We
rarely
make
desi
movies
these
days.
Palatial
mansions,
swanky
cars,
designer
outfits,
the
latest
handsets
and
gizmos
have
replaced
large
kothis,
traditional
outfits,
ghoda-gaadis
and
makke
di
roti
aur
sarson
ka
saag.
True
to
its
name,
Sadiyaan
takes
you
to
a
different
era,
when
the
warmth
of
relations
mattered
the
most,
when
blood
was
thicker
than
water,
when
promises
were
meant
to
be
honoured.
Sadiyaan
is
set
in
the
1970s,
but
travels
to
the
partition
days.
Raj
Kanwar
tackles
a
unique
theme
this
time
-
of
two
mothers.
The
first
is
the
biological
mother,
who
gets
separated
from
her
child
during
the
partition.
The
second
raises
the
child
like
her
own,
when
she
crosses
to
India
after
partition.
The
basic
premise
is
wonderful
and
you
can
draw
parallels
with
Hindu
mythology.
Sadiyaan
is
divided
into
two
parts.
The
first
part
focuses
on
the
love
story,
which
falls
on
the
predictable,
mundane
stuff,
with
the
Hindu-Muslim
angle
thrown
in.
But
Raj
Kanwar
reserves
the
best
for
the
second
part,
when
the
two
women
meet
and
the
story
takes
rapid
turns.
But,
let's
face
it,
Sadiyaan
is
not
everyone's
idea
of
entertainment,
since
the
'multiplex
junta'
doesn't
patronise
desi
cinema
anymore,
unlike
the
single
screen
audience
that
adores
this
kind
of
cinema.
So
what's
the
final
verdict?
Watch
it
if
you
like
desi
melodrama
of
yore,
which
comes
alive
with
Sadiyaan.
Sadiyaan
is
a
period
drama
based
on
an
incident
which
happened
during
the
partition.
It's
the
story
of
two
mothers,
a
Hindu
played
by
Rekha
and
a
Muslim
mother
played
by
Hema
Malini.
In
the
chaos
and
confusion
during
partition
in
1947,
Benazir
[Hema
Malini]
leaves
behind
her
child
in
the
mansion
she
lived
in,
before
moving
to
Lahore.
The
child
is
rescued
by
Amrit
[Rekha]
and
Rajveer
[Rishi
Kapoor],
who
try
hard
to
locate
the
parents
of
the
child,
but
in
vain.
They
decide
to
raise
the
child
themselves.
Ishaan
[Luv
Sinha]
falls
in
love
with
Chandni
[Ferena
Wazeir],
who
lives
in
the
same
city
[Amritsar].
However,
Chandni's
parents
oppose
the
match,
since
Ishaan
is
a
Hindu.
Amrit
and
Rajveer
decide
to
reveal
the
truth
to
Ishaan
and
also
to
Chandni's
parents.
Two
commonalities
in
Raj
Kanwar
movies…
One,
he
has
always
stressed
on
drama
in
his
movies
and
Sadiyaan
is
no
exception.
Two,
the
maker
has
often
worked
with
newcomers
[SRK
in
Deewana,
Aarya
Babbar
and
Amrita
Rao
in
Ab
Ke
Baras
and
Lara
Dutta
and
Priyanka
Chopra
in
Andaaz]
and
now,
it's
Shatrughan
Sinha's
son
Luv
Sinha
in
Sadiyaan.
Sadiyaan
has
two
stories
running
concurrently
-
the
love
story
[Luv,
Ferena]
and
the
story
of
two
mothers
[Rekha,
Hema
Malini].
While
the
love
story
is
hardly
exciting
since
it
relies
on
the
tried-and-tested
stuff,
the
Indo-Pak
angle
in
the
mothers'
story
makes
this
part
extremely
watchable.
The
best
moments
are
reserved
for
the
second
hour,
with
the
penultimate
moments
proving
the
mainstay
of
the
enterprise.
However,
as
mentioned
earlier,
desi
themes
aren't
too
popular
these
days,
except
in
the
hinterland.
Hence,
a
film
like
Sadiyaan
has
its
limitations
to
cut
across
to
a
universal
audience.
Another
drawback
is
that
a
love
story
should
be
embellished
with
lilting
music
and
unfortunately,
Adnan
Sami's
music
is
a
letdown.
Directorially,
Raj
Kanwar
handles
the
dramatic
moments
with
flourish,
but
the
writing,
especially
the
love
story,
is
archaic.
Also,
what
was
the
need
to
force
comedy
in
the
narrative?
Cinematography
is
alright,
but
the
locations
are
eye-filling.
Rishi
Kapoor,
Rekha
and
Hema
Malini
are
the
lifeline
of
the
film.
Rishi
is
top
notch.
Rekha
is
amazing,
while
Hema
is
perfect.
In
fact,
it's
a
treat
to
watch
the
two
actresses
share
screen
space
after
a
really
long
gap.
Luv
Sinha
needs
to
polish
his
acting
skills.
He's
slightly
awkward
in
the
first
part,
but
decent
in
the
second
half,
when
the
goings-on
get
emotional.
Ferena
is
a
decent
actor,
but
needs
to
work
on
her
makeup
and
wardrobe.
Javed
Sheikh
is
appropriate.
Deep
Dhillon
is
good.
Vivek
Shauq
is
getting
typecast.
Avtar
Gill
is
perfect.
On
the
whole,
Sadiyaan
is
an
emotional
drama
narrated
in
old-fashioned
style.
If
old
world
charm
still
excites
you,
there
are
chances
you
may
like
this
one.