We're so familiar with the story, it must've seemed like a good idea at the time
Sadiyaan
U/A; Drama
Dir: Raj Kanwar
Cast: Hema Malini, Rekha, Rishi Kapoor, Luv Sinha, Ferena Wazeir, Javed Sheikhu00a0
*1/2
What'su00a0it about: We're so familiar with the story, it must've seemed like a good idea at the time. After all, a kid raised by foster parents quite unlike his birth parents, is a recurrent theme through Indian mythology and several films through the years.
As such, Sadiyaan, set in the '70s for the most part (it starts during the Partition era), follows the story of Ishaan (Sinha) who gets left behind by his Muslim parents (Sheikh, Malini) and is raised by Hindus, Amrit (Rekha) and Rajveer (Kapoor) in Amritsar. All is well until Ishaan falls for Chandni (Wazeir), a Muslim girl.
Chandni's parents don't agree to the match for obvious reasons. That's when Amrit and Rajveer decide to tell Ishaan and Chandni's parents that they are only foster parents to their son.
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What's hot:u00a0The second half is where all the action is. The birth mother and the foster mother meet setting the stage for some emotional scenes.
This is possibly the first time the veterans (Rishi, Rekha and Hema) come together on screen. The ladies have the author-backed roles, but since this was supposed to be Luv Sinha's big ticket debut, one seriously wonders if he should have taken a drama for a beginning in B-Town. While the actor has the genes, he still has a long way to go before he can carry a film on his own shoulders. What's more, his unconventional looks will limit his choices.
What's not: The film deals with the backstory and the Ishaan-Chandni love story in the first half and you simply stroll in after the intermission and not feel like you've missed a thing. Had the film been a little more tightly paced and the music been a lot less forgettable, it would have stood a chance. You really go in expecting very little and by that measure, you aren't disappointed.
What to do: The film is not for all audiences with the older lot finding the actors of their generation the only draw. Folks our age would simply go Sadi-naaaaah!u00a0