Film: 'Kisaan'; Cast: Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Jackie Shroff, Dia Mirza, Nauheed Cyrusi; Director: Punit Sira; Rating: **1/2

Sohail Khan is the most underrated Khan in the film industry. But Sohail knows his craft and he uses it with transparency in comic roles and in this intense melodrama called 'Kisaan'.

Sohail had earlier done a fairly watchable take on the question of Indianness in 'I... Proud To Be An Indian' with the same director. In 'Kisaan', Sohail champions the cause of rural life with a plot that nudges Manoj Kumar's 'Upkar'. It's a nudge that doesn't topple the patriotism over.

Set in Punjab, the story of a wizened father (Jackie Shroff, sufficiently wise in look and makeup) and his two sons. The elder Aman Singh (Arbaaz) goes to the city and eventually marries Priya (Dia Mirza) who's blessedly not the urban predator-vamp. The other son is a quiet faithful Jiggar Singh (Sohail) who stays with his father ploughing not just the land but also goons who dare to cross their path.

The authentic Punjabi locales replete with lush stretches of 'sarson ke khet' (mustard fields), handpumps and sugarcane juice give the film a rugged and credible climate.