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Director: Piyush Jha
Cast: R Madhavan, Sanjay Suri, Parzaan Dastur and Ayesha Kapur
Rating: **
Even as he dreams of being a state-level footballer, Sikandar has to worry about a gun in his bag. Parzaan Dastur stars in the title role of a boy in Kashmir who is struck by strife and violence. So what's new?
Outwardly, Sikandar is just another film set against the backdrop of terrorism in Kashmir. But writer-director Piyush Jha has made an effort to tell the story of two innocent kids growing up in the city and used Kashmir merely as a catalyst.
To a great extent, he has succeeded. But in the end, the film dangles midway between the kids' emotional story, and a hard-hitting take on the subject of terrorism.
The film opens with a soft song picturised on kids in Kashmir, culminating in a bomb blast in the marketplace. You are struck by the irony of the situation, and Jha sets the tempo right from the first scene itself.
Enter Sikandar, a teen whose only immediate worry is to stave off the school bullies. He befriends Nasreen (Ayesha Kapur) and the two do everything kids their age would do (except study -- although there is a school, the kids never seem to worry about exams or homework).
One evening, the children come across a gun lying on the way to school. Nasreen is skeptical, but Sikandar can't resist the temptation to pick up the weapon. This is his opportunity to scare off the bullies, which he does, but in the process he comes under the eye of jihadi Zahgeer Qadir (Arunoday Singh).
Qadir sees an easy prey in Sikandar, who he takes under his wing, training him to bump off politician Mattoo (Sanjay Suri). But a twist in the plot turns the tide, with Qadir dead, and Sikandar on the run with the army on the lookout for him.
At an hour and 50 minutes, the film is not too long, and you won't mind at all. Its pace works in its favour and in addition to making the film gritty, Jha deserves credit for getting good performances out of the cast -- especially from the kids and newcomer Arunoday.
Sanjay Suri is miscast as the politician, a role which required an actor with a far greater emotional depth, while Madhavan does a good job. Ayesha Kapur is all right, but it is Parzaan, as Sikandar, who delivers a fine performance and some stellar turns can be expected the child actor in the future, too.
Yet, Sikandar lacks the punch to be considered anything more than mediocre. At best, it makes you want to look forward to Piyush Jha's future work.
