Sarkar Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
First, the plusses.
Every Ramgopal Varma film is special. When the maverick film-maker sits on the producer's chair, you witness new talents exploding with path-breaking, innovative concepts. And when RGV decides to wear the garb of the director, calling the shots himself, expect experiences that linger in your thoughts even after the movies have completed their run at the movieplexes.
Regardless of how RGV-directed films fare at the ticket window, the fact cannot be denied that the nonconformist film-maker has had the courage to attempt films that defy the stereotype. He is one creative thinker who doesn't bow his head to commercial diktats.
Right from SHIVA, his first outing in Hindi cinema, to SARKAR, his latest endeavor, RGV has made films that seem to please the viewer within him, not the hard-nosed critics or those in the trade.
SARKAR is inspired by Mario Puzo's literary classic THE GODFATHER, which Francis Ford Coppola immortalized on the big screen in Hollywood. Comparing SARKAR and THE GODFATHER would be sacrilege simply because THE GODFATHER was set in the U.S., while SARKAR is set in the Indian milieu. It's very Mumbaiya, to be precise.
THE GODFATHER may've inspired a number of films in India, but RGV takes the essence from the classic and narrates the games political heavyweights play, besides focusing on the politician-underworld nexus in Mumbai.
SARKAR is without doubt an interesting film. The story, its execution, the performances, the drama... The outcome leaves you spellbound.
Now, the minuses
The power-play depicted in SARKAR is seeped in Mumbai ethos, as a result of which RGV may not really receive plaudits from non-Maharashtrian sectors. Besides, the film is intense and grim and it may not find acceptance from that section of moviegoers [read kids, youth, ladies] that tilt towards sunshine, escapist, candyfloss cinema.
The slow pacing is another deterrent. The narrative unravels at a relaxed pace, which might not appeal to many.
SARKAR deals with crime, greed, family relationships and revenge.
Subhash Nagare [Amitabh Bachchan] is Sarkar, the man who rewrites the law. He possesses the magnetism, aptitude and power to control the workings of the city. He even metes out justice when the common man does not get it from the law keepers.
SARKAR begins with Nagare aka Sarkar listening to the heart-wrenching story of a hapless father [Virendra Saxena], whose daughter has been raped, while the rapist is acquitted by the law. The daughter, we're told, has now committed suicide. Naturally, the father seeks revenge. Sarkar instructs his trusted lieutenant [Ravi Kale] to take the rapist to task.
Sarkar has two sons. The elder, Vishnu [Kay Kay], is a film producer, while the younger, Shankar [Abhishek Bachchan], has returned from U.S.A. after completing his studies. The story takes a turn when Vishnu shoots the hero of his film [Carran Kapur] in broad daylight when he learns that he has been romancing the heroine of the film. Vishnu is attracted to the heroine, hence the brutal killing.
Sarkar decides to support the heroine, who in turn becomes the prime witness against Vishnu. The father and son have a heated argument, resulting in Sarkar throwing Vishnu out of his house. But Vishnu gets refuge in Vishram's [Raju Mavani] hideout. Vishram had been a follower of Sarkar at a point, but has now joined hands with Sarkar's rivals.
The story takes a turn when a gangster based in Dubai, Rashid [Zakir], plans to strike a deal with Sarkar, but Sarkar refuses on ethical grounds. Realizing that he would lose out on crores, Rashid approaches Vishram and Swamiji [Jeeva] to eliminate Sarkar. A conspiracy is hatched and Sarkar is arrested for eliminating his opponent Khurana [Anupam Kher].
Friends turn their back on the Nagares. Shankar decides to take things in his hands, but Sarkar's associates have also joined Rashid, who in turn is thirsting for Shankar's blood. Another conspiracy is hatched to eliminate Sarkar in the police lock-up, but Shankar thwarts the attempt.
Sarkar gets bail and returns to the cool confines of his fortress-like home. He is well aware of the role played by Rashid and his associates to eliminate him. But Rashid and associates fire another salvo: Vishnu.
Vishnu is entrusted with the task of eliminating his father Sarkar, but Shankar arrives at the nick of time. Shankar decides to take the evil-doers to task and settle scores. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
On the face of it, SARKAR may resemble a political heavyweight's life story, but it isn't. Yes, you might draw parallels as the story unfolds, but the serpentine fashion with which the story moves as also the twists and turns in the narrative make you realize that SARKAR is different from THE GODFATHER.
Again, comparisons with DAYAVAN/NAYAKAN or films of its ilk wouldn't be right since SARKAR does not talk of the rise to power of a simpleton. Besides, SARKAR not only looks at the power-struggle, but also the relationship between a father and his two sons, one wayward, the other obedient.
Every RGV film has a number of punch-packed sequences that leave a hammer-strong impact and SARKAR is no exception. The sequences at the start of the film [Sarkar's men bashing the rapist, Vishnu's introduction in the studio, the spat between Sarkar and Vishnu on the dinner table] are expertly executed.
More characters are introduced in the first hour, but the ones who truly stand out in the first half are Sarkar, Vishnu and Rashid. In fact, the Sarkar-Rashid meeting -- their first and last meeting -- is truly a highpoint. The pace does slacken in the first half, when Shankar seems torn between the woman he loves [Katrina Kaif] and the woman his family wants him to marry [Tanisha]. Ideally, RGV should've avoided merging this love triangle in the narrative since it loses focus from the core story: Sarkar and his empire.