Satta

A great movie by any standards. Songs were not required at all. Raveena Tandon is at her best and has proved that she can do any role, not necessarily glamorous ones. Atul Kulkarni, Shri Vallabh Vyas, Manoj Joshi, Hemendra Bhatia and Anju Mahendru all did justfy the confidence the director had reposed in all of them. The role of politicians played by some of the actors was very realistic. Madhur Bhandarkar has once again proved that he is one of the top directors in the country. The only other movie by Bhandarkar I have seen and liked was Page 3 and I look forward to viewing all his movies. Keep it up Madhur. I strongly recommend this movie for every one to view. Best of luck.

Although Satta seemed a little confusing at first regarding the roles and positions of various political/criminal elements, everything began to fall into place and developed into a riveting tale of character development and intrigue which ingeniously captures the political and emotional growth of the Anuradha, played to perfection by Raveena Tandon.

The direction, acting, dialogue, sets, and writing are all top notch. There were only three songs but they were all woven well into the fabric of the story. The background music added to the scope and tension of the film. Everything was believable and Reveena Tandon was convincing throughout. Subtitles were relatively easy to follow.

Raveena Tandon, whom, I consider as one of the few real actress of the Hindi Screen. She has vesatality and range in her acting that sets her apart from the flock. So far, she has been known for "Golimaring with Govinda" as in "Akiyose Golimare", where she has displayed her dancing skills. But, you have only seen one end of the talent, when, she is teamed up with an actor the caliber of Govinda (a rotund thespian, who appeals to type of crowd-with their favorite hero on the horseback appearing from nowhere to rescue the heroine from the clutches of a villain, used to be played by characters like Pran, with coiffured toupees and bulging eyes OR the hero finds out that his car brakes are not working going downhill after rescuing the heroine. The ratio of Villains to Hero in Hindi films used to be 2:1 but I'm not sure this ratio has changed lately!) Here, we see the real potential of an actress, when she is taken out of the typical song&dance routine. Along with Atul Kulkarni, who portrays a conniving politician to the brim. she portrays how an innocent Anuradha becomes Anu, a feisty woman politician in a male dominated field who is a ready target of an exploiting politicians. This is one great direction from Madhur Bhandarkar, one of the Top Ten directors in Indian Cinema. This is one heck of a movie that I had the pleasure of watching.

Chandani bar made people curious about director Madhur Bhandarkar's work and now Satta cofirms his ability to create a classic movie. Satta is a very realistic depiction of Indian politics (which is very dirty and corrupt - everyone knows.) It also gives message about how the same screwed-up democratic system can be as well utilized to benefit people. Raveena is at her best. And about Atul Kulkarni I dont find words to praise. He has proved yet again to be a very talented actor - on the same lines of Manoj Vajpeyi (or maybe more than him). A neat story, dialogues, acting and the trademark 'Madhur' direction make this a very impactful and memorable flick.

Bhandarkar tells the story of a career focused Anuradha, who's life initially revolves around her friends and work. She has a close bond with her mother. Having no interest in politics, she unexpectedly gets involved with politician Vivek and they eventually get married. From here life has something else planned for Anuradha and she gets heavily involved in something she had never been interested in.

Bhandarkar tells his story in a coherent fashion that keeps the viewers engaged. However, there are some exaggerated (and clichéd) moments which could have easily been toned down. Anuradha's in-laws are caricatures. I also did not like how he used the Jessica Lal murder-case as a side-subplot. Does Bhandarkar have a thing for item numbers? Sorry, but I don't think such garbage is necessary for this kind of film. The songs are nice but they do tend to distract.

Now to the performances. Atul Kulkarni is very good. Newcomer Sameer Dharmadikari is alright (he does ham in some scenes). However, 'Satta' belongs to Raveena Tandon all the way. After Daman, she finally gets another full fledged role to prove that she's an actress of substance. She breathes into Anuradha as she becomes her on screen. Though this is somewhat of a departure from her glamorous image, she still looks great and at the same time looks the part. Hats off to her for her wonderful performance.

What you'll get from watching 'Satta' is the compelling story of a woman, who used to be ignorant towards politics until circumstances force her to make important choices. Through it all she maintains her dignity and stands strong. In addition to that there's the fantastic performance by Ms. Tandon.