Film: Sarbjit

I'd have gone to see Sarbjit last week, except that its IMDB ratings slipped a bit, so I went to Sing Street instead. And very good it was. When I decided to go to a film today, however, Sarbjit was now top of what remained.. I checked out the trailer, decided it was ok, and booked it, which was cheaper. However, it's no longer showing in my local cinema - no, I had to trek all the way out to Feltham to see it! They mentioned that the car park was free from 7am to 7pm, and the drive looked doable - so I also decided to drive. New territory for me!

With the car park times, I had to choose the early showing, at 1:40 - and with Google Maps estimating a journey time of between 35 minutes and an hour, I left shortly after 12. I'd printed out the map and such directions as I felt I needed, and it did look easy enough - first to the South Circular, to a junction I usually pass en route to Guildford, in which case I take the A3 instead. Then I'd need to follow the South Circular to the A316 to Richmond, then take the Heathrow turnoff, and head left at the Feltham turnoff, parking in front of the cinema at the end of the road. And apart from that, it's a straight run - dual carriageway along the A316, and otherwise single-lane: which can lead to congestion, but makes navigation much easier!

No problem at all, as it happened. Light traffic, and roadworks on the South Circular - and I was headed along the A312 for so long I thought I was lost - but I made the cinema in 50 minutes. Whoop-de-doo! Unfortunately, that left me about half an hour early for the film - and the usher told me that the film showing beforehand hadn't even finished yet, wouldn't until half past, and then they'd have to clean it. Hmph. So I bought a packet of Minstrels for brunch - would've been much better value to buy two, but I realised that too late - and sat in the car to eat them, as the cinema lobby has precious little seating, and there really isn't anything else convenient. Listening to a London country music station (!).

At just past the scheduled start time, I schlepped in again, and was allowed into the screen this time. This early showing was in a smaller screen than the later ones - and fairly packed. My assigned seat was right beside someone else, but given how busy the screen was, I thought I'd better take it - and it turned out I was right, as the seats beside me were filled. Mostly Indians, by the look of them, but a few English folks near the end of my row. Well, you do always know that, in London, these films will be subtitled - although it was unnerving to have the first trailer unsubtitled - but actually, online they often are.

Sarbjit is the true story of a misfortunate Indian farmer (called Sarbjit), living near the Pakistani border, who got drunk one night, literally fell across the border, and was arrested on suspicion of espionage. And when they decided he was this terrorist they were looking for, he was held for 20 years on indefinite sentence of death, his release continually delayed by ongoing hysteria between the countries. The film is told from the point of view of his devoted sister, who never ceased to campaign for his release.

I love this about Bollywood films - they take the human element, the family element, so seriously. Your average Hollywood film will give a token scene or two to weepiness, then get back to the action - Bollywood, on the other hand, thinks that the human aspect is just as important. And caveat - this is a huge weepie. Bring a box of hankies. But I do recommend it very highly - it's so sweet, and so sad. Very glad I saw it in the end - even if I did have to drive all the way out there!

My way back was similarly uneventful, apart from messing up on the lanes at the Red Rover junction - strangely, Streetview has a blank spot just there, so I couldn't check. Anyway, for tomorrow, I'm back with We Are Funny, courtesy of Putney Social Group - I really enjoyed it last time, and will be delighted to give it another shot! Let's see whether the host - Alex Martini - remembers his promise, last time, to buy me a drink. And this time, I've copied the list of performers, so no-one can accuse me of being forgetful.. Oh and hey, I can drive again. This is becoming a habit!