Rebel with a Cause

Actors: Hardeep Gill,Nishawn Bhullar,

Rana Ranbir,Harbinder Kaur Babli

music: Channi Singh,Ravi Sheen

Ratings: HHHH 1/2

At the heart of any cinema is the story it lights up to tell. A film is,therefore,as good or bad as the story it tells. The strength of Rajeev Sharma’s National Award-winning Punjabi film,Nabar (rebel),is its story,its script,and the actors who bring it to life. It’s the director who emerges as the real rebel,for daring to present a sensitive issue suffocating the state. The lure of dollars,immigration rackets and illegal travel agents that ail Punjab form the core of this film. As a writer,Sharma drew his inspiration from a news report he came across a couple of years ago,about a young Punjabi boy from Hoshiarpur,who was allegedly murdered in Mumbai by illegal travel agents who promised to send him abroad. In spite of opposition from all quarters,bribes and threats,the father of the deceased,fought and won the case. What we applaud is Sharma’s treatment of the subject.

Simplistic and minimalistic in its execution,Nabar is as raw and rooted as can be. Agreed,it has some loose ends,glaring technical faults and looks a bit bungled up around the climax,but with a meagre budget of Rs 50 lakh,Nabar’s exceptionally soul-stirring music,screenplay and dialogues keep it in motion.

There are no preachers here,or sermons or proclamations — just an ordinary farmer working fearlessly to bring the murderers of his son to justice. Hardeep Gill as Surjan Singh,father of the deceased,Karam Singh (Nishawn Bhullar),is a soft yet firm character. Bhullar is one of the rare Punjabi singers who displays a hold on his character. Without creating chaos with a multitude of actors,Sharma quietly flashes shades of each — the mother,Chindo,for whom time stops after her son’s death,Karam’s girlfriend Manjeet who embraces his family,the manipulative politician Kapura,and Karam’s friend,Rana.

Reeling under socio-economic recession and political oppression,facing a brain drain,losing its sons to drugs and daughters to foeticide,Nabar can prove to be a tonic for Punjab,and in the process,for Punjabi cinema.