A slow lesson in love & brotherhood

Jasmine Singh 

Even though the name Nankana evokes religious sentiments, the film, however, is all about understanding the true meaning of Sikhism and how in a small village, people stood the test of time during Partition. 

Sounds like something you’ve heard before and maybe seen too, one time too many on the silver screen? Directed by Manjeet Maan, Nankana’s story is predictable, but what makes it watchable is Manjeet Maan’s direction and Gurdas Maan’s acting. 

The film moves on a slow pace, from the beginning till the end on that we-know-what-is-going-to-happen-next path. At some places it also gets preachy but since all the lessons come from the legendary singer, Gurdas Maan, one gives them an attentive ear. 

Even though the film is not stretched, the subject takes its own slow pace to unfurl, which impedes the interest in the film. Since Nankana is all about following to the true meaning of Sikhi teachings and how Partition got the better of people from two different religions, who were living together in peace and harmony, one would expect the film to be running high on emotions, but sadly this isn’t the case. 

As the characters of the film go through ups and downs, highs and lows, one rarely feels such emotions. However, even if the emotional play doesn’t rise to the expectations, Manjeet Maan makes up for it in her well-defined characterisation and neat direction. Every single character in Nankana has a defined significance which shows on screen.  

While legendary singer-actor Gurdas Maan returns to silver screen after a long time, after watching Nankana, one feels he had never gone anywhere. This legendary artiste has a real life image of being thoughtful, sorted, warm and loving, which reflects in his on-screen character as well. Though we’d want to see more expressions from Gurdas Maan, he still justifies his character. Kavita Kaushik, the tall beauty has already proved in her debut Punjabi film Vekh Baraatan Challiyan that she is here to stay, with Nankana she asserts it once more. Kavita plays the dutiful wife, but the actress has much more potential than crying and smiling once a while in the film. Yet another television actor Anas Rashid opens his innings in the Punjabi film industry on a good note. Aditi Sharma in a special appearance hardly makes an impression. 

Jatinder Shah’s music is impeccable and so is Gurdas Maan and Gurlez Akhtar’s voice. Nankana is a movie that can give you lessons in kindness, love and brotherhood, but at an extremely slow pace. 

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