‘Sarkeet’ movie review: Asif Ali’s gentle drama on ADHD brims with unrealised promise

At the core of Thamar KV‘s sophomore film, Sarkeet, is a sticky affair that pushes the limits of believability. But, it is to the credit of the makers and the actors involved that one goes along willingly with this rather unbelievable situation that propels the story forward. Thamar, going by the two movies he has made so far, appears to be adept at pulling off such uncommon occurrences in a light, engaging manner.

For about half of its runtime, Sarkeet moves along two parallel tracks, one dealing with a couple who are struggling to manage their child with a severe case of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and another on the travails of a young Malayali who has landed up in a West Asian country in search of a job.

Their child Jeppu’s (Orhan) unpredictable, hyperactive behaviour takes its toll on Stephy and Balu (Divya Prabha and Deepak Parambol), whose relationship is tested at times, with past rancour resurfacing. When their world meets unexpectedly with that of jobless Ameer (Asif Ali), it would expectedly change all their lives. Although one is not sure whether ADHD will manifest in the ways portrayed in the film, Sarkeet is important in that it sheds some light on conditions often dismissed as just unruly behaviour. The underlying strain on the troubled childhood of another character gives the drama an added heft.

Thamar debuted with 1001 Nunakal (1001 Lies), which sustained itself on the tension built amid a group of friends who play a game during a get-together. In that film, one could sense the filmmaker treading a little too carefully without allowing the tricky situation that he conjured up to get out of hand. The same risk averse approach and the reluctance to dig deeper are evident in Sarkeet where the principal players all get out a little too easily from a not so easy situation. This approach perhaps led to the film hitting a little below what it could have, with the kind of possibilities provided by the subjects it tackled.

Yet, the film does have a few emotionally high moments that hit the right notes, although in the end it fails to leave a lasting impact due to the rather light treatment.

A still from ‘Sarkeet’

Sarkeet works mainly because of the performances, most notably that of young Orhan as the hard-to-handle Jeppu. It is a role that could have been easily portrayed in an over-the-top manner, but Orhan delivers just the required nuances for the character’s condition. Asif Ali aces it in his familiar turf where he is required to portray the emotional upheavals of a struggling man caught in a strange situation. Divya Prabha and Deepak Parambol also pitch in with notable turns.

Sarkeet is a gentle drama about weighty issues, which ends up with a lot of untapped potential.

Sarkeet is currently running in cinemas.