Synopsis

Jassa and Gurbaz are stepbrothers by relation but sworn enemies by the decree of their father’s circumstantial decision to marry twice. While Jassa has received the wealthy end of his father, Bhupinder Singh Randhawa’s inheritance and legitimacy, Gurbaz and his mother don’t match either in rank or an honorable place in society. Compounding this rivalry is Gurbaz’s lady love Rupi, who is married off to Jassa at Gurbaz’s insistence, in a contrived plot gone wrong for revenge. Rupi eventually resigns herself to her fate and accepts Jassa as her husband, giving birth to a son, and Gurbaz decides to forgive her. However, the family feud is stoked again by their uncle (chacha), who has his own axe to grind with the stepbrothers because of their late father disrespecting him owing to his wayward ways. The climax sees a lot of tragic deaths as people get caught amid this plot of vengeance, treachery, and inheritance.

Cast & Crew

  • Navaniat SinghDirector
  • Jimmy SheirgillActor
  • Dev KharoudActor
  • Sharan KaurActor
  • Yograj SinghActor
  • Mukul DevActor
  • Sunita DhirActor
  • Anita MeetActor
  • Gunbir Singh SidhuProducer
  • Manmord SidhuProducer

Story

The story starts in a flashback with an old Jaswant Singh Randhawa aka Jassa (Jimmy Sheirgill) in a wheelchair playing the narrator to his son who has come to avenge his mother’s murder at Jassa’s hands many years ago. What unfolds is a tale of betrayal, retribution, and misunderstandings that have resulted in a blood bath for both the families of Jassa and his stepbrother, Gurbaz (Dev Kharoud). The story is the master stroke in Shareek 2- it is riveting, compelling, and intriguing, crediting its writer.

Weaving the age-old battle of the land in Punjab, which has infamously divided families for centuries, the film is not touching a new subject, yet it is delivering this subject to audiences draped in unpredictable intrigue. Doing complete justice to this drama are actors Jimmy, Dev, and Sharan Kaur who essays Rupi. Jimmy has made an appearance in Punjabi cinema after a few years, and what a comeback! His nuanced acting as the patriarch of the rightful Randhawa clan and the gravity he brings to Jassa, playing between a loving husband and a man resorting to honor killing, is majestic.

His portrayal of Jassa is a stark reminder of why we need him more frequently in Punjabi films. Playing yet another grey shade is Dev Kharoud who has so easily turned audiences from hatred for Gurbaz to sympathy, as he straddles the changes his character undergoes while playing a son seeking harsh revenge, to a true lover who forgives his lady even when she is poisoning him. Dev may be repeating the intensity of his previous roles, something he has become a master of, but in this film, his variations of roles are worth noticing.


The only (surprisingly) villainous character in Shareek 2 is Mukul Dev who plays the shakuni chacha and never lets the fire die down between the two stepbrothers. Kudos to Mukul for keeping the intrigue going in the plot without really giving away what his next moves will be.


Sharan is a newbie to Punjabi films, yet in Shareek 2 she has matured beyond her years and experience as she deftly handles Rupi’s role which is pivotal to the hatred between the brothers. Amar Noori who plays Gurbaz’s mother deserves special applause for portraying the pathos of a wife not given a legit place by society. Yograj Singh's share in the Shareek 2 pie may be short as he plays Bhupinder Singh Randhawa, yet his presence is an unmissable treat.


The music, which is compelling and profound, adds to the attractive narration of the story, keeping the tenor of somberness alive.
In the end, Shareek 2 belongs to director Navaniat Singh for having tastefully adapted a tale from Punjab’s heartland with a sound technical hand and strong editing. Whoever doubts the Punjabi industry lacks content, should go and watch this film.