Sarzameen Review: Weak Writing and Direction Sink the Film

By Shanti Swaroop Tripathi

• Rating: ★½
• Producer: Dharma Productions
• Writers: Somil Shukla, Kaiser Munir, Arun Singh, Jehan Handa
• Director: Kayoze Irani
• Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kajol, Boman Irani, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Rohed Khan, Athar Siddiqui, Jitendra Joshi, Mihir Ahuja, K.C. Shankar
• Duration: 2 hours 17 minutes
• OTT Platform: Jio Star (from 25 July)
• Languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada

Bollywood filmmakers continue to display their creative bankruptcy. Lately, they’ve fixated on human diseases and disabilities. Recently, films like Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par (2024) and Anupam Kher’s Tanvi the Great centered on disability, tanked at the box office. Now, Karan Johar’s Sarzameen, streaming from July 25 on Jio Star, combines the fight against terrorism with disability as its central theme.

Although the film touches on patriotism and fatherhood, the way a disabled child is shown being cruelly tortured reveals a disturbing mindset. This is the film’s weakest point. Ultimately, this film is like a poorly made stew—lacking in research, depth, or factual grounding. If the writing team had simply consulted actor Sharad Kelkar, they could have understood how speech impediments like stammering are realistically dealt with.

Story

Set against the backdrop of terrorism in Kashmir, Sarzameen revolves around Colonel Vijay Menon (Prithviraj Sukumaran), his wife Meher (Kajol), and their son Harman (Ibrahim Ali Khan). A deeper look reveals all three are emotionally disconnected from one another. Meher always sides with her son, while Colonel Vijay dislikes him for being disabled—he stammers, is timid, and is considered weak.

Vijay, shaped by his own father’s strictness, became a colonel through discipline and devotion to the nation. He famously declares, “For me, the land comes first, my son second.” After a period of inactivity, terrorist Mohsin re-emerges in 2006. Colonel Vijay leads an operation with colleague Ahmed (Jitendra Joshi), capturing two terrorists, Abil and Kabil. In retaliation, the terrorist group kidnaps Harman.
Vijay agrees to release the terrorists under Meher’s pressure, but his nationalistic duty takes over at the last moment, and Harman is left behind. Eight years later, Harman returns—not as a stuttering coward, but a hardened young man. Despite his disability, he has been brutally conditioned to be tough. However, he now harbors hatred for his father.
Colonel Vijay suspects Harman is no longer the same person. Meher disagrees. As events unfold rapidly, the father and son ultimately confront each other at gunpoint. Who wins? That’s the final mystery.

Review

The film’s biggest flaw is its writing. Despite having four writers—Somil Shukla, Kaiser Munir, Arun Singh, and Jehan Handa—the script lacks understanding of human relationships, compassion, or military life. Sarzameen tries to deliver emotional shocks but fails to truly connect due to weak writing.
Harman’s return after eight years could have added depth to the story, but it’s reduced to a confusing twist. A major reveal in the climax remains half-baked. Many scenes feel implausible, especially for those familiar with military life. For instance, can someone just open a shop in an army officers' colony?

There are several violations of army protocol. For example, Colonel Vijay decides to release two wanted terrorists all on his own—without consultation or clearance. One escapes, yet there’s no urgency or consequences. When a bearded young man later claims to be Harman, Vijay accepts him without thorough verification.
In one bizarre scene, Meher slaps Colonel Vijay in his army office—something highly unlikely from an army wife, given their patriotic background. Colonel Vijay’s character repeatedly breaches military discipline. The fact that this film received a censor certificate is baffling. Director Kayoze Irani has completely lost the plot.

Acting

As Colonel Vijay, Prithviraj Sukumaran convincingly portrays a father, husband, and patriot. Kajol is a talented actress, but looks odd in action scenes. This is Ibrahim Ali Khan’s second film after Nadanian, and once again, it becomes clear that acting is not his forte.
Boman Irani has barely anything to do, raising the question—why did he even agree to this film? Jitendra Joshi’s portrayal of Ahmed is passable, but his character too is underwritten.

Verdict: Despite its patriotic theme and emotional potential, Sarzameen collapses under weak writing, unrealistic scenarios, and confused direction.

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