Satyamev Jayate

Raj Sippy was known as a good commercial director in his heydays. Movies like Inkaar, Satte Pe Satta, Andar Baahar, Loha, Thanedaar and Satyamev Jayate were not only well made but also had repeat value.

This movie, made in 1987, was a simple story of the life of a honest police officer, his fight against the system, against his own past and against a failed love life.

Vinod Khanna, in the lead role, gets to portray a gamut of emotions and this is easily one of his better movies. However, he is somewhat miscast. While watching the film I felt the lead character should have been younger, maybe a Sanjay Dutt or a Sunny Deol. In fact Dutt used to work frequently with Sippy and the role would have suited him, rather he would have suited the role more. And if Sippy wanted Mr Khanna he could have opted for an older heroine considering the relationship between the two leads is intimate. Mr Khanna looks like Meenakshi's father when he is supposed to be opposite her. The age difference between the hero and the heroine has perennially been a major issue in Indian cinema as a whole.

Tthe best performance in the movie certainly comes from Meenakshi Seshadri. She has the role of a harassed woman, who's treated rather contemptuously by everyone including the lead actor, and her character evokes sympathy among the viewer. Meenakshi has only a few scenes in the movie but almost all of them are powerful (and emotional) and she has acted very well in them.

Shakti Kapoor is good as the villain while Vinod Mehra is commendable in a supporting role.

Overall an entertaining movie, especially considering the fact that it was made in the 1980s.

The 80s in India were famous for producing the worst commercial films but here is an exception. Not that Sippy's 'Satyamev Jayate' is a masterpiece of any sort, it's simply an entertaining and engaging crime drama about corruption, lust, betrayal, abandonment and revenge. Though the ending is predictable, the situations leading towards are engaging and we meet some interesting characters. For an 80's film, it's reasonably well shot.

The characters of the 'good' guys are well written as we see shades of gray. However, the 'bad' guys appear to be slightly one dimensional but the writer does explain reasons behind some of the character's attitude. For example, we can understand why Anupam Kher's greedy character is such a jerk to his wife.

Vinod Khanna is mostly alright as the alcoholic cop but he fails to convince in the drunken scenes. Asrani provides some comic relief. Shakti Kapoor's Bagha is menacing and Anupam Kher is OK as the jackass lawyer husband. However, in spite of being a male-dominated film, 'Satyamev Jayate' belongs to the women. Anita Raj is brilliant as Arjun's former lover Vidya while both Madhavi (as Pooja) and Meenakshi Sheshadri (as Seema) steal the show with their heartbreaking performances. Two scenes I found very disturbing were Seema's gang rape and Bagha forcing Pooja to clean the table. It is Pooja and Seema, with whom that the viewers ends up sympathizing most.

Bappi Lahiri's music is very pleasant. Only two songs are fully picturised and I like both the songs. 'Dil mein ho tum' is a very romantic song sung beautifully by Asha Bhosle and 'De Rahi Duwayen' is a sweet song about a brother and a sister.

There are a few plot holes and situations that should have been better explained. For example, what makes Bagha tap Arjun's telephone? All in all, if one is trying to dig up some good commercial Hindi film from the 80s, 'Satyamev Jayate' may be among the rare few. It's not a gem but has entertainment value.

Satyamev Jayate review :

Directed by Raj (Daddu) Sippy who had worked with Vinod Khanna earlier in Inkaar (1987), Satyamev Jayate revolved around a dejected alcoholic cop who wants to forget his past love (Anita Raj) and regularly hires a kind hearted hooker (Meenakshi Seshadri) to give him company. He is also battling a professional setback involving a custody murder of a youngster (Master Alankar) whose embittered sister (Madhavi) vows revenge. Vinod was super impressive as the honest cop against the corrupt system. Meenakshi raised a few eyebrows for going against her goody goody image and playing a prostitute. The pretty Madhavi was equally effective in the strong role of a sisters quest for her missing brother. Shakti Kapoor was the main villain called Chaman Bagga. Bappi Lahiri's "Dil mein ho tum" is an evergreen number. Satyamev Jayate gave a big boost to Khanna's second innings in Bollywood as it was not only a resounding hit at the box office but also impressed the critics as much.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.