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 a bolly wood remake of Godfather is not even remotely close to the original as par to execution wise. The next major fault of the movie is that RGV remained principal characters in the movie underdeveloped. Even the title character of the movie played by Mr. Bacchan is not clearly developed. But still this movie need some mentioned because for its powerful performances from lead cast. Specially the surprise element is the performance from Jr. Bacchan. If You disagree with RGV version that Abhiseikh is ahead of Big B in terms of natural talent of performing arts go and watch Sarkaar you will realize he has said nothing wrong. He least speaks and he performs with his eyes. Shahrukh & Amir this guy is superstar of tomorrow and like Hrithwik I can bet you cannot stop him. He is undeniably the best actor of this generation and Hrithwik Roshan is next to follow. Story is Crime Saga like all RGV films. Amitabh is the most powerful person in Bombay who believe in his own Principal and ethics. He run his unparalleled government and even Chief Minister of the state can do nothing against him as he has so much popularity in between masses. He believe in helping poor and helpless people and he is known for giving justice to the innocent one. The problem comes in his life when he deny to help his some of the colleagues for unethical work. Further he became victim of grand design operated by gangsters and Chief Minister of the state. For this purpose they even took help of his elder son. Suddenly a leader of the opposition played by Anupam Kher in the movie get murdered and Amitabh Bacchan became the prime suspect of all these. He became arrested but Abhiseikh his younger son took a mission to find out guilty. And finally he do what he owe from his heart. Love triangle between Katrina, Abhiseikh & Tanisha runs along with the principal story in the movie. Anyway I love this movie because of the performances of Jr. B, K.K. Menon & of course Big B.9 out of 10. Watch it you will definitely love it for some good reason it has, to be 1st hit movie of next 6 month of year 2005.

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.

Ram Gopal Verma's Sarkar is the best movie I have seen ever. Being the Indian version of The Godfather, it has the perspective of an Indian man who comes out of the system to fight the evils in the society.

Comparisons made by the media between the title character Subhash Nagre and a well known politician in Mumbai fall short for the viewer who would liked to have seen the film for knowing the politician. There are similarities - it is not the same.

Also, this film is not the straight translation of the epic Godfather although one might see certain similarities. This film is an original by itself. One must stop comparing and enjoy the film. One is sure to enjoy it then.

Look out for amazing performances by Amitabh and Abhishek Bachhan, Kay Kay Menon, Supriya Pathak and also a small appearance by Anupam Kher.

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.