Film Review – MY FATHER IQBAL

One more film on the Kashmir insurgency, though it’s a circuitous attempt to bring to screen a real-life incident. Iqbal Khan (Narendra Jha), an engineer working in the Public Works Department in J&K, is a doting husband and father. His scruples, leading to his refusal to do the terrorists’ bidding, draw the ire of his corrupt higher-ups.
Director Suzad Iqbal Khan, helming his third film, seems undecided as to which theme to give eminence to — a husband’s love, paternal duties or that of an honest citizen. In the bargain, he ends up with a mishmash of a film, with an incoherent screenplay and wayward editing.

For the most part, veteran Narendra Jha, with his exaggerated expressions, seems to be ramp-walking even when treading the rocky mountainous slopes. Newcomer Komal Thackar as wife Sahiba, is pleasing and puts in a sincere performance. The cinematography of the beautiful landscape, set in the scenic border of J&K and Himachal Pradesh, though alluring, could have been executed better. The ghazal ‘Waqt-e-Fursat’ by Arman Trikha is worth an encore. All-in-all, a fruitless attempt at filmmaking.