murtlecottage

Sad to say that this was so, so disappointing - everything that was great in the novel is missing. Hard to know who or what to blame the most - the choice of screenwriter, the poor direction, the wooden dialogue, the random changes between English and HIndi/Urdu, the miscasting of Mrs Mehra and especially Lata - Tanya Maniktala was definitely not a 'suitable girl' for the part! The only saving graces were the presence of Tabu and the music of Shujaat Khan. I don't think that anyone will be inspired to read Vikram Seth's novel after watching this BBC dramatisation, so would advise not wasting your time watching this but instead invest your time reading the novel.

This film demonstrates that there is enough talent within the Panjabi film industry to make serious and decent films. Kiron Kher is absolutely superb as the mother looking for her lost son amidst the lawlessness, chaos and terrorism that existed in Panjab in the early-mid eighties. Diljit Dosanjh demonstrates that he can act in a non-comedy role. Anurag Singh is a director with great potential. This film is not without its flaws (it is too long and the second half descends into the realms of melodrama)but is undoubtedly one of the best Panjabi films and well worth watching.