Sarkar Raj -> Good but below expectations…
When I first started watching the movie, I was expecting something big. Sarkar, even after being a remake of Godfather to an extent, was a very good movie. Based on that fact, I was bidding on the point that this might again be a very good movie. Alas, but I am slightly disappointed. This movie is certainly below expectations. As I already stated, the first movie was very good. It had raised the bar very high and Sarkar Raj fails to reach it.
Just to remove any doubts you might have, this is a very good movie. After watching the likes of Jannat and Crazy 4 in recent past, this was actually an Oscar winning movie. But comparing it with Sarkar (as a sequel) fails.
I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible.
Story
One good thing is that none of the major characters have been changed. So the effect is good. Story is not much powerful. It lacks the flair in the first half of the movie. The director+writer have tried to build a base in the first half of the movie but still, that has made the pace of the movie uneven. It is based around a construction of a power plant in an area, Thakurwadi in Maharashtra. The plant will be built on a place where there are 5 villages. And so the battle begins. The usual 2 parties thing. Someone like Medha Patkar on one side and Sarkar on the other. Usual real life story + bollywood masala… but there is more to the story in second half. I said it is not much powerful, but is certainly is a good story.
The power factor lacks where the story is quite much the remake of the first but a slight change of plans (small villains and a big one behind them, quite like chess). Then some NRI babe (Katria in part 1, Aish this time) and some betrayals and some friendships. Quite like part 1 but different.
Cast
In one word, Brilliant. Amitabh Bachhan is superb as usual. The 3 villains (I don’t remember their names), marathi actors, are great. Diliop Prabhawalkar…. you can’t find a better person than him for the role he has played. He is the most dedicated actor I have ever seen on the screen. That bald servant, Chandar, (again don’t remember his name) is phenomenal. Abhishek Bachhan is getting better every movie he acts in. I was actually surprised to see that Aishwarya Rai (Bachhan) has done a good job this time. She actually fits quite well in the spot. The actors are the ones who have made this movie a good one.
Cinematography
Good. If you have seen the first part, then you might remember the frequent close ups and background “Gowinda” track. The same thing is done in this movie too. The color mixing is perfect for this genre of movie. Also, the scenes after a funeral (watch the movie to know whose funeral) are very realistic and, with the acting of Amitabh, are made even better. He just flexes some 1000 muscles on his face and creates mood without speaking a word.
As I said, I am not going in the spoiler section, so I will have to cut the thing short right here. All I can say is, there are some twists in the story but if you are like me (person who watches the movie as a critic might and not just for enjoyment), then I am sure that you will be able to see them coming, the twists. I had quite a few hunches and more than 1 came true.
One more thing is that, this movie also snatches some part from the Godfather. Things like this is personal and this is business and all. No match for godfather though, even Sarkar for that matter.
Final Verdict
Go and watch the movie keeping in mind that there was no godfather and there was no Sarkar. You will find this a very good movie. If you compare it with the 2, however, this won’t be a very good movie, but certainly a good one.
This entry was posted on Friday, June 13th, 2008 at 12:28 am and is filed under Article, Movie, Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
aniket awati June 13th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I agree, almost word to word to your opinion. But I think more than anything, the shear extent to which, different human natures are portrayed in the film, I just felt it is better than sarkar in this regard.I one more noticeable thing in both the movies, specially highlighted in the later, is the use of silence as a medium of expression. That’s just brilliant!