Sarfarosh (transl. Fervent) is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written, produced, and directed by John Matthew Matthan. The film, based on true events regarding state-sponsored terrorism taken place in India during 1990s, stars Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan, and Sonali Bendre, alongside Mukesh Rishi, Pradeep Rawat, Akhilendra Mishra, Makrand Deshpande, Shri Vallabh Vyas, Govind Namdev and Surekha Sikri. The soundtrack and musical score were composed by Jatin–Lalit and Sanjoy Chowdhury, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Vikas Sivaraman and Jethu Mundul respectively. The film revolves around an IPS officer's quest to eradicate cross-border terrorism.
Matthan started working on the film in 1992, and spent seven years on the research, pre-production and production. It was released on 30 April 1999. Matthan began developing Sarfarosh with the core idea of a personal revenge story. The idea later evolved after the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts conspiracy came to light. Matthan and his co-writer Hriday Lani began researching, which grew into a deeper look at how Pakistan-backed terrorism operated in India, how the ISI infiltrated networks and how attacks were carried out with help from insiders across places like Mumbai, Rajasthan, and even South India.
Sarfarosh was released just before the Kargil conflict when tensions between India and Pakistan were high. The film became commercially successful at the box office. The movie received praise for its cast performances, technical aspects, action sequences, music and script. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film, and was screened at the International Film Festival of India. The film was remade in Kannada as Sathyameva Jayathe and in Telugu as Astram.
Contents
Plot
Arms trafficking is taking place across western India. Bala Thakur, a gun handler in Bahid, Rajasthan, provides AK-47 arms to Veeran, a notorious brigand. Veeran and his adivasi gang loot a Telugu wedding group gunning down every person in the bus at Chandrapur, the border area of Maharashtra and Telangana known for naxalite–maoist insurgency. The government appoints a Special Action Team in Mumbai to trace the attack.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajay Singh Rathod, a resident of Mumbai, attends a concert by famed ghazal singer, the elderly Gulfam Hassan, a Muhajir. Gulfam is Indian by birth but had to move to Pakistan as a child during the partition; deeply scarred by the experience, he is happy that the government allows him to live in his palatial residence whenever he comes to India. Gulfam finds a huge fan in Ajay, who used to attend his programs as a child, and the two bond. Ajay also reunites with Seema, whom he had a crush on when they were studying in Delhi. The duo falls in love.
Inspector Saleem, an honest policeman, is taken off the team when notorious gangster Sultan escapes his clutches. He is reprimanded for this failure and for causing the death of three constables in the attempt. Despite Saleem doing his duty sincerely, his senior officers look down upon him because he is a Muslim. When Ajay, who is younger, inexperienced and was mentored by Saleem himself before assuming charge, is told to head the team, Saleem is upset and refuses to take part in the investigation. Ajay's past is revealed: his father was going to testify against a terrorist, and in an attempt to stop them, Ajay's elder brother was killed. His father was kidnapped, and by the time the terrorists spared him, the man had lost his voice. This motivated Ajay to join the police force.
Gulfam is revealed to be working for the Pakistani intelligence, which is attempting to indulge in a proxy war with India. Since Gulfam likes Ajay, he sees to it that nothing happens to him. Saleem finds the location of Bala Thakur and Sultan and gives the information to Ajay, who convinces him to join the team again. An encounter with the criminals results in the death of Bala Thakur while Ajay is injured. Though Sultan escapes, the operation is a success as the team is able to intercept a consignment of lethal arms meant for terrorist Veeran. Sultan is assassinated on Gulfam's orders because of his failure, with false information relayed to Saleem's informer network that Sultan has escaped to Pakistan.
Music
The film's music was composed by Jatin–Lalit, with lyrics written by Israr Ansari, Nida Fazli, Sameer, and Indeevar.
The vocals for Shah, Khan and Bendre were provided by Jagjit Singh, Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik, respectively. The album also features the vocals of Kavita Krishnamurthy, Roop Kumar Rathod and Sonu Nigam.
Hosh Walon Ko Khabar Kya was penned by Nida Fazli, inspired by the Indian poet Kabirdas' verse Haman Hai Ishq Mastana. Jatin Pandit has specified that Jatin-Lalit recorded the ghazal with Bhupinder Singh, for whom it was originally composed, but on the insistence of the film's administrators and their request for a more popular ghazal singer, leading them to approach Jagjit Singh. Jatin noted that he made it a point to create a new tune for the Jagjit Singh version as to honor the work put in by Bhupinder Singh earlier.
Reception
Critical response
Upon release, Sarfarosh received critical acclaim from film critics. Naseeruddin Shah was especially praised for his role of a Muhajir. The reviewer for Filmfare rated the film four stars out of five and wrote, "What makes this film so exceptional is its carefully thought out characterization and brilliant performances. Although this is his first film, director John Mathew Matthan draws perfectly crafted outputs from his entire cast. Aamir brings the role of A.C.P. Rathod to a never-before-seen dimension of reality." He further added, "Sarfarosh succeeds in connecting with the audiences, as it manages to transcend its medium and do a great deal more than just entertain."
Suparn Verma of Rediff.com felt that the film "manages to marry serious cinema with the commercial variety" and wrote that the "script has this no-nonsense look to it, clearly and succinctly establishing the protagonist's past ..." In addition to commending the acting performances of Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan and Sonali Bendre, he lauded the departments of direction, music, choreography, and called the camerawork "good in parts but lack[ing] technical finesse".