Satyagraha

After the super successful political thriller 'Raajneeti', when Prakash Jha gave a confused 'Aarakshan', all were curious to know as to which side will his latest camel 'Satyagraha' sit. Sadly, the movie goes the latter way, though most of the ensemble and genre resemble the former one. Let's delve straight into its facets:

• Plot: The movie draws its name from Gandhian way of dissent which was used recently by Anna Hazare and gang. Yes, it does talk about Gandhian principals and tries its best to showcase the most contemporary topic 'corruption', yet fails to serve the message quite well. The basic problem is- treatment. Unlike the crisp 'Raajneeti', sluggish 'Satyagraha' keeps meandering throughout, trying to match Anna movement, literally. In the process, everything appears fake and characters look mere reel caricatures of the real. It attempts to take you through micro nuances of our rotten politico-administrative system, which finally lead to a macro movement. The intent is commendable; however, it's the content and presentation which falter. Realism gets lost in commercialism (lots of brand endorsements there!), larger-than-life portrayal of a ground-level subject and overdose of crowd-protests. Barring a few moments of real business, movie looks more preachy and glossy (facebooked). Climax is a big let-down out of its abruptness and fictional treatment.

• Casting: The ensemble of big names does not disappoint you when it comes to performance. Big B is a master at his work and exudes both strength and fragility with equal ease. It was good to see Ajay back to some serious stuff after his Himmatwala/ SoS phase, though he is unable to match his Gangajal feat. Kareena looks beautiful in the street-smart character. Hunk Arjun oozes ample masculinity while Amrita Rao is mostly on MMS mode. It's basically Manoj Bajpai who is the biggest saving grace with his comical villain-giri. Though his character is a shadow of Virendra Pratap of 'Rajneeti', he carries off this one too equally well.

• Music: In my previous reviews too, I have mentioned, in movies based on genuine subjects, music should be pushed to background only. 'Satyagraha' loses out here too. Unnecessary songs and persistent rock bands at movement-sthal, all steal authenticity from the flick. 'Janta rocks' makes you wonder whether you are watching a 'Rock on' while Adesh Srivastava fails to repeat a 'Mora piya' with 'Ras ke bhare'. Only 'Raghupati Raghav' manages to touch you both through the remixed music and meaningful lyrics. In all, music only interrupts the already snail- paced movie.

To conclude, 'Satyagraha' does no justice to its name, star-cast and the noble message it intended to deliver. I really hope some other film-maker to grab the burning subject and present to us something more authentic, moving and engrossing. This one is certainly not the one expected from a Prakash Jha!

The theme mirrors the current political state in India. But the plot has been seen in many Bollywood political thrillers were everything is predictable. Satyagaraha is no different.

Talking about the revolution by the people of a district against the corrupt government, Prakash Jha has tried to do what he does best: RESEARCH & SHOW! The first half is brutally original & I appreciate that. But come second half, and your enthusiasm will see a drastic decline due to the usual, "borrowed" elements from his previous films and/or other potboilers. Yes, it does tell a tale worth watching with average dialogs, simple setup, but the punch-power withdraws as the 150- minute screenplay advances to ultimate predictability.

Cast performance is very good & I don't need to mention who did well. Of course, the antagonists. Now, come on! But the protagonists have done well, too. Score is below average, editing is fine & the whole setup - gives a natural appeal. Mostly, towards the end it again takes an authentic turn when they show how the repercussions of a people's revolution can turn out to be. Laudable!

And, there was no need for that item song and romance! But, welcome to Bollywood!

BOTTOM LINE: Fresh writing garnished by stale ingredients, that is what Satyagraha is. It manages to convey a message, but we all know, reality can never be manipulative as fiction. 6.0 out of 10! Youth can go have a look!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity/Nudity/Sex: No | Mouth-Kiss: very Mild | Violence/Gore: Critical | Smoking/Alcohol/Drugs: No

The trailers of Satyagraha promised a lot but delivers absolutely nothing. The film runs at a linear pace with limited content and not even trying to keep you involved. It fails to capture the attention of the audience and fails miserably at delivering its high drama political story. Characters are weak and ill defined except for Manoj Bajpai who is good as always. Kareena was not needed in the film at all. You don't want to mix glamour and romance if you're attempting a political drama but Prakash Jha couldn't resist the Bollywoodisation. There is no chemistry between Kareena and Ajay Dewgun and the most romantic/intimate scenes of the film are actually it's most funny scenes resulting in loud laughters in the hall. Essentially, you've a man or two fighting for democratic rights but are both extremely autocratic and don't even try to keep you involved in this films which has no story. Still better than Chennai Express - there is nothing much on so you may want to go and watch it.; Make sure you've Candy Crush Saga on your phone as you will need it. My rating 3/10.

The film has been a good experimentation effort by prakash jha but somehow fail to touch the heart. Acting effort from everyone seems like they were pretty much dedicated to the film. Salim Suleiman was superb in back ground score. I felt the film to be little lengthy but overall one word is ACCEPTABLE.Big B was as perfect as expected. Ajay devgn steady and serious appearance seems to be good. Arjun Rampal retain his maturity level of acting from D-DAY. MANOJ BAJPAI was perfect in his character after ARAKSHAN... Still expectation was little higher from prakash jha..

The film is watchable...

This time I would like to keep my review short. "Satyagraha" as the name depicts Insistence on the truth and non violence against corruption and current Indian political system. It is said as a work of fiction but even a small kid can say the story is closely resembles Anna's (played by Big B) movement and his deputy Arvind Kejriwal (played by Ajay Devagan). The movie definitely dwells bollywood-ism at times like item song at start and an irrelevant romantic song. But we can watch it for the solid performances of Big B and Manoj Bajpai. Definitely not hard hitting as Madras cafe but has got some good message about public awakening.

-Reviewed by Sivakumar Balachandran

(bsiva84@gmail.com)