I expected that Sarkar Raj would be the comeback film for Ram Gopal Varma (RGV).After all, he is the uncrowned king of the “Godfather genre” (Satya, Company, Sarkar) in Bollywood.
After watching Sarkar Raj, I am sure that it will be the comeback film for RGV, but not exactly the way I wanted. It’s a good movie for the weekend but not exactly represents RGV’s class.
Story: OK story with many twist and turns. Good climax. Although, I didn’t like the typical stereotypical characterizations in most of the cases. Why the security man will always have to look like a Goonda and the businessman a Badmas ?
Dialogue: Full of Clichés like: “ All my life I have lived on my own terms” “ Money is required for power plants- but NOT power plant is required for money” “ Only the IMANDAR will work in the project” etc.
Acting: The movie is full of close up shots like many Hollywood classics. But only a few like Amitabh can actually justify that with subtle but powerful acting.
Abhishek is mono chromatic- angry all the time. When his wife reveals that she is pregnant – Abishek, like an Oscar winning hero, expresses his happiness by contracting his nose muscles twice.
As usual, Ash did not have the capability to come out of Ash. She looked funny and stupid as a CEO, (this CEO nags her father like a teenager in a party, forget about Enron CEO, Rebecca mark) however, she truly looked like a Miss world in all the crying scenes.
Most of the villains (like Hassan Qazi) are more of comic relieves. They don’t capture the flavors of the Politics-Businessman-Underworld nexus.
That Gandhibadi leader (Dilip) is more of a Gandhi from Munnabhai.
Direction: RGVs depiction of the conflicts between progress and traditional values etc was superficial. In fact, if you are making a movie for the “public” why to show all these? I hate the pseudo-intellectualism ( like showing Amitabh indirectly through his son’s reflection, Sepia tone of the movie etc) and difficult camera angles in a “Janta” movie. I don’t understand why RGV has to play for the Public. The Groundwork for the next sequel to complete the Sarkar trilogy is also done in this movie.
Music: Noisy, Amar Mohile has carried away by the superhit uses of “ Govinda” chants.
In Sum, I expected that Sarkar Raj would be political film ( with recent Marathi manush- Udvab Thakre- Shivsena trangle ) depicting a real life problem ( Progress vs Traditional values, example Singur- Tata Project) and exposing the politician-businessman-mafia nexus. It turned out to be an outright commercial movie which promotes the political party. Its definitely a compromised come back. RGV could not do what Anurag Kashyap did.