Son of Sardaar
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ashwni Dhir
Produced by	Ajay Devgan N.R.Pachisia Pravin Talreja
Screenplay by	Robin Bhatt Ashwni Dhir
Based on	Maryada Ramanna  by S. S. Rajamouli
Starring	Ajay Devgn Sonakshi Sinha Sanjay Dutt Juhi Chawla Mukul Dev Vindu Dara Singh
Music by	Himesh Reshammiya
Studio	Ajay Devgan Ffilms YRV Infra Media
Distributed by	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Eros International
Release date(s)	November 13, 2012 (2012-11-13)
Running time	140 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	30 crore (US$5.5 million)[2]
Box office	138 crore (US$25 million) (worldwide)[3]

Son of Sardaar, also known by the abbreviated form SOS, is a 2012 Bollywood action comedy film directed by Ashwni Dhir.^[4] The film features Ajay Devgan, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Dutt and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles. Salman Khan also appears in a cameo role, and a song sequence.^[5] The film released on 13 November 2012. Whilst having competition with the Yash Raj film Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Son of Sardaar managed to do excellent business at the box office worldwide.^[6] Box Office India rated Son of Sardaar as Hit in India, and an Average grosser in the Overseas Markets.^[7][8] It went on to gross 138 crore (US$25 million) worldwide.^[3]

Plot [edit]

The story revolves around two families, whose leaders had killed each other many years ago. Two sons from the family left, Jaswinder Randhawa and Balwinder Singh are sworn enemies. Jaswinder has hidden in London, whereas Balwinder is waiting for his return in Punjab so he can take revenge for the death of his father. Now in modern day, Jassi Randhawa (Ajay Devgan) is an unemployed good-for-nothing who receives a letter from the Punjab Government concerning about buying his property in Punjab. To finalize and sell the property, Jassi leaves for Punjab. On the train, he meets & falls in love with Sukhmit (Sonakshi Sinha), who leaves at her station. In Punjab, Jassi accidentally hurts Billu (Sanjay Dutt), and seeing he is new to the area, Billu invites Jassi to his home, where he treats Jassi like a God. There, Jassi realizes that Billu is Sukhmit's brother. Soon enough, it turns out that Billu is actually Balwinder Singh, and realizes that Jassi is short for Jaswinder. However, Billu's family has one rule, a guest in the house should never be disturbed. Now, Billu must wait for Jassi to leave the house in order to kill him, but Jassi finds out, and comes up with a hilarious plan to foil Billu's shenanigans.

Cast [edit]

• Ajay Devgan as Jaswinder Randhawa (Jassi)
• Sanjay Dutt as Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Billu)
• Juhi Chawla as Pammi^[9]
• Sonakshi Sinha as Sukhmit (Sukh)
• Salman Khan as Pathan (extended appearance)^[10]
• Puneet Issar as Inspector Sardar^[11]
• Mukul Dev as Tony
• Vindu Dara Singh as Titu
• Tanuja as Bebe
• Arjan Bajwa as Bobby
• Sanjai Mishra as Club Owner in London

Development [edit]

Son of Sardaar is a remake of Telegu comedy thriller film Maryada Ramanna directed by S. S. Rajamouli starring Sunil and Saloni Aswani in lead roles. In an interview, director Ashwni Dhir replied that it was only the plot that was remade, the rest was changed.

Maryada Ramanna is said to be the Telugu adaptation of the 1923 American silent movie Our Hospitality starring Buster Keaton and Natalie Talmadge. Kannada movie Balagalittu Olage Ba starring S. Narayan and released in 2002 is the very first remake of this silent classic. Maryada Ramanna itself has been remade in Kannada as Maryade Ramanna starring Komal Kumar and Nisha Shah, and in Bengali as Faande Poriya Boga Kaande Re starring Soham Chakraborty and Srabanti Chatterjee. ^{[12] [13]} In fact each and every antics in Son of Sardaar is prominently depicted in the Bengali remake.^[14]

Production [edit]

30 crore (US$5.5 million) is spent on making the film.^[15][16]

The Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board raised some disagreements due to some objection regarding certain scenes and dialogues of the film. The producer and lead actor Ajay Devgn understood the objections and edited the scenes of the film.^[17] "The creativity of the film has not been affected in any way. Every film is rectified, sometimes it's made even better," said Devgn during press conference. "The objectionable things were very small. The writer and director of the film is Punjabi and we took care of things. Even the guy who tied my turban was from Punjab", he added.

Marketing [edit]

Son of Sardaar actors Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Sonakshi Sinha promoted the film on the sets of Big Boss, hosted by Salman Khan in October 2012.^[18][19] Ajay and Sonakshi also promoted the film at Indian Grand Prix, Buddh International Circuit on October 28, 2012.^[20][21]

The main theatrical trailer of nearly 2:23 minutes featuring the film's title was released on July 19, 2012 through Viacom 18 Motion Pictures' official YouTube channel. It received 3 million views till November 2012. The marketing of the film also involved public appearances by Ajay and Sonakshi in a Kaun Banega Crorepati episode, with prize money going to Salman Khan's charity Being Human, which was aired on November 18, 2012 on Sony TV.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha were celebrity guests to promote their movie Son of Sardaar in Diwali special episode of 'Hero Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012' on 10 November 2012 at 9 PM.^[27] The creators of the Son of Sardaar have released a set of images with Ajay Devgn's character Jassi posing at several well known landmarks around the world-Niagara falls to Big Ben in London to the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa in Dubai,and Sydney opera house.^[28] Special screening of Son of Sardaar was organised in Mumbai on November 9, 2012.^[29] Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha promoted the film in Patna.^[30] A special screening of 'Son of Sardaar' was done for members of Indian cricket team.^[31]

Release [edit]

Son of Sardaar released in 2000 screens in India and 350 screens in Overseas.^{[16][32][33][34]} Son of Sardaar got 300 more screens in second week.^[35][36]

Controversy [edit]

This article's Criticism or Controversy section may compromise the article's neutral point of view of the subject. Please integrate the section's contents into the article as a whole, or rewrite the material. (February 2013)

Two weeks before Diwali, Ajay Devgn sent an intimation notice to Yash Raj Films through their lawyer at the Competition Commission of India. The notice accused Yash Raj Films of monopolistic business practices and stated that they used "their dominant position in the Bollywood film market" to secure many high quality single-screens for their release Jab Tak Hai Jaan.^[37] Yash Raj Films responded by saying that they were shocked and questioned Devgn's motives. The studio also dismissed Devgn's claim that high quality single-screens were unavailable by pointing out that they had only booked 1,500 single-screens for Jab Tak Hai Jaan out of the 10,500 available in India. The studio added that Ajay could have changed the release of his film as Yash Chopra announced on June 27, 2011 Jab Tak Hai Jaan would come out on Diwali 2012. Ajay announced the date of Son of Sardaar on May 29, 2012 and finalized distribution deals on October 4, 2012. He had a year to avoid a simultaneous release. Lastly, Yash Raj Films stated it was unfair to say they were in a dominant position. The studio only released a handful of films in 2012 while the makers of Son of Sardaar, Viacom 18 and Eros International, released dozens the same year.^[38]

After the statement made by Yash Raj Films, Ajay Devgn responded by saying he only managed to book 600 single-screens for Son of Sardaar and would take legal action if not allotted more. He also denied having anything against Shahrukh Khan and said that distributors cannot be allowed to enter into an arrangement which adversely affects competition. Yash Raj Films entered into a tie-in arrangement with exhibitors that made it compulsory for them to show an untitled Yash Chopra film on Diwali and keep it in cinemas for at least two weeks thereafter. Devgn claimed that this violated provisions of the 2002 Indian Competition Act.^[38][39] Senior film critic Vinod Mirani said that YRF's move of blocking single screens may not help much. “Single screens watchers will have more affinity towards an action film such as SOS. Moreover, JTHJ's length and the fact that music has still not picked up, will not go down well with the movie goers." ^[40] The Competition Commission dismissed the case against Yash Raj Films on 6 November 2012.^[41] Ajay Devgn has appealed to Competition Appellate Tribunal after rejection of petition against Yash Raj Films.^[42] The Competition Appellate tribunal bench headed by chairman Justice V. S. Sirpurkar refused Ajay's stay against Jab Tak Hai Jaan but stated that the case against Yash Raj Films will be reviewed again. Both films will release on November 13, 2012.^[43][44]

Reception [edit]

Critical reception [edit]

Son of Sardaar received mixed to negative reviews. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave Son of Sardaar a score of 4 out of 5 stars and said "Son of Sardaar is for lovers of hardcore masala movies. "If you liked Wanted, Dabangg and Rowdy Rathore, chances are you will relish Son of Sardaar as well. The North Indian audiences in particular and those residing abroad will be simply delighted by this chatpata, masaledaar fare."^[45] Gayatri Sankar of Zee News gave it 3 out of 5 stars whule commenting "Certain portions are a bit of a drag, but the comic sequences will make up for the monotony. The cast has put up a good show. Overall, SOS is worth a watch, a complete family entertainer.^[46] Rediff gave 2 out of 5 and stated Son of Sardaar has a lot for the masses but it lacks a good story.^[47] Filmfare gave 2 out of 5 stars and stated "Comedy is more than just gags and slapstick. Sadly SOS gets it wrong".^[48] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave 2 out of 5 stars and stated Son of Sardaar "is only sporadically entertaining, and peddles the same tired stereotypes of Punjab and Sikhs. A cameo by Salman Khan, sadly, doesn’t make up for the film’s many flaws."^[49] Hindustan Times gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, describing it as "exhausting, painfully loud and way too long, with too few laughs",^[50] while the Telegraph stated that it was "run-of-the-mill", but that it could be a "guilty pleasure" for some viewers.^[51] Like the Hindustan Times, IBNLive gave the movie 2 out of 5,^[52] with a slightly lower grade coming from Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV, who rated the film 1.5 out 5, stated that it was "A tangled mess that has no way of working its way around the sloppy screenplay".^[53] The Hindu stated that there’s nothing more torturous than watching an unfunny film that’s trying so hard to be funny.^[54]

India box office [edit]

Son of Sardaar had a very good opening of around 70% on average at multiplexes, especially in North India. The single screens opening was also similar.^[55] Its earned around 8.50 crore (US$1.6 million) on its opening day.^[56] It shows very good growth of 70% with a collection of around 14 crore (US$2.6 million) nett on its second day.^[57] It netted 34 crore (US$6.2 million) nett in its first three day weekend.^[58] Son of Sardaar nett. grossed 51 crore (US$9.3 million) in first 5 days of release.^[59] The film held up well with a collection of 57.94 crore (US$11 million) in its extended week of 6 days.^[60] The movie brought its first-week total to 62 crore (US$11 million) nett.^[61] After its first week,the film continued its successful run and collected 69.65 crore (US$13 million) nett in ten days.^[62] Son of Sardaar has netted a total of 80 crore (US$15 million) after its second weekend.^[63] Son of Sardaar dropped in week two collecting around 15.16 crore (US$2.8 million) nett.^[64] The film netted a total of 88.50 crore (US$16 million) in four weeks.^[65] Son of Sardaar has distributor share of 49-50 crore.^[66]

Overseas box office [edit]

Son of Sardaar grossed $2 million in seven days.^[67] Son of Sardaar did a business of around $3 million overseas, which BoxofficeIndia.com called "average".^[8]

Soundtrack [edit]

Son of Sardaar
Soundtrack album to Son of Sardaar by Himesh Reshammiya
Released	October 1, 2012 (2012-10-01)
Length	47:45
Language	Hindi Punjabi
Label	T-Series
Producer	Himesh Reshammiya
Himesh Reshammiya chronology
Oh MY God (2012) Son of Sardaar (2012) Khiladi 786 (2012)

The music of the film was composed by Himesh Reshammiya while the lyrics were penned by Sameer, Shabbir Ahmed, Irshad Kamil & Manoj Yadav. Only one song, "Yeh Jo Halki Halki Khumariya", composed by Sajid-Wajid was also included in the album.^[68]

Track listing [edit]

Soundtrack reception [edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
IBNLive (IANS)
Abid (Glamsham)
Mohit Kapur (Koimoi)
Joginder Tuteja (Bollywood Hungama)

The album received mixed to positive reviews. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "Son of Sardaar lives up to its promise of a high-on-energy soundtrack with not many dull moments in its 50-odd minutes duration. "^[69] Koimoi gave it 3 out of 5 stars and said, "Overall this album is more than a decent affair where Punjabi ‘tadka’ makes it reasonably happening. While the tracks Son of Sardaar and Bichdann will certainly do well, Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein and Rani Tu Mein Raja also carry potential to make their presence felt."^[70] IBNLive gave it 3 out of 5 stars and said, "The album is woven around the theme of the film and manages to justify it well, although the sound gets a bit monotonous at times."^[71]

See also [edit]

• Bollywood films of 2012

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Son of Sardaar at the Internet Movie Database
• Son of Sardaar at Box Office Mojo