The central theme of the film is that of peace, though it depicts violence solely for the narrative purpose. It does not have a biased point of view, and does not take sides, except the side of humanity.

Despite forewarning by the 14 year old Nasreen, his conscience keeper, Sikandar picks up the gun, and thus commences a journey into the darker side of his personality. Nasreen discourages him and asks him to give in to the lure of the gun. However, it does not happen and Sikandar gets entwined more and more in circumstances beyond his control. In the process people get murdered.

It first seems that the happenings taking place alongside Sikander's dilemma are not inter-connected. But later one discovers that Sikandar is the innocent victim in a game being executed by two militants, the army, politicians and the religious heads of the little Kashmiri town.

Sikandar reveals how young minds are compelled to do things which are not in the framework of their understanding. Jha makes a subtle attempt to make it clear how their innocence is robbed in the name of religion and how they are lured off from the path of good.

The second half of the film turned into a racy thriller with mysterious layers unfolding in bits and pieces, resulting in a shocking revelation. There are no boring and cliché speeches on cross border terror, or war, rather, the storytelling has been kept deliberately intimate.

There are few scenes which leave an impact such as, the ones between Arunodoy and Parzaan, the pre-climax blast scene and the one where Sikandar pleads his friends not to choose the path of violence.

Talking about the performances, Parzaan as a gawky teenager executed his role quite convincingly, while Ayesha low on words and strong on expressions too stole the show. Sanjay Suri fitted his under written role of a suave peace battering politician, who wants to play peacemaker between the army, militants and religious leaders, perfectly. Be it his Kashmiri diction or sheepish smile, his performance was flawless.

A special mention for the debutant, Arunodoy Singh who has a remarkable screen presence as well as acting prowess. Madhvan, a strong yet soft hearted officer does a decent job. The director has collaboratively bought these characters to sum up the current situation in Kashmir.

Watch out for the stunning visuals of the 'Paradise of India' and some intelligent cinematography by Somak Mukherjee. The breathtaking landscape of Kashmir interconnected against the barbed political reality plays an important character in the film.

The message was kept simple and strong: violence does not solve any purpose. Sikandar makes an impact with its thrilling second half and special bonding between Parzaan, an eccentric teen with a dark side, and his conscience keeper, Ayesha.

“Kashmir...kaash yahan insaan ke paaon na pade hote,” is what strikes your mind when you see the tranquility of the paradise being ransacked by the politicos and the militants.