Shakthi: The Power

Okay, I know this does'nt project India in a good light. But the overall theme of the movie is not India, it's Shakti. The power of a warlord, and the power of a mother. The relationship between Nandini and her husband and son swallow you up in their warmth. Then things go terribly wrong. The interaction between Nandini and her father in law - the power of their dysfunctional relationship - and the lives changed by it are the strengths of this movie. Shah Rukh Khan's performance seems to be a mere cameo compared to the believable desperation of Karisma Kapoor. It is easy to get caught up in the love, violence and redemption of lives in this film, and find yourself heaving a sigh of relief and sadness at the climax. The musical interludes are strengths, believable and well done.

Well, I'll be honest: It is not exactly a Sholay. But you cant get a Sholay every week. In fact, you could see distinct signatures of "not without my Daughter"(Sally Field, 1991) in this movie. However, as most "inspired" movies go, this one was a well-inspired one, well handled and well done. Nana Patekar, as usual, tends to overdo his hysterics, but all others are commendable. Specially so about Dipti Naval: Saw her after a long time, but she hasn't lost any of her grace. In fact, she has performed much better that when I last saw her. Another one of the Bollywood stars that seem to grow more beautiful as they age?

All in all, a nice watch.

It's a family drama crime related... the power of mother ...SRK,Nana,Karishma acted brilliantly from their position... there's no any reason to separate a child from her mother...

Not gonna lie, there will be a lot you'll have to forgive to get to the good parts of the film. Overlook basic flaws like Rajasthani location and costumes for a story set in Bihar, skip forward the songs and you'll see it as a bold depiction of jungle raj in rural India at its peak, with the term also being used at some point in the film.

I started watching it just to find a particular scene I'd seen by mistake on TV as a kid (wasn't supposed to watch an A rated film. This was the scene where Nana keeps calling Karisma a "Maddum" for being a misfit in a village. For some reason I remembered Nana eating a pigeon but thank god I misremembered!!

It's all lovey-dovey at the start with some beautiful visuals of Canada and you think you're stumbled unto a pretty decent Hindi show for once. Boy and girl get matched up by two popular comedians and in the space of a single song, they marry and have a child. Then when the husband sees footage of factional violence in his home state of Rajasthan, he gets all panicky, stumbling around like a madman trying to get a phone to work. His wife repeatedly asks him what's wrong and he tells her to be quiet. This is where you, as the viewer realise that the wife doesn't have a clue who her in-laws are or from where her own husband originates. Oh, for crying out loud....