Sarkar Raj - Taut, but does not rise to be a great movie

Sarkar Raj was a move that was awaited for quite some time; it came after a few clunkers for The Factory of Ram Gopal Verma such as 'Aag', 'Darling', etc. Memories of his earlier movies such as Satya, Company, Rangeela, and Sarkar (for which Sarkar Raj is the sequel) were fading out due to these recent disastrous movies that he made. All his admissions that the movies were bad, mistakes were made, etc, don't really help in lifting his reputation. So, this movie was awaited for multiple reasons:
- This movie showcased the Bachchan clan; Amitabh, Abhishek, and Aishwarya (not Jaya though)
- It was supposed to have the same kind of suspense, the taut and slick making that was there in the original movie Sarkar (made in 2005)



Unlike some of his other movies where the actual direction was by other people, Sarkar Raj was actually directed by Ram Gopal Verma. Other credits for the movie include script by Prashant Pandey, background score by Amar Mohile (and the background score is haunting and fast throughout the movie, although a bit loud), cinematography by Amit Roy, and action by Allan Amin.
The movie takes off from where the previous movie had ended, with the Nagres (minus Kay Kay Menon) being in command of Maharashtra through their reign of force (although the way that elected politicians are seen to be humiliated by them is a bit patronising). There is the normal tussle between the ruling Chief Minister and his opponents, but both of them pay respects to Sarkar (Amitabh) and his son and heir Shankar (Abhishek). It is at this stage that a beautiful tall CEO of an energy company, Sheppard Power Plant in the form of Anita Ranjan (Aishwarya Rai) presents a plan for a power plant that will meet the future energy needs of Maharashtra. The only hitch is that the best place to setup the plant is a place called Thackerwadi, in rural Maharashtra. Sarkar is against this proposal, but his son sees this as a beneficial mechanism, and is willing to go to any lengths to move this proposal ahead. He first tries to convince the local leader and Gandhian Rao Saheb, and then convince the rest of the villagers about the advantages of this plant.
However, he is in way above his head. The grandson of Rao Saheb (Somji) starts to work against the deal, and to canvass people against this deal, making the deal a tough sell. Further, the management of the power company seems to think that Gujarat is now a better deal for this plant. Abhishek does not seem to realize what he he is against, and even his power (which he hardly ever uses) is unable to prevent harm to him, his wife (Tanissha in a small role) and in the end, he cannot even prevent his own killing by a hired sharp-shooter (the shooting scene was not very good, seemed amateurish). It is only when Amitabh, taking on responsibility again, starts to unravel the mystery behind his death and to show what he is capable of (basically kills everybody involved, somewhat like Michael Corleone ordering the killing of all those against the family).
And these are the weak points of the movie - If the family is so powerful and people so scared by them, how is that a massive conspiracy can get created against them (after all, in this case, there must be a large number of people who knew there was a conspiracy) without the involved fearing that the Sarkar will kill them if their involvement in the conspiracy became known. Secondly, the last 20 minutes seem like magic, where the writer wrote a twist in the story that seemed to have been manufactured out of thin air. So, the end where the last murder is shown, that emerged out of thin air, but was very chilling.
Acting is okay, with some strong parts. Aishwarya did not get all that great a role (it seemed in the end that she was being projected to be the leader in any sequel), Amitabh was good in parts. This was basically Abhishek's movie, but he came across a person who was not in touch with reality, could not comprehend that he was just a pawn in a conspiracy.



Videos from the Movie:



Another video from the movie:

Omkara - A rough but great movie

Omkara (release in 2006) was a much awaited movie. Director Vishal Bhardwaj had earlier made a name for himself with Makdee and Maqbool (starring an incredible performance by Irfan Khan), and his Hindi interpretation of Shakespeare's Othello had already lead to much anticipation, with the prospect of Saif Ali Khan playing a baddie's role being much awaited.
The movie delivered, but not too much as Vishal would have thought. It won a great amount of critical acclaim, and extreme kudos for the 2 best performances of Saif Ali Khan and Konkona Sen. Vivek Oberoi and Kareina Kapoor won praise, while the performance of Ajay Devgun could have been better - much more is expected out of an actor who has given a performance like Gangajal.



No matter, the movie belongs to Saif Ali Khan. His portrayal of the angry avenger Iago is brilliant. The movie would have been a commercial success if not for the dark atmosphere of the movie, and the crude dialog (replete with the Hindi curse words that you would hear in such a setting, but which inhibit more families and larger audiences from attending). Further, the portrayal of the settings of a rural UP are not exactly geared for wider commercial. Having said that, the movie did very well in markets abroad such as the US and British markets.
Ajay Devgun plays Omkara (Othello), Kareena Kapoor plays Dolly Mishra (Desdemona), Konkona Sen Sharma plays Indu (Iago's wife Emilia), Vivek Oberoi plays Kesu 'the firangi' (since he is from the city) (Cassio), and Bipasha Basu plays Billo Chamanbahar (Bianca).
Omkara is a local bahubali, a person capable of getting things done as well as controlling a criminal gang, and thus very valuable to the local politician Tiwari Bhaisaab (Naseeruddin Shah). This helps him right in the beginning when he elopes with Dolly and her father objects. When his daughter states that she was not abducted, but eloped on her own, he feels ashamed. This is a small twist in the story. The main story is when Tiwari moves onto a bigger role and wants Omkara to take his local seat. This is to be the culmination of Langda Tyaagi's (Saif Ali Khan) ambitions, to be the successor to Omkara. He is shocked and driven into a rage when Omkara appoints Kesu to be the next successor.
In this rage, he starts planning revenge, and does so without any hesitation or thought, and this is the guts of the movie. The cunning that he deploys to break both Omkara and Kesu, and in the process use a number of other people such as his own wife, Omkara's would-be-bride Dolly and the jilted lover of Dolly. His plans play on the most base of human emotions, trust, and eventually he manages to convince Omkara about an affair between his Dolly and his trusted lieutant Kesu, leading to a final conflict where Omkara destroys his own world and then takes his own life in regret over what he has done.
The screenplay, direction and music is all by Vishal Bhardwaj, lyrics are by Gulzar. The song 'Beedi jalai' became a national hit

Videos of songs from Omkara:

Beedi Jalaen Le



Jabaan Pe Lagaa Ishq Pyaar



Naina Thag Lege



O Saathi Re



Omkara Re Omkara



Buy the Movie



Buy the music



See some of the awards won (Wikipedia)

Lyrics for the movie:

Beedi Jalaayile Jigar Se Piya (Sung by Sukhwinder Singh)

na gilaaf, na lihaaf
(na gilaaf, na lihaaf thandi hawa bhi khilaaf sasuri) - 2
ho itni sardi hai kisika lihaaf lehi leh
ho jaa padosi ke chuleh se aag lehi leh - 2
(beedi jalaayile jigar se piya, jigarma badi aag hai) - 2
??tu aana nigaari alag se piya aah aa
tu aana nigaari alag se piya, ke duniya badi dhank hai
haan beedi jalaayile jigar se piya, jigarma badi aag hai
na gilaaf, na lihaaf thandi hawa bhi khilaaf sasuri
ho itni sardi hai kisika lihaaf lehi leh
ho jaa padosi ke chuleh se aag lehi leh - 2

na kasoor, na fatoor
na kasoor, na fatoor, bina juraam ke hajoor maar gaye, ho maar gaye
ho aise ik din duphari bula liyo re
bandh ghungroo kachehri lagaliyo re
bulaayliyo re, bulaayliyo re dupehri
lagaayilo re, lagaayilo re kachehri
angeethi jalaayile jigar se piya, jigarma badi aag hai
beedi jalaayile jigar se piya, jigarma badi aag hai

ho na toh chakkuon ki dhaar, ho na daraati?? na kataar - 2
aisa kaate ke daat ka nisaan chhod de
ke katayi toh koi bhi kisaan jod de
o aise jaalim ka jod de re makaan jod de, re bilo...
jaaalim ka jod de makaan jod de
aise jaalim ka, o aise jaaalim ka,
aise jaaalim ka jod de makaan jod de
na bulaaya, na bataaya
na bulaaya, na bataaya, maane neend se jagaya, haay re
aise chonkele haath mein naseeb aa gaya
woh ilaychi khilayike kareeb aa gaya
koyila jalayile jigar se piya, jigarma, aag hai

itni sardi hai kisika lihaaf lehi leh
ho jaa padosi, ho jaa padosi, jaa jaa padosi
ho jaa padosi ke chuleh se aag lehi leh




Omkara Re Omkara (Sung by Sukhwinder Singh)

(dham dham dharam dharaiya re, sabse bade ladaiya re
omkara, hey omkara) - 2
hey omkara re, omkara
arre dham dham dharam dharaiya re, sab se bade ladaiya re
omkara, hey omkara, hey omkara re, omkara
aankhein tez takaiya do, tu jeeb saamp ka phunkara
omkara, hey omkara
arre bijuri sa pondhe?? sar pe, jiski talvaar ka jhankara
omkara, hey omkara, omkara re, omkara
omkara, omkara, omkara, omkara re, omkara

(maathe par tirsul ke jaise, teen teen bal badhte hain
arre kaan pe jooenge toh bhaiya raan bajaa chal padhte hain) - 2
gali gali mein, arre gali gali mein
gali gali mein bhay baitha hai chaunk pe gunja hunkaara, omkaara
arre (dhum - 3), dham dham dharam dharaya re, sab se badhe ladaiya re
omkara, hey omkara, hey omkara re
(jhaanan jhaanan jhaanan chankaara) - 2
(badh bhaiya bhaiya badh bhaiya omkara) - 2
omkara

(chat par aakar gidh baithe aur parnaalo se khoon baahe
arre kaun gira hai, kaun kata hai, kisma dam hai kaun kahe) - 2
chhakke chhut gaye dushman ke, omkara
chhakke chhut gaye dushman ke, dharati maange chhutkaara
omkara, hey omkara, omkara re omkara
arre dham dham dharam dharaiya re, sab se badhe ladaiya re
omkara, hey omkara
hey aankhein tez takaiya do, tu jeeb saamp ka phunkara
omkara, hey omkara
arre bijuri sa pondhee sar pe, jiski talvaar ka jhankara
(omkara, hey omkara) - 2
chhakke chhut gaye dushman ke
chhakke chhut gaye dushman ke, dharati maange chhutkaara, omkaara
(jhaanan jhaanan jhaanan chankaara,
badhe bhaiya bhaiya badhe bhaiya ) - 2 omkara
omkara re, omkara



O Saathi Re (Sung by SHREYA GHOSHAL, VISHAL BHARADWAJ)

o saathi re din dube na - 2
aa chal din ko roke
dhup ke peeche daude
chaanv chhue na
o saathi re
o saathi re din dube na
aa chal din ko roke
dhup ke peeche daude
chaanv chhue na
o saathi re
o saathi re din dube na
thaka thaka suraj jab nadi se hokar niklega
hari hari kaayi pe paanv bada toh fislega
tum rok ke rakhna main jaal giraaun
tum pith pe lena main haath lagaaun
din dube na ha
teri meri atti katti
daat se khaati katti
re jaiiyo na
o piyu re
o piyu re na jaiyyo na

kabhi kabhi yun kare main daantu aur tum darna
ugal pade aankhon se feenke paani ka jharna
hmm tere kehre badan mein sil jaaungi re
jab karwat lega tu chhil jaaungi re
sang le jaaunga
teri meri angni mangni
and sang laagi sangni
sang le jaaun
o piyu re
o saathi re din dube na
aa chal din ko roke
dhup ke peeche daude
chaanv chhue na
o saathi re



Naina Thag Lenge (Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan)

nainon ki mat maaniyo re
nainon ki mat suniyo
nainon ki mat maaniyo re
nainon ki mat suniyo
nainon ki mat suniyo re
naina thag lenge - 2 thag lenge naina thag lenge
naina thag lenge thag lenge naina thag lenge
jagte jaadu phukenge re jagte jagte jaadu
jagte jaadu phukenge re neenden banjar kar denge
naina thag lenge - 2 thag lenge naina thag lenge
naina thag lenge thag lenge naina thag lenge
nainon ki mat maaniyo re

bhala manda dekhe na paraya na saga re
nainon ko toh dasne ka chaska laga re
bhala manda dekhe na paraya na saga re
nainon ko toh dasne ka chaska laga re
nainon ka zehar nasheela re - 4
baadalon mein satrangiyan bonve
bhor talak barsaave
baadalon mein satrangiyan bonve
naina baanvra kar denge
naina thag lenge - 2 thag lenge naina thag lenge
naina thag lenge thag lenge naina thag lenge -2

naina raat ko chalte chalte swargan mein le jaave
megh malhaar ke sapne dije hariyali dikhlave
naina raat ko chalte chalte swargan mein le jaave
megh malhaar ke sapne dije hariyali dikhlave
nainon ki zubaan pe bharosa nahi aata
likhad parakh na rasid na khaata
nainon ki zubaan pe bharosa nahi aata
likhad parakh na rasid na khaata
saari baat hamari - 2
bin baadal barsaaye saawan saawan bin barsaata
bin baadal barsaaye saawan naina baanwara kar denge
naina thag lenge - 2 thag lenge naina thag lenge
nainon ki mat maaniyo re
nainon ki mat suniyo
nainon ki mat suniyo re
naina thag lenge
jagte jaadu phukenge re jagte jagte jaadu
jagte jaadu phukenge re neenden banjar kar denge
naina thag lenge - 2 thag lenge naina thag lenge
naina thag lenge thag lenge naina thag lenge -2
naina



Namak Isaq Ka (Sung by RAKESH PANDIT, RAKHA BHARDWAJ)

Haaaa, chaand nikal gayi ho ji main chaand nikal gayi daiyyo re......

Hmm, bhitar bhitar aag jare
baat karu to sape lage
ajji bhitar bhitar aag jare
baat karu to sape lage
oh main tu chaand nikal gayo daiyya re
Ang pe aise chhaale padee
Tez tha jhaunka ka karu
Sisi karti, sisi sisi karti main maru
Zabaan pe laga re laga re haaye
Zubaan pe laga, zubaan pe laga laga re
Namak isaq ka haaye tere isaq ka zubaan pe laga laga re haaye
Namak isaq ka, tere isaq ka

(Zubaan pe laga laga re) -2

Namak isaq ka haaye re tere isaq ka -2

Balam se maanga maanga re, balam se maanga re
balam se maanga maanga re balam se maanga maanga re namak isaq ka tere isaq ka
zabaan pe laga laga re, namak isaq ka haaye re tere isaq ka haan re tere isaq ka.....
tere isaq ka....

Sabhi chhede hai mujhko, sipahiye baake chhamiye
haaaann, haan haanji haan
Wah wah ji wah wah ji wah aah
Sabhi chhede hai mujhko, sipahiye baake chhammiye


Thaadi dene lage hai gali ke baniye baniye
koi to kaudi daudh luta de, kauyi to kaudi
Ajji thodi thodi shahad chata de, thodi thodi

Tez tha tadka ka karu sisi karti main maru-2
Raat bhar jaa na re
Raat bhar jaana, raat bhar jaana jaana re
Namak isaq ka haaye tere isaq ka

zabaan pe laga laga re namak isaq ka haaye
tere isaq ka haan re, tere...

hooo, aisi bhukh lagi zaalim ki,
hoo aisi paak lagi zaalim ki
ki bansuri jaisi haan ji main

aarre jo bhi kaha us chandra bhaan ne
phat se ho gayi raazi main, baansuri jaisi baazi main, phat se ho gayi raazi main haaye

kabhi ankhiyon se pina, kabhi honto se pina -2
kabhi achcha lage marna, kabhi muskil lage jeena

karva karvat pyaas lagi thi
arre balam ki aag paas lagi thi

(tez tha jhauka ka karu, sisi karti main maru) -2

dali bhar dala ji dala ji dala ji dala ji dala ji daala ji re
dali bhar daala, dali bhar dala daala re namak isaq ka haaye re, tere isaq ka

Zubaan pe laga laga re namak isaq ka haaye re tere isaq ka....

Balam se maanga maanga re, balam se maanga re
balam se maanga maanga re
namak isaq ka haaye re namak isaq ka

Krantiveer - A Nana Patekar film

Krantiveer was a movie released in 1994; an all and out commercial movie released by the movie-maker who has made other patriotic movies (Mehul Kumar), it was also a movie that seeked to portray the transformation in one man when faced with evil. Even though the main character has been depicted as a person who is selfish, uncaring about others (other than his immediate family), a transformation is shown based on 2 major incidents that affect his life - the murder of his adopted father, and the riot in his locality that caused normal people to transform into murderers and brings out communal feelings.
Krantiveer was a role essayed brilliantly by Nana Patekar, turning the movie into a commercial as well as critical success. He puts forth some intense emotions into the movie, so you can believe him when he is essaying the role of a normal guy in the chawl who could not care less about the efforts of the journalist, or when he he suddenly becomes violent at the cremation ground of his adopted father. He is equally at ease taking out money from his father's safe and not caring about the repercussions, or the reaction of his mother and grandfather when they find him being delinquent and turn him out. However, it is transformation that is riveting.



Of course, the end, where he does mass murder, his speech, etc is a bit forced, but even there, his final speech at the hanging ground where he accuses the crowd of being impotent and uncaring about what is happening around them, and the way that he symbolically turns against them is interesting. However, the movie is not like a 'Ghulam' where in the end, the crowd essentially becomes active, here, the crowd still remains uncaring till the end, it is the single person transformation that is interesting.
The other interesting occasion in the movie is in the aftermath of the riot (turned communal riot) in the chawl, when he single-handedly does his bit (using some blood and direct force) to try and break away the Hindu Muslim separation that seems to be coming. This is a very intense scene, similar to the short scene where he refuses to get involved in favor of a widow who is facing oppression, but manages to get her son to figure out what to do, and eventually gets her to react directly instead of moaning at her fate.
The movie is about this guy Pratap (Nana Patekar) who was the grandson of a freedom fighter, but who was turned out by his family when very young because of his misdeeds. He manages to find a place in the heart of a slum lord Laxmidas (Paresh Rawal) and his son Atul (Atul Agnihotri). They have a pleasant time with a budding romance between Atul and Mamta (Mata Kulkarni), the daughter of a rich builder Yograj (Tinnu Anand). The slum in which they live also has a crusading journalist Megha (Dimple Kapadia) living in it, who tries to get Pratap involved her crusade, but he keeps on shying away. He does a bit from time to time, but nothing very great.
Things change when Yograj sets his eye on the slum for a big development scheme, and involves all the corrupt elements, the politicians, the judge, police, and the mafia leader Cheetah (Danny). As a part of this, communal riots are planned, and then Paresh Rawal is killed. This is when Pratap gets fired up, and carries out a campaign to kill all of them in broad daylight, for which he is sentenced to death. what happens then ? It's a fairly fast movie, well worth the watch.
The movie has lyrics by Sameer, and music by Anand-Milind.

Nana Patekar's ending dialog from Krantiveer



Love Rap from Krantiveer



Great communal amity scene from Krantiveer



Buy the movie



Download the music

Jodhaa Akbar - A watchable movie

I will state this right at the beginning, Jodhaa Akbar is a watchable movie. Keep in mind however that the movie started at 5:25 PM and I walked out of the hall at 9:10 PM, so this is a long movie. On the plus side, whenever I start getting bored in a movie, I keep on looking at my watch or fidgeting, and I did not do much of that, so the time did get spent (I can recall some movies that seemed to go on and on). Quite frankly, when I walked into the hall, I was not expecting anything great (maybe even bad), but the movie turned out better that I thought.
Leave aside the story of whether Jodha was married to Akbar or not (more for historians), and forget about learning much of a history lesson from this movie. For all the talk about having been made after much discussion with historians, I did not come away from the movie having learned something new. I did feel that Aishwarya Rai was okay in this movie (she always looks beautiful, but the debate has always been about her acting abilities, and she seemed to have done nicely in this department in the movie). Hrithik seemed a bit young for the role (maybe too much of watching Mughal-e-Azaam where you have developed an image of a wise and old Akbar), and to a lot of people, the concept of Hrithik playing Akbar seems a bit incredulous. I however was easily able to rationalize this, after all Akbar was young once, and must have been impulsive, emotional, and so on, and Hrithik managed to convey these emotions well.
Ashutosh Gowariker had done well in making this movie, and since the movie has been tagged as being about the love story between the young Akbar and the defiant Jodhaa, the love angle has been covered (at 3.5 hours, one feels that it is a bit too long). The movie has some great music, by A R Rehman (and the music feels so different from the type of music that we hear nowadays - the Sufi song Khwaja Mere Khwaja is incredible, and even the ode to the emperor, Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah sounds nice (must have been a lot of hard work to choreograph such a massive song)). Lyrics are by Javed Akhtar, and the movie has plenty of people other than Hrithik and Aishwarya, Sonu Sood, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Suhasini Mulay, Raza Murad, Ila Arun & Punam Sinha. Sonu Sood seems a bit wasted, since they spend some time on him in the beginning, and then he vanishes for most of the movie except for 2 scenes, one in the middle, and one at the end. Raza Murad has a great voice, and used for full effect for the short role that he has. Ila Arun somehow does not impress, given that she does not seem menacing enough.
The movie is a love story through and through, combined with the evolution of an emperor from a young child to a strong-willed yet compassionated ruler. Jalaluddin Mohammed is the child king, protected by Bairam Khan. However, after one a battle, Jalauddin shows his compassionate nature by protecting a defeated king, and also exercises his kingly nature by asserting his independence from Bairam Khan and sending him on the Haj. As part of political intrigue, he is offered the hand of young Jodhaa, a Rajput princess, and he accepts it as a political gambit. She is not in the least bit amused, and sets conditions on the marriage. In addition, she refuses to consumate the relationship till she is in love with him.
And so the romance begins; Jalaludin falls in love with her early on, her beauty, her defiant nature and pride, she takes a bit more time (easily seen when she spies on him when he is bare-chested doing sword practise and almost swoons); they have their misunderstanding at the end of which the proud Shahenshah of Hindustan pleads with her to come back, and she keeps on refusing. However, they keep on falling further in love, and she teaches him a great deal about being compassionate and a great ruler.
As a sideshow, you have court intrigue, some battle scenes (with excellent photography - imagine following a canon ball as it emerges from the canon; but it also seems like the scenes were shot to impress, and do not convey the general direction in which the battle is progressing), and some excellent camera work (I particularly like the scene in which Akbar is shown at the dargah in Ajmer, with a tree behind him). Overall, a movie that you can see, but Mughal-e-Azaam it is not.

Song: Tere Bina Zindagi Se

This is one of my all time favorites. Such a delightful melodious song, and featuring Sanjeev Kumar, who is also one of my all time favorite actors. The movie was Aandhi, starring primarily Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen and made in 1975 with direction by Gulzar and produced by Om Prakash J. The movie was very controversial, because the theme of the movie - an aspiring lady politician who sacrifices everything (including husband and child) for politics and fame, and even when she regains them and has genuine happiness, she still uses the occasion to make political points over her opponents seemed very close to Indira Gandhi's life. If you have not seen the movie, you really should.
The song was sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar and is a must hear. If you are fond of melodious songs, you need to have this in your collection. The music was directed by RD Burman and lyrics were by Gulzaar.



Lyrics:

Tere bina zindagi se koyi, shikwa, to nahi, shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi
Tere bina zindagi bhi lekin, zindagi, to nahi, zindagi nahi, zindagi nahi, zindagi nahi
Tere bina zindagi se koyi, shikwa, to nahi

Kaash aisa ho tere qadmo se, chun ke manzil chale aur kahi door kahi - 2
Tum gar saath ho, manzilo ki kami to nahi
Tere bina zindagi se koyi, shikwa, to nahi

Jee mein aata hai, tere daaman mein, sar jhuka ke ham rote rahe, rote rahe - 2
Teri bhi aankho mein, aansuo ki nami to nahi

Tere bina zindagi se koyi, shikwa, to nahi,
shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi
Tere bina zindagi bhi lekin, zindagi, to nahi,
zindagi nahi, zindagi nahi, zindagi nahi

Tum jo keh do to aaj ki raat, chaand doobega nahi, raat ko rok lo -2
Raat ki baat hai, aur zindagi baaki to nahi

Tere bina zindagi se koyi, shikwa, to nahi,
shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi, shikwa nahi
Tere bina zindagi bhi lekin, zindagi, to nahi,
zindagi nahi, zindagi nahi, zindagi nahi

Ardh Satya: A very hard hitting movie

It's been 24 years since this movie has been released, but other than the fact that the guns are newer, the money involved is more, and the violence more brazen, this could be a movie of today's time. The movie set a benchmark in the area of showing the interaction of police, politicians and the criminals / mafia class and how this corrupts society, and warps the mind-frame of even people who want to be honest. And yet, given that this was a movie from the past, without any songs, wonder how many people even remember it. I for one don't remember it appearing on a movie channel in the last few years.

Ardh Satya is a very hard-hitting movie, from a Director, Govind Nihalini, who is known for not pulling his punches, and making movies with a message such as Aakrosh, Manthan, etc. Ardh Satya stars a number of intense actors such as Om Puri, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, etc. The movie, released in 1983, won the Filmfare Awards for Best Director, Best Film, Best Story and Best Supporting Actor (Sadashiv Amrapurkar).
What is the story all about? This is Mumbai of the 1970's, where there is an easy interaction between the police force and the mafia. Om Puri is a dedicated and fiercely honest cop, Anant Welankar. He comes from a family where his father was also a policeman, a man of strict nature. His growing up was in the midst of his father's beliefs, along with beatings of his father, something that had an impact on him. This having said, he attempts to be honest, even though his superiors are shown to be well-oiled into the system, with both Shafi Inamdar and Achyut Potdar who have made their peace with the criminality of the system, and are now benefiting from it.
Once in the station, he starts to feel the impact of the power of criminals and politicians. He makes an arrest of some criminals for attacking a policeman, and his sense of accomplished is badly shocked when the goons are let off the next day. Why? Because they worked for Rama Shetty (Sadashiv in an award winning role) who is well connected, they are released pronto and Anant is advised to lay off (a sort of practical orientation to the realities of life) from anything to do with Rama Shetty. But what is a hot-headed police officer to do? In another incident, he again arrests more of Rama Shetty's men with the same consequence.
He meets an example of what could happen to a policeman in the same situation, Naseeruddin Shah, who could not compromise, and was evicted from his job and is now a derelict person, in total despair.
In the meantime, he has met a simple teacher, Jyotsna (Smita Patil), and in love with her, she also reciprocates. However, given the state that he is in in terms of his frustrations, he starts to drink more and more to alleviate the pain, and his relationship with her suffers. Things get worse when Rama Shetty gets the ticket for elections and is now on the upward path, with Anant having to provide the security for his rally. His frustration reaches such a level that he takes it out on a suspect who dies. And now Anant is in a mess. He can only go to one person for help, his arch-nemesis, Rama Shetty. What does he do? How does he redeem himself ?
The movie has a fascinating poem, recited by Om Puri. His voice gives it an extra push. In fact, the whole movie revolves around the incredible acting by Om Puri and Sadashiv Amrapurkar.



Chakravyuh mein ghusne se pehle,
kaun tha mein aur kaisa tha,
yeh mujhe yaad hi na rahega.


Chakravyuh mein ghusne ke baad,
mere aur chakravyuh ke beech,
sirf ek jaanleva nikat’ta thi,
iska mujhe pata hi na chalega.

Chakravyuh se nikalne ke baad,
main mukt ho jaoon bhale hi,
phir bhi chakravyuh ki rachna mein
farq hi na padega.

Marun ya maarun,
maara jaoon ya jaan se maardun.
iska faisla kabhi na ho paayega.

Soya hua aadmi jab
neend se uthkar chalna shuru karta hai,
tab sapnon ka sansar use,
dobara dikh hi na paayega.

Us roshni mein jo nirnay ki roshni hai
sab kuchh s’maan hoga kya?

Ek palde mein napunsakta,
ek palde mein paurush,
aur theek taraazu ke kaante par
ardh satya.

Sanjay Dutt's award winning movie: Vaastav

Today is a day when Sanjay Dutt's fans will be very sad and depressed. Their hero has been sentenced to 6 years in prison under the Arms Act. So, forgetting about the circumstances of the case, let us remember some good movies that he has done. One of them was Vaastav. Sanjay Dutt had acted in a variety of movies before and after Vaastav, but it was Vaastav that gave him a super reputation, that of being a good actor. The movie, released in October, 1999 won Sanjay Dutt the following awards:
1. Year 2000 Filmfare Best Actor
2. Year 2000 Screen Weekly Awards for Best Actor

Nayak: A movie that you yearn to see happen

I am watching Nayak (The Anil Kapoor, Amrish Puri and Rani Mukherji starrer), and even though the movie is slightly over-dramatic, I do like the movie. The scenarios that it outlines initially as problems, such as corruption by ministers, caste based identities, stealing by public servants, indifference by the police, government doctors preferring their clinics, etc are all very realistic, and most of us know about these problems when reading about them in papers or from personal experience. Those who have actually worked for the government know far more about these problems.
The movie has a touch of unrealism, from the scene where the journalist is able to beat dedicated goondas, or when the chief minister tried to be too clever and offers him the post for 1 day (such things don't happen, and after seeing the movie, will never happen), or the bombs detection scene, or the fact that a novice could sweep the entire polls. Some of the songs seem inserted without any rhyme or reason such as the songs where some amount of special effects such as snakes, etc are inserted. I typically grin and bear the songs when they come.
However, people are desirous of quick action against the amount of corruption in the country, and would like nothing better than the corrupt to be removed from public posts, and the image of a man strong on his convictions and honesty is a very appealing one.
Ok, this is the story. Anil Kapoor is a journalist following the chief minister, including in a local village where Rani Mukherji speaks the truth inconveniently when Amrish Puri (CM) is touring. Anil notices her and is smitten, and after some time, she is equally smitten. During a riot (starting due to a fight beween a student and a bus driver), things escalate quickly out of control and Anil notices the Chief Minister ordering the police head not to take action due to his supporters being involved. In a interview, Anil strips the Chief Minister over this incident with actual proof, and in the course of this interview, Amrish offers Anil the Chief Ministership for one day, and Anil accepts hesitantly. In the course of this one day, Anil does a lot of direct positive action and then finally jails Amrish Puri for corruption.
Amrish takes action against Anil and his family (including a fight with slow action Matrix type of steps) and then gets bathed in milk. Later, he sees his house getting demolished. He is urged to contest elections, and he is very hesitant. At this point, Paresh Rawal gives him a long speech, which to me was the high point of the movie (essentially, if honest people refuse to get into politics, then they have no one to blame). He finally accepts and becomes chief minister due to his honest image. In the meantime, Rani's dad refuses to accept the match since he is into politics.
He suffers from the machinations of Amrish Puri, including 2 assassination attempts in which one of them kills his parents. After a lot of such problems, he finally turns political, killing Amrish Puri in a legal way. His comment in the end, that he is finally into politics is a sort of bitter-sweet end in the sense that he got his way after doing an action against his principles.