Sarzameen (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – An Army officer will stop at nothing to free Kashmir valley from terrorism, even if it means paying a terrible price.

My Take – Though many Hindi features have mirrored the status of the always escalating tension and fragile peace in the north Indian state of Kashmir, this latest Dharma Productions release, which dropped on JioHotstar three nights ago, aimed to stand out from the crowd by exploring the conflict through the inner turmoil soldiers face when it comes to choosing between country and family.

However, while the patriotic action drama comes with a promise of a fresh narrative, sadly, its approach doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Marking the directorial debut of Kayoze Irani, son of veteran actor Boman Irani, who showed immense promise with his handling of a particular segment featuring Shefali Shah & Manav Kaul in the 2021 Netflix anthology film ‘Ajeeb Daasatans‘, the film showcases the ever prolonging Kashmir conflict with reasonable sensitivity, but his execution remains safe throughout.

As writers Soumik Shukla and Arun Singh‘s script, clearly inspired by Shakti (1982) and Mission Kashmir (2000), largely follows the well-worn path of similar films exploring familiar themes. It doesn’t help that the screenplay remains predictable and relies too heavily on emotional manipulation, especially through the mother’s character, to evoke empathy.

Yes, the final act of the film brings some excitement. As the twist is unpredictable and adds a much-needed jolt. But by then, as a viewer you are left too disconnected to be involved in the proceedings. Leaving us with a film with solid intentions and a genuinely promising plot that loses itself with an outdated approach and sluggish execution.

The story follows Colonel Vijay Menon (Prithviraj Sukumaran), an Indian army officer stationed in Kashmir, who manages to nab two wanted terrorists in his latest operation. A success that garners him accolades, celebration and a deserving promotion, however, his home life remains in turmoil, mainly due to his tense relationship with his teenage son, Harman. Vijay’s dismissal of his own flesh and blood often puts a strain on his relationship with his wife, Meher (Kajol), mainly as he considers Harman weak, despite his aspirations to become a soldier.

And when he is given the tough choice to choose between freeing the captured terrorists in exchange of his abducted son, he chooses the latter. But, eight years later, when a presumed dead Harman (Ibrahim Ali Khan) resurfaces, Vijay once again finds himself at crossroads.

Indeed, this is a strong premise that could have offered enough space to explore emotional depth and edge-of-the-seat tension. But marred by familiar writing and generic execution, the narrative never rises above its clichés. The film wants to be about the human cost of war, about radicalization, and about how fragile the line is between loyalty and betrayal, but it ends up being a muddled mess of half-baked ideologies, lazy writing, and loud background music trying to make up for the lack of real intensity.

The film tries hard to be emotionally layered, but it ends up feeling overly melodramatic and illogical at key moments. Mainly as the characters are poorly written, especially Vijay. Despite being portrayed as a highly intelligent and decorated officer, he brings Harman into his house without any real verification or caution.

And then later starts interrogating him over dinner, which is baffling considering the gravity of the threat. His lack of emotional intelligence and situational awareness reduces the credibility of his character and by extension, of the entire story. Even Harman’s return and transformation into a possibly manipulated or brainwashed young man also lacks proper grounding.

The portrayal of his emotional state, especially his grudge against his father for choosing his duty over him, is portrayed half-baked and backed by that usual training montage. Sure, on the technical front, the film does a good job. As the cinematography captures Kashmir’s stunning landscapes with finesse and the production design reflects authenticity.

However, these merits are quickly undermined by a lethargic screenplay and poor editing that affects the film’s pacing. The soundtrack, composed in line with the film’s serious tone, supports the story thematically but lacks any replay value.

Performance wise, as expected, Prithviraj Sukumaran gives his best, committing thoroughly to the role. However, even his sincere effort can’t rise above the muddled writing. Kajol does a decent job but is wasted in an underwritten role that doesn’t utilize her talents properly.

In his second film, Ibrahim Ali Khan shows improvement and looks convincing in the action sequences. In supporting roles, Jitendra Joshi, Mihir Ahuja, K.C. Shankar and Boman Irani are serviceable. On the whole, ‘Sarzameen‘ is a frustratingly predictable action drama, which despite a compelling premise, chooses to remain ordinary throughout.