Sarkar

The movie is as well made as any of the better Ram Gopal Verma movies. The man knows the language of Cinema well and his technique flows very smoothly, but what takes this movie upwards and above RGV's other movies are the stellar performances.

The movie follows the story of the family of Sarkar, a powerful 'Bhai' of Mumbai who runs his own law. He executes justice for the down-trodden in the way he deems right, even if it may be (as it invariably is) outside the law. His seat of power, the opposition to it, and it's eventual inheritance is what the movie deals with.

AB Sr. does his most balanced portrayal since Aks. His 'Sarkar' comes across as a person aware of the power he controls, rather than one basking in it. And it is this underplayed demeanor that covers the Superstar we otherwise tend to see over the character he plays.

AB Jr. plays 'Sarkar Jr' in the movie and he pulls off the double-whammy of proving to be a worthy son/successor of 'Sarkar Sr.' & AB Sr. - I say that coz the dad took a lot more years & movies to prove himself as good as what AB Jr has already proved himself to be.

Most of the other characters are played by non-names, or small-names but each of them paints their characters with a reality portrayal - these people ARE the characters they play. I have come to realize that one of the trademarks of a RGV movie is to use actors that have rarely been seen in roles otherwise, leading the viewer into the character without any set expectations/typecasts.

But put all of that aside - and watch Kaykay. He plays the elder son of Sarkar, and does he play it. The director knows that this man can shout out words from his eyes what actors fail to do with their mouths, and uses it to full advantage, much to the delight of cinephiles. There are three distinct shots where the camera focuses on Kaykay's face, and one shows only his eyes. What we see in them is as clear as this text you are reading. The fact that this man does so few movies and so far apart makes his performance much more valued, coz one tends to forget how good an actor he is. Never is his name mentioned among the better actors of India, and would it be even now? I would rate this above Company. The reason? Company was a movie about selective performance - Ajay & Vivek doing it then. But Manisha, being the wonderful actor she is, was nothing more than a distraction. And was Ajay Devgan ever able to shed his *star* from his role? No. As real as the movie's story was, the picturization made it quite 'filmy'.

The only other movie close to Sarkar in the RGV element is Satya - more so coz of the grittiness and lack of deliberate stylization. It stays in the real world creasing out any clichés that would give it a fictionalized feel.

Sarkar is the movie that would be played in the tributes of everyone associated with it, especially Ram Gopal Verma, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishekh Bachchan and Kaykay (if he ever has one).

My Rating --> 4.5/5

SARKAR is a creation of a life time from Ramu, it will remain as a highlight in all the artists careers, a great movie...it sucks you into it and throws you out. I watched the movie and before i could realise it started...it finished. When someone says slow narration...they are just ignorant of what cinema making is all about. Amitabh is excellent...on par with him is his son playing hi son in the movie, Abhishek. He is the one actor out of the young genre who will stand tall for a long time. The music of the movie is first rate, it plays a very important role in keeping us glued to what happens on screen.

I read a post saying "a bad adaptation of godfather" lets get this one clear that this is not Godfather. We get that impression because Ramu says he is inspired by the Hollywood movie, very kind of him. I have seen the movie and can confirm that approx 5% meets with what we have seen in Godfather.

Talking about direction, i could write a couple of pages about it, but i prefer to say it is exceptional. Its a pity our movies do not get as much exposure as international cinema, but having watched movies from all other languages, Indian cinema coming from unorthodox directors like Ramu are far better.

Watch the movie or you will miss out on something special.

I recently read a review on IMDb completely destroying Sarkar. I found it to be quite untrue. This movie is one of the best i have seen. The performances are mind blowing. Its the first time amitabh has been told to underplay his role.Amitabh is incredibly restrained, and his task is to sit there and look simmeringly angry.The first half focuses on the Big B and the second on the smaller one. Abhishek tries to copy his father's angry look from yesteryear and does so brilliantly. Even Kay Kay Menon does a great job as the bad son. Of course credit must go to Ramu who always makes his stars perform. The camera work and the background score keeps you riveted to the movie. Truly a very good movie.

Ram Gopal Verma has not intended to actually remake "The Godfather". Its his tribute to the original great story & subsequent adaptation for Indian audiences. Hence, if one thinks that Sarkar is an Indian remake of Coppola's "The Godfather" he might get disappointed as for fact even the director has not intended to revive the original Master piece.

"Sarkar" is an Acting galore. After Agneepath, we see the best performance of Amitabh Bachchan of his career. Here is an absolutely unique genre of Acting skill depicted by Amitabh Bachchan, playing Subhash Nagare (Sarkar) illustrating all emotions through his Eyes. With very less dialogs spoken, Amitabh Bachchan proficiently establishes a massive screen presence captivating the audience throughout the movie.

Its finally proved that, its only Amitabh Bachchan who can reach or excel the act of Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone from the original.

Sarkar begins with a common man visiting Subhash Nagare seeking justice for his rape-victim daughter. The first 30 minutes is an explosive drama. The meeting with Rashid & Sarkar is riveting. The villains in the movie are like any other Hindi movie Villains and are shown larger than life which possibly was a setback unexpected from R.G.Verma Film.

The strength of the movie drama again slightly suppresses by pale acting from Kay-Kay, who plays Sarkar's elder son. Abhishek as Sarkar's younger son is shown as obedient & modest as Al Pacino in The Godfather.

The Script is then changed from the Original, and in a better fashion to suit Indian cinema. The Elder son joins the Baddies & Sarkar is caught in a conspiracy of killing a honest politician. Sarkar is arrested and an attempt to murder Sarkar in Jail is planned by the baddies just when the younger son saves his father. The gradual transformation of Abhisekh's humble human person to the tough-guy is splendid.

The major drawback of the film includes the lack of display of the Operations & Business Conducts carried out by Sarkar. We don't come to know primarily what are their various source of income. What governs the strength of "Sarkar" ? What are the mutual benefits deriving from relationships of the Politicians with Sarkar ? In R.G.Verma's Satya & Company, they perfectly dispayed the operations which the gangs conduct, their source of income & various businesses they do.

Finally the film is a journey revived through "Agneepath" where we relish the powerful performance of Superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

i saw this movie on its first weekend and i was just stunned after watching it.

i can't even remember that how 2 hrs. have been passed.

The performance from the actors are really wonderful, specially Jr. bachchan. i think the Jr. is taking some acting skills from his father. i strictly recommend that he is 2 step ahead from his father in this film.

The script, Background Mscore, Editing, Cinematography, direction, everything is just next 2 great.

SUMIT