Sarfarosh

     Walking on the streets of Delhi University, my friend said, ‘they say some scenes of Sarfarosh were shot somewhere around here’. I looked around and tried to mark the architecture. And said, ‘Maybe…but somehow it doesn’t seem so.’

It did not. I have seen Sarfarosh for more than 20-22 times. The legendary Sarfarosh watching saga (especially on the channel Star Gold and if at all shown on any other channel) is so old for me that my watching Sarfarosh can be divided into phases.

‘Because I like Aamir Khan’ phase. (9-11 years old)
‘Because I wanted to become a Police’ phase. (11-13 years old)
‘Because there were guns and action in it’ phase. (13-15 years old)
‘Because of the scene where Sonali Bendre finds out that Aamir is an ACP’ phase (16 years old…when I wanted to impress a girl in my class who wanted to marry a police officer).
‘Because then I understood the real story of the film’ phase (18-20)
and
‘Because I have been making short-films now and now I know how truly, amazingly great this movie is and that’s why out of respect I just not watch it but read and admire it’ phase. (The current one-22)

     Sarfarosh is directed by John Mathew Matthan. It is also produced and written by him. 

The film deals with various aspects and especially with the illegal dealing of arms from across the border in India and the genuine efforts of Mumbai police to crack the racket.

Having Aamir Khan and Sonali Bendre in the lead with superb piece of work by Naseeruddin Shah, Goving Namdeo and Mukesh Rishi (whom I was initially scared of, for his negative role in a Salman Khan film, Judwa) this film has become an excellent piece of art.

     This film was made in 1999; it’s a crime thriller and the first highly grossing and critically praised Police film. In the era where Dagangg, Singham, Rowdey Rathore and Policegiri were making space for police uniform attraction, Aamir was doing his second suspense thriller Cop film, Talaash. There is no intention of comparison but Sarfarosh was truly amazing than any of these mentioned above. No special effects, no out of the world action, no stupid dialogues to attract the market and no whimsical villains. Sarfarosh is the product with no adulteration and expressed in the purest form of cinematic language. Even though the filming lacked in having new era facilities, it still stays the best of all…the reason is…

     

It’s highly gripping screenplay and excellently written script. A good dialogue is not that what makes you clap, but the one that makes you silent. This script does not shout to attract attention, it communicates. Every line said in this film has a meaning and a context attached to its screenplay or in the satire of the scene. No scene is written or shot just for the sake of commercialism. However, even after being so strict with the language of cinema and purity of the script, the story and unfolding of events that are designed by the director that itself makes it sellable.

     The characters – there are many characters in the film. But each of them contributes to at least one important aspect in the film. Every character has been given his/her due importance to their existence and has a role in the story. Every person brings a depth and the meaning to the story in a whole.

     Using an actress just for the sake of selling points for the marketing of the film and still utilizing her character at the point where you do not see the story going ahead is a brilliant aspect of this film. The commercial directors today who use heroines to expose their half-boobs and copper toned thighs, should be shown this movie every two weeks until they understand the real meaning of having a female lead.

     The performance of every actor is mind-blowing. The fact that every actor knew that their character has a meaning in the story, they were tend to put in their heart and soul in the role they played. Of course, the director is to be complimented for directing them in such a way that every character stays in mind after the film just the way Aamir Khan stays in our minds. This means even the guy having a very small role, of Inspector Salim’s informer.

     In the sequence where two goons are held for interrogation and one who says that he will confess, is Nawazuddin Siddique. In 1999, Nawaz was interrogated by Aamir in Sarfarosh when he was a junior artist and must have been arranged by a junior artist coordinator. And In 2012, Nawaz was again interrogated by Aamir in Talaash, but this time Nawaz was a youth icon. The young generation loves him. Every classy director (by ‘classy’ I mean my favourites and the one who do understandable authentic communication to the viewers with the films and cinema) wants Nawaz to be a part of their work.

     Sarfarosh is a piece of Art. Very few are aware of the fact that Sarfarosh has the most authentic and the longest title sequence in the history of bollywood cinema. The whole movie proceeds on the visuals that go with the titles. The whole racket of ordering, packing, transporting, distributing and using of arms, is shown in the title sequence. The aesthetic trueness in the portrayal of locations and the behavior & the life of, police men, the top level mafia and the bottom level goons is worth watching and knowing.

Overall, there is no such film as Sarfarosh as it has marked its uniqueness and height.

     I would rate Sarfarosh 9/10; 8.5 points for the film and 0.5 for my biased love for the correct cinematic language.