Sarkar Raj: Good Performances, Great Movie but Bad climax review
Hiral Sachde reviews Ramgopal Varma's Sarkar Raj
Shankar Nagre (Abhishek Bachchan) is a successful heir to Subhash Nagre's (Amitabh Bachchan) legacy of political power backed by his armed lieutenants. The young gun recognizes the opportunity of development for the people of Maharashtra when a foreign company proposes a power plant project. The project is headed by Anita Rajan (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan). He convinces his father and then goes canvassing to the masses about the benefits of this power plant little realizing that its his death trap in disguise. The chip of the block is hugely popular amongst the masses but his straightforwardness earns him external and internal enemies. As the younger Sarkar gets embroiled in the political minefield, the script takes unusual and engaging turns. The revelation of the mastermind behind the nemesis of Nagre's is the highpoint of the movie. The end- though extremely unconvincing- just reiterates that there can only be one Godfather or Sarkar and only the fittest survives.
On the performance side you have no reason to complain, even Mrs. Rai Bachchan with her limited set of expressions does justice to her part but her larger than life persona only kills the climax. The last scene of the movie (don't want to reveal too much) falls flat. It is somewhat predictable and hugely unfathomable. Abhishek seems completely in sync with his character. He comes across as intense, passionate and lethal. You would know why Amitabh is Amitabh when you watch this movie. He is perhaps the only man in Bollywood who can make a strong statement with his wrinkles. His physical appearance (black ensemble, ageing gestures and slightly stooping frame) gives an added boost to his ageing-doting-father character. And as the script turns he dons the man-who is- down-but- not- out garb effortlessly.
Dilip Prabhawalkar is an ace as Amitabh's mentor in the movie and the young actor who has played his grandson is noteworthy. Tanisha will not be in Sarkar 3 that's all I would want to say of her role in the movie. Other prominent names (Govind Namdeo, Supriya Pathak, Sayaji Shinde and Dilip Kale) have done a good job as well.
Amit Roy's cinematography adds dark rustic tinge to this political caper but in the first half too much of camera movement gets irritating at times. The director and the cinematographer have exploited some basic traits of visual medium to the fullest. The use of natural light, extreme close-ups adds drama to the scenes. The script has loads of unforgettable scenes - Aishwarya's first meeting with Sarkar, Abhishek being offered a bribe by Govind Namdeo, Father- son discussing the death of Kay Kay (elder son murdered by Abhishek in the prequel), Abhishek and Amitabh's hospital scene post interval, Amitabh's visit to his mentor, Amitabh's meeting with the Gujarati industrialist, Amitabh explaining the political labrynth to Aishwarya, Amitabh's surprise gift to Dilip Prabhawalkar. The music and dialogues too have been carefully worked and work as one of the plus points of the movie. Prashant Pandey's script is strong with ample dose of emotions for Indian audience. It is proved yet again that a good script translates into a good movie. As someone born and brought up in Maharashtra, I could relate to the loose references taken from the actual political situations of the past. The impact is captivating and lasting.
Sarkar Raj proves that if RGV keeps his head on his shoulder he can dish out good movies. Very few sequels live upto the expectations, Sarkar Raj is one of them. As I can see Sarkar III may follow soon- the stage has been built in Sarkar Raj. And if RGV gets it right the third time, the audience may forgive him for "RGV ki Aag". Over all Sarkar Raj is set to rule the box office
[rating:4]
Comments( 5 )
A great read Hiral. I think all RGV
A great read Hiral.
I think all RGV needs is a good script, and here newcomer Prashant Pandey does the job. An impressive debut for him.
About the climax. Yes, to an extent, it's little rushed and maybe the gandhian's darker side needed little more elaboration. Interestingly, it ended like a detective story, where the investigator explains "whodunit".
A very fine review. But I don't agree
A very fine review. But I don't agree that the climax was disappointing. It was very much in keeping with rest of the movie and also served as a plot device to tie up the loose ends. And given the mayhem that these local outfits cause, even the rising body count towards the end is not totally unbelievable.
Most importantly the climax brings out the philosphy of the film. The flow of power cannot be stopped no matter who dies. To that end the last shot was actually necessary.
Thanks for the feedback Aniruddha, The
Thanks for the feedback Aniruddha, The bloodbath and the Sarkar wanting his grandson back is justified. But its not some pvt ector outfit that a B school pant suited grad inept at business dynamics can fill in as a CEO and run rhe show till the next heir is ready.. Sarkar is not dead!! maybe the character build up was not enough and the climax to me came across like a Dawood appointing a Condoleeza Rice as his successor.
Hi Bikas, Aniruddha and Hiral, A
Hi Bikas, Aniruddha and Hiral,
A nice read and I totally agree to the points made by Bikas. The climax is a bit flat and unconvincing as the transfer of power is quite predictable and in a way funny. The whole plot was as expected and in a lot of points in the narrative, it becomes predictable. RGV of course was aware of the fact that people would compare Sarkar Raj to Sarkar. And in my opinion, Sarkar was better than the sequel, may be because the latter lacks the punch. The camerawork was quite similar to the prequel, but too much of a camera movement disturbs your eyes and it becomes irritating. But forgrounding in big close-ups, darker tones and good use of the wide angle lens, goes well with the narrative and the feel. The climax suggests that another sequel is expected from RGV, and provides us with a chance to speculate the storyline.
[...] Hiral Sachde, DearCinema Rating:
[...] Hiral Sachde, DearCinema Rating: Thumbs up …even Mrs. Rai Bachchan with her limited set of expressions does justice to her part but her larger than life persona only kills the climax…. See full review [...]