whether he's unimaginatively romancing the girl or meekly pining for his mother, the boy is completely oblivious to the concept of expression.

His love interest, Ferena Wazeir is just as bad. Take her dialogue delivery alone. It's hard to tell whether she's lisping, being coy or acting dumb. And if Kanwar's intention is to project her as a demure 70s girl, her body language and gestures are plain amusing.

What's not is how an elaborate Adnan Sami composition pops up after every five minutes, a painful reminder of how farther away you are from the impending soppy climax. That's the thing with Sadiyaan. It actually feels as long as its title for Kanwar not only rakes an old-fashioned subject, his treatment is outmoded too. And there's nothing vintage about that.

• The cinematography has a dated feel like most of the dialogues. Rishi Kapoor, Jawed Sheikh and Vivek Shauq share the acting honours while Rekha is sincere. Hema Malini's character and thus performance are plastic. Ferena is no actor.

But the worst aspect about this exercise in tedium is that it is the wrong launch for Luv Sinha. The sincere young man may be a shade raw in the more demanding scenes, but he has a likeable aura and to his credit does not get intimidated by the stalwarts in his sequences with them. The boy certainly deserved a better debut deal than this cobwebby antique that is more dated than a decrepit Mughal fort.

• However, what lets this movie down are its loose direction. Luv is a slow starter but he does show a glimmer of hope in the scenes before the climax and on the basis of that alone one may give him the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume that a little polishing will do well for the future.
• Sadiyaan is a classic family drama where from the first scene itself you feel you have seen this film. This familiarity, in Raj Kanwar’s seasoned hands, is endearing. Here even the clichés work because they come with the territory — the story, the setting, the costumes and the stars. Except for Luv and Ferena, the cast is custom-made for Sadiyaan’s screenplay.

The film has two emotional taps. One is controlled by Rekha and the other by Hema. Rekha turns it on often, has reason to. Rekha, with ringlets and false eyelashes, is the queen of hysterical and silent sorrow and uses that to raise the film’s emotional bar. Hema, despite her I’m-taking-orders-at-Udupi accent, is okay. Though not a patch on the Hema we swooned over in Baghban. As long as the film stays with Rekha, Rishi and Hema, it works. The minute it follows the newcomers, it collapses. Unfortunately, it does that often.

Ferena Wazeir looks like she has lived on the plastic surgery floor of a hospital for the last five years. Luv Sinha looks like he should quickly book her bed. Both are strong contenders for this year’s Golden Kela Awards. Seriously. I have seen battery toys perform better.

• Ferena Wazeir is slightly (and only relatively) better but that's not saying much for the girl who is forced to totally disappear in the second half of the film. If her make up is a definite area of concern, her own self isn't to be blamed less for a dialogue delivery which is akin to that of Tara Sharma. And the world would agree that this is not a compliment.

And now comes the hero.

Gosh, just leave aside comparisons with high profile debuts like those of Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan or Neil Nitin Mukesh in the recent times. Even relatively lesser debutants like Aditya Narayan, Himesh Reshammiya, Rajeev Khandelwal, Jackky Bhagnani or Ruslaan Mumtaz would feel mighty relaxed on seeing the act that Luv Sinha puts on screen. He just doesn't deliver. Period. Whether it is emoting, romancing, dancing or riding on the horse – he is awkward at every juncture.

Nope, this one is not happening and the same can be said about the movie as a whole as well. Skip it!

• It’s a little difficult to fathom who’s more pathetic between the leading pair, Luv Sinha has less charm than a rubber duck and Ferena is a walking talking disaster. You must have seen more enthusiasm in a couple of light bulbs looking for some moths to devour. It’s rather sad to see that even after a decade after Rakesh Roshan redefined star children launches with Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, some second generation wannabe actors still expect miracles from rehashed 1980s fare.

In addition to acting histrionics worse than your lousy cousin’s marriage video, Luv Sinha doesn’t dance with two left feet but is, in fact, one big left foot. The leading lady, Ferena, well…she is a find to say the least; you’d know whom not to think of an actor while talking about films! She is so bad that she makes all Sawan Kumar Tak’s discoveries look like Meena Kumaris! Blessed with a bad voice and an equally dismal screen presence she does less than nothing and poor girl fails at that too.

For a film that was supposed to be set in 1967 the attention to period is limited to suit the film’s convenience otherwise you can see dish antennas on many houses in Amritsar of 1967. If that wasn’t enough Ferena’s costumes seem so unlike late 1960s and add the pelvic thrusts in college annual day song and not to forget the background dancers with highlights in their hair. By the way it’s the men who have highlights! Avoid.

Rishi Kapoor, who plays the part of Rajveer in the film, seems to have perfected the art of playing father to star kids. He comes across as a dependable actor who can carry a film on his strong shoulders. Rekha, who plays Rishi Kapoor's wife and the character of Amrit, comes out with a refreshing performance.

Hema Malini, as a Muslim Benazir, creates magic in her role. The dream girl of Bollywood still holds her own in this flick, which seems to belong to 1970s than to this modern era.

Luv Sinha, the son of veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, impresses in the second half of the flick. The young actor seems to be adept in portraying emotional drama part, while other segments need some fine tuning.

Ferena, who enacts the part of Chandni, acts her part well. However, a little grooming and change of fashion designer would take the winnable actress a long way in Bollywood. Others have provided good support to the main cast of the flick.

• Raj Kanwar elevates the story thanks to some effective textbook direction. The music, both songs and background, do well to complement the narrative. However, what lets this movie down are its lead actors. Luv is a slow starter but he does show a glimmer of hope in the scenes before the climax and on the basis of that alone one may give him the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume that a little polishing will do well for the future. As for Ferena, we wonder whether she’ll get another film.

Soundtrack

• Taron Bhari Hai Ye Raat Sajaan Adnan Sami, Sunidhi Chauhan
• Dekha Tujhay Jo Pehli Baar Shaan
• Jadu Nasha, Ehsaas Kya Shaan & Shreya Ghoshal
• Man Mouji Matwala
• Pehla Pehla Tejurba Hai
• Sargoshiyo Ke Kya Silsile Hai Raja Hasan, Shreya Ghoshal
• Sona Lagdh....Mahi Sona Lagdha Richa Sharma
• Waqt Ne Jo Bij Boyaa

Awards and nominations

2011 Zee Cine Awards

Nominated

• Best Male Debut – Luv Sinha
• Best Female Debut – Ferena Wazeir

External links

• Sadiyaan at IMDb