Sardar Ka Grandson, starring Arjun Kapoor, Rakulpreet Singh, Neena Gupta, Soni Razdan, and Kanwaljit Singh, released on May 18 on Netflix. At a bleak time like the present, we were looking forward to a good comedy, which is what this film promised to be. However, the only person who delivered was Neena Gupta. Read our review to know whether you should watch the movie this weekend or not.

Image Source

Sardar Ka Grandson touches upon the highly emotional topic of the Partition and how it affected millions of families in Punjab. But the story botches up the theme and makes it almost spoofy.

Amreek Singh (Arjun Kapoor) is a struggling entrepreneur based in the US who lives and works with his fiance, Radha (Rakulpreet Singh). When they break up after a nasty fight, Amreek decides to visit his family in Punjab since his grandmother, Sardar Kaur (Neena Gupta), is terminally ill. After a long, painful introduction, this is where the film picks up a bit.

Neena Gupta lights up the screen from the very first frame. Her portrayal of the badass grandmother who loves her whiskey more than her family is on point. She destroys people with her words but becomes an emotional wreck when she is reminded of her life in Lahore before 1947. For Punjabi millennials, this sums up most of our grandmothers.

When Sardar Kaur realises she could die any day, she expresses her last wish to her grandson, Amreek. She wants him to take her to Lahore to see the house she had built there with her husband. But she doesn’t get a visa despite Amreek’s best efforts. So, Amreek decides to go to Lahore to bring the house to her in Amritsar. What ensues in the middle is absolute chaos which could’ve been really funny if the filmmakers had tried. But all the film becomes is a sappy mess. The lack of basic research shows far too clearly, and what is up with Neena Gupta’s cheek prosthetics? Why can we see the glued on disaster?

Image Source

Arjun Kapoor’s Amreek sounds and looks like an extension of his character in Mubarakan. There is no innovation and thought in the character’s development. Rakulpreet Singh’s character seems to have been added just to put a woman opposite the male lead. The others in the family just add to the noise, hyping the stereotype of Punjabis being far too loud and chaotic.

If you’re looking for an entertainer, you will be disappointed. But if you’re okay with watching a mediocre film with one watchable performance, go ahead and watch Sardar Ka Grandson.

Related: Radhe Review: It’s Mindless, Loud, And A Lot, Even For Salman Khan