Satyagraha

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)

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

Well there is a scene in the movie where Manoj Bajpai (arguably the best performer of the movie) mocks Satyagraha movement of Mr Ambitabh Bacchan. He ridicules the protesters because of their corporate (read westernized) culture ,rock bands (hard to believe)and serving of eateries at a site of a hunger strike.The scene captures the essence of the movie which tries to be too serious about the topic but fails to stir an emotion in the audience. The actors don't have well defined roles ,songs are irrelevant ,cinematography below par (believe me I have stayed in Bhopal for more than two years and she has much better places to shoot than a couple of sets and educational institutions which are shot so many times that somewhere down the line you pray you were HANUMAN so that you can burn down those sets to ashes) and direction well Prakash Jha direction personifies his role in the movie (Watch out for the beggar in the crowd).The protesters in all the scenes seem to be more zealous than they actually should be ( to add some somber tone afterall we are not there to watch a Rohit Shetty film). The movie lacks any emotion and even the most heart breaking or heart aching ones leave you unaffected. On the acting front I would say Manoj Bajpai has done a decent job , Ajay Devgn is totally wasted , Karina seems more fashion conscious for a professional journalist and Amitabh Bachhan is more of an authoritarian (without violence) than a Gandhian.All in all the movie is a waste of time with a runtime of about 3 hours. Go outdoors or watch a repeat run on TV rather than wasting your time on this.

4/10.

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.

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!