The trend was religiously followed in big budget patriotic films ('Mangal Pandey', 'Kisna') and in the making of four "Bhagat Singh" films that crashed disastrously at the box-office. Raman Kumar's 'Sarhad Paar' was conceived years back when the trend prevailed with full zest but unfortunately it took years to reach theatres.

Sadly, it has appeared as one of the multiple releases this week and is pitted with internationally acclaimed 'Water' and highly publicized 'Red'. The film is released with zero publicity, low hype and negligible expectations with list of reliable actors to its credits. Despite all whims and fancies, the film considerably suffers from sub-standard style of filmmaking (poor dubbing, weak cinematography and sloppy direction).

The film wears jaded and shoddy looks of an outdated regional Punjabi film and hardly shows any signs of multiplex or modern cinema. 'Sarhad Paar' banks heavily on the religious and traditional sentiments of Sikhs and will work the maximum in Punjabi speaking belts and regions. Unfortunately, the film falls into the list of late releases and works mechanically with age old formulas of Bollywood "masala" films.

The promos showing Sanjay Dutt as a gallant Sikh fighting for his country's loyalty and pride might have provided some similarity with 'Gadar-Ek Prem Katha' but it differs in its concept and treatment. Unlike 'Gadar', the film works on the Indo-Pak friendship and treats international terrorism as the biggest villain for both the countries.

The concept of cross-border terrorism has been used as a theme during the last few years and in 'Sarhad Paar' it forms the core of the script. It's pity the theme has been used amateurishly and fails to collage with the authenticity of a trendy style of realistic cinema.

Even the characterizations are poorly scripted with lots of cracks and dents in the screenplay. Director Raman Kumar has an uninspiring track record of semi-hits and flops and with 'Sarhad Paar', the list gets longer.

No wonder that the director has evoked pathos and sentiments of a particular community, but has failed to give it a look of upbeat multiplex release. 'Sarhad Paar' has its plus points but it's the minuses that overshadow the plusses.

The film has a set up of rural Punjab where courageous Sikh jawan Ranjit Singh (Sanjay Dutt) is reported to be missing. The brave soldier is survived by his wife Pammi (Tabu), sister Simran (Mahima Chaudhry) and uncle (Satyen Kappu). Simran is engaged with local singer Ravi (Chandrachur Singh) but their marriage is withheld for five years. The villagers believe that Ranjit Singh has expired and propose a memorial in the village.

One fine day, village local phone operator Dola Singh (Rakesh Bedi) breaks the good news of Ranjit Singh's arrival at the Indo-Pak border. Pammi and Simran are happy to welcome him but are shocked to find him mentally and physically unfit. Ranjit Singh was traumatized and physically assaulted in the enemy camp. This brutality made him "vegetable" and he lost his memory. In the army hospital he is nursed by Pammi and Simran . Finally, he remembers all the evil doings of the enemy.

International terrorist Bakhtawar (Rahul Dev) tormented the man who nursed the traitors of the country. Bade Miyan (Akash Khurana) forms the link of bondage between the two neighboring countries but unfortunately he is the father of Bakhtawar. In short, he works as a peace worker by supplying relevant information about terrorist activities to both the countries.

During one serial bomb blast, Ranjit Singh confronts Bakhtawar and a battle between the army and the terrorist begins. It ends on a promising and predictable note with conventional plot.

Besides its stale treatment, the film falters on sub-standard acting and weak face value. Chandrachur Singh and Mahima Chaudhry's stardom has faded and Tabu's weary looks hardly add to the glamour quotient. Chandrachur Singh has been lost in the woods for years and this film shortlisted him in the bunch of sidekicks. He has been reduced to "glorified extra" and disappoints completely in villainous shades.

Mahima Chaudhry failed to carry her village belle looks that she carried splendidly in her launching vehicle 'Pardes'. Both Tabu and Mahima Chaudhry deliver with minimum make up and deglamorised facial expressions. Tabu excels in a couple of emotional scenes but overall the film will hardly hold any importance for her.

Sanjay Dutt holds the fort commendably but in many scenes his voice has been dubbed with different ones. Despite his aging looks, he wears the caricature well and delivers a noteworthy performance. Model-turned-actor Rahul Dev fits well into villainous attire of a Muslim terrorist and delivers a brilliant performance.

The actor has been a dependable performer for years and has branded for negative shades. He suffers from poor characterizations and it shows considerably in the climax of the film. Akash Khurana and Satyen Kappu work brilliantly with their characters and their seniority shows in their spirited performances.

Unheard music of Anand Raj Anand gives moments of cheers and spiritualism. It works well in traditional "Rabba Khair Manga" and spirited "Teriya Mohabbatein" but unfortunately they are unheard in musical markets and film circuits.

Director Raman Kumar disappoints with his blend of patriotism that fails to collage with the present style of filmmaking. It will be a disaster in coming days and will be termed the lowest among its contemporary releases. 'Sarhad Paar' will enjoy strong and enthused support from North Indian audiences but even they would not be cherishing it any longer. Overall, it's an over delayed release and poor packaging narrates its sorry tale of disaster. In nutshell, it's too late to arrive and too early to depart!