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

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.

Sarkar is a very good crime film, and its value is quite notable particularly in comparison to the majority of Hindi films made around those years, which were not as good in technical quality as this one is. The film's production values, including the cinematography, the editing, the camera work, and particularly the action, which thankfully avoids the ridiculous, exaggerated and noisy style employed in other action films, are all impressive and make it feel a cut above the usual fare. The same could go for the dialogue and nicely dark the narrative style, which is not melodramatic as could be expected from a Hindi film of that time.

Indeed, all these elements make Sarkar an enjoyably slick and realistic film. Not much should be said about the story, it is pretty much a respectful, careful adaptation of The Godfather, which is done pretty well although clearly those who would be tempted to compare between the two would have a hard time appreciating this film. Mind you, these two films share just core plot elements, but the film has a script of its own. Sadly, perhaps in an attempt to not be overly pretentious, Sarkar is not fully realised. While it does deliver the goods most of the time, it is at times too contrived for its own good and sometimes loses some of its focus.

The film stars the real-life father and son Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan as the underworld don and his unassuming son to a good effect. The senior Bachchan is excellent as the authoritative, tough mafia don with a heart of gold. The junior is highly competent in a restrained performance with a nice twist played convincingly. Actually, the entire cast is very good although the show belongs to the two players. Even the minor characters are played as real people and do very well. Sarkar is an entertaining and consistently gripping film by Ram Gopal Varma, one of mainstream Hindi cinema's most interesting and experimental directors.

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

The opening credit clearly puts a disclaimer that like many, he is inspired by Puzo/ Copolla' "The Godfather". The very first scene reminds you of the opening of "The Godfather". What follows next is an engaging and captivating tale though remaining within the basic framework of "The Godfather".

Too many close-up shots puts immense pressure on the actors when the camera begins to roll. And guess what barring a few, everyone delivers.

۞ Big B:: RGV's dream come true first outing. Its a tailor-made role for him. Fans both RGV's and Big B's would have been satiated at this deadly combo, and it worked very both for both.

۞ Kay Kay:: After Big B, this movie will be remembered only for Kay Kay. He stands tall opposite Big B and leaves a tremendous impact (to an extent that he topples Big B with his towering performance).

۞ Aby Baby:: Silent, resilient performance start to flesh out in the second half of the movie. He does it quite effectively. The stubble and the introvert character suits him actually.

۞ Kota:: You will love to hate this character called Selva Mani.

۞ Supriya Pathak:: Authentic performance.

۞ Tanisha:: Weakest link.

۞ Katrina:: Extended special appearance.

RGV fans will get their quota of unconventional camera angles and violence. The chantings of "Govinda Govinda" could have been little more subdued. Otherwise the background music is engaging.

Sarkar is no-nonsense narrative with practically zero relief moments. Its gritty, and fast, so the viewer has to concentrate. The sepia colour adds to the rustic/ raw look. It ensures to leaves an impact, to the extent that you would love to watch it again to catch those finer nuances which you would have missed in the first instance.

PS: Don't forget to the sequel which propels "Sarkar" to a different level altogether.