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Sat Sri Akal runs to full houses in
Punjab
Harjinder Singh
 Sat
Sri Akal is a movie by the Sikhs for the Sikhs. The simple story
line takes the viewer on a journey of
Punjab and
Nanded, wading through a sea of Sikh value systems and beliefs. The
relationship of man to woman, of brother and sister, of mother and
daughter, of father and daughter comes out in all its simplicity and
grace.
A
socio-religious movie which appropriately showcases Sikh characters,
the handsome appearance of Manpreet Singh with his Sikh saroop are a
treat to watch as Bollywood has not been able to shell out such a
fare.
The use of
Gurbani is proper and well-timed throughout the movie. Be it seeking
forgiveness, thanking Waheguru, seeking support or saying words of
encouragement, Gurbani has been appropriately and soothingly quoted.
The problem of alcoholism and apostasy has also been highlighted by
showing the villain consuming alcohol.
Undoubtedly,
there is a difference between Singh is Kinng and Sat Sri Akal not
just because of the story line or the budget but because of the
characters who have played the roles. Manpreet Singh is a real-life
Sikh and Akshay Kumar came out pretty poorly even as a reel-life
Sikh.
For a change, it
was nice to see that instead of a turbaned Sikh’s parent advocating
or accepting marriage of his daughter to a non-turbaned Sikh boy, in
this movie, one could see a reversal of the stereotype with a
non-turbaned man's daughter choosing to marry a Sabat Soorat Sikh.
 The
story line could have been better. I really wanted the world to see
a real-life Sikh to take Bollywood by storm. This is a good start
and will definitely influence our adverse representation in
Bollywood.
As the movie
makers have been calling it a Sikh religious movie, it was a little
discomforting to see images of Sikh characters worshipping pictures
of Gurus, and references to Lohri and Rakhi, reminding us of Nanak
Naam Jahaz Hai.
The music score
of the movie containing Shabads by late Ishmeet Singh and by Jagjit
Singh is par excellence and music director Ravinder Singh has done a
perfect religious rendering for the movie. The lilting Poota
Mata ki Asees is an unforgettable tune filmed on a sequence of
scenes which is a great tribute to the Sikh mothers who spare no
effort in the upbringing of their children as good Sikhs and better
citizens imbibing values enshrined in Gurbani. As the film contains
the one and only film recording of late Ishmeet Singh, it pays a
handsome tribute to the singer who became a legend in less than a
year.
All in all, a
perfect fare for the whole family and a good cinematic contribution
to the Tercentenary Gurta Gaddi celebrations of Guru Granth Sahib.
Harjinder Singh
runs SMS group, Sikh Network. WSN is pleased to announce that
Harjinder Singh will regularly write on cinema for World Sikh News.
12 November
2008
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