Review : Sarkar

Ram Gopal Verma’s best effort so far, this is an excellent film. Inspired by the Hollywood film “Godfather”, Verma infuses Sarkar with it’s essence while still giving it a very Indianised look – the nuances, the situations and the story is all very well-set in Mumbai. Screenplay is taut, and all actors perform beautifully, giving this desi Godfather an honored place in the Indian movie Hall of fame. Sans songs,or the frills of usual, commercial cinema, this engrossing film is worth every paisa/cent of it’s ticket price.Subhash Nagre (Amitabh), is a modern-day god-father of urban Mumbai. He dispenses justice to the common man, who comes to him with problems, and is much revered by the public as “Sarkar”. Although shown to have contacts with politicians and con-men, Nagre is also a principled man, refusing drug money, and protecting innocents. His elder son Vishnu (KK) is quite the opposite, easily swayed by lucre and women, and resents his father. Surrounded by Sarkar’s aura, shadowed by his father’s powerful presence, Vishnu carries a massive chip on his shoulder, and this father-son relationship is filled with strife and arguments. The younger son, Shankar (Abhishek) has just returned from the US, with girlfriend Pooja (Katrina), isn’t interested in his father’s local affairs, and plans to return to the States. Untouched by life in Mumbai, and aloof from the nitty-gritty of his father’s business, Shankar adores his father, and believes in his principles.

Matters heat up when Vishnu is thrown out of the house by Subhash, when he kills an innocent man. Vishnu seeks shelter with the enemy camp. He and Subhash’s enemies then manage to get Subhash arrested on a trumped up murder charge, and plan to kill him in jail. When Shankar learns of the plot, he strives to get help from Subhash’s associates, but all turn him down. His father, the great “Sarkar” in jail and facing imminent death, brother plotting against the family, and all previous “friends” circling in for the kill like vultures, Shankar must manage to find a way out ….

This film is hard to criticize. Supriya Pathak as Subhash’s ethnic, Maharashtrian wife, makes a resounding comeback to films. Katrina and Tanisha, both in miniscule roles, manage to impress. Kaykay is flawless as the renegade son. Rukhsar, as Vishnu’s wife Amrita, emotes adequately. Amitabh is good in his under-stated performance. And Abhishek, while proving his acting mettle, tries a little too hard to appear serious and brooding. The supporting cast is very good, a few roles essayed by seasoned TV artistes. While the character of Nagre bears superficial similarities to Bal Thackeray, Rukhsar’s resemblance to Smita Thackeray is uncanny.

It would be correct to say that the film belongs to both the lead characters, Amitabh (Subhash) in the first half, and to Abhishek (Shankar) in the second, post-interval half. The background music score is adequate and heightens the tone of the film. If you expect an Indian version of the Godfather, it is not that. Sarkar is a film in its own right. Yes, similarities are there and will show through (Vishnu’s character based on Sonny and Shankar’s on Michael etc), but Sarkar’s story does differ, and so does its treatment. All comparisons apart, expert direction, skilled editing, and classy composition and cinematography, make “Sarkar” a very good film; the kind we’ll be talking about for a long time to come.