The power - Il potere

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.

The power of Shakti is evidenced in its portrayal of the power of a mother's love, the exceptional performances, the steady execution and the rather innovative script. The film tells the story of an Indian woman, Nandini, who lives in Canada with her husband Shekhar and little kid Raja. All of a sudden her husband informs her that his family in India (of whom she had never been aware) is in troubles and the couple rush to India. When they get into the village, Nanadini is shocked and terrified to witness a very wild rural culture; Shekhar's family, ruled by his cruel, highly cynical and merciless father Narasimha, lives a poor and highly violent lifestyle which is full of murder and terror and where women are subservient and helpless. Nandini starts nagging Shekhar to return home, but he is soon killed by his father's enemies. When she wants to leave, Narasimha refuses to let her take Raja back to India. Here starts the intense struggle which can be called "Nandini vs. Narasimha".

India is not presented in a particularly positive light in this film, but it only shows a very tiny minority of its rural areas, so it may be even correct. The portrayal is in my view fair and not one-sided because the positive side is also presented to an extent. Such a horrifying sight could be shown in a film about any country in the world. The locations are amazing, the music is wonderful, and Krishna Vamshi's direction is aided by very effective cinematography and good editing. One thing that must be noted is the very ear-pleasing background score by Ismail Darbar, which is fantastic. The characters are very well defined though we do get to see both their bright and dark sides in different portions of the film. Portrayed realistically throughout, the film is totally chilling and gripping, and it flows well to create an interesting and fairly entertaining watch. The dialogues are superb, and although the shocking proceedings are disturbing at some points, a great deal of positive moments manage to relieve the tension.

The film's biggest strength is the performances. Karisma Kapoor is breathtaking and very believable as Nandini. Her ability to strike a balance between vulnerability and unrestrained emotion is simply incredible. She displays so much intensity, anguish and determination as the mother who wants to get her son back that this little kid seems to be her own son. Her outbreaks while facing off Nana Patekar which are like volcanic eruptions show us how the simplest of women can become a tigress when it comes to her child. After Fiza, this is her most powerful performance. One of the greatest actors Indian cinema has seen, Nana Patekar is indescribable as Narasimha. He manages to be hateful as Narasimha yet admirable as the actor who plays him. Patekar displays cruelty, wittiness and even humanity with total conviction, and his dialect and mannerisms are outstanding. Another great performance comes unsurprisingly from India's most underrated actress, Deepti Naval, who sensitises her character to perfection. Sanjay Kapoor is just adequate and Shahrukh Khan provides great comic relief. Anyway, do watch Shakti - it could have been better, but it is definitely a must-watch.

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.

good movie, good music, good background and an acceptable plot. but the main point again as his movies tend to be, the man is the best actor in idia and can turn dust into gold. nana patekar. this may be his second best performance after parinda( others may disagree). although other movies are not far behind. one man that will never ever disappoint you.

good movie although i think shahrukh was a luxury this movie could have done without. you can see in his movies, others try very hard to reach his heights and act out of their skins. but this man is really something elase.

the movie is cool, the music and direction is excellent plot a bit thin but the screen play and dialog again very good. a must watch.

This is a movie that is worth watching for Nana and Karishma.Both have done a superb job.Karishma is in top form after giving great performances in Raja Hindustani,Dil To Pagal Hai,Biwi No 1 and Fiza.Karishma shows in every emotion and feeling.After Sridevi in Laadla i have never seen an heroine putting on such anger,emotion at the same time.This is her best performance.Nana is also excellent though he and Karishma goes over board at times.His dialog delivery is superb for no doubt with lots of gray shades.He gave a knock out performance in the climax.Though he is completely superb.The kid though is cute is passable.Deepti Naval is fine as the mother.Her confrontation with Nana in her final scenes is note worthy.Sanjay is passable.SRK is pathetic.His dialog delivery is incredibly pathetic and he hams.Though a fan of Shah Rukh myself.I felt that Salman Khan could have suited that Roley more because he is the bad guy of Bollywood.Tiku Taslania and Jaspal Bhatti are wasted

The movie is bloody but different.OK,i know there is a lot of screaming,yelling,vulgarity,over the top acting that you do want to fast forward.Some are sick through.i do feel like vomiting.Direction is great in some scenes but mediocre at the rest.Characterisations are powerful at times yet a little sketchy.Dialogs are passable.editing could be better.Camera work is average.Foreign locales are nice.the first few minutes are boring but once Shekhar hears the news the movie really becomes interesting

Songs are forgettable.The saving grace the catchy Ishq Kameena.

Sridevi has done a decent job.As a fan of Sridevi i request her to stop producing movies because she is average as a producer.Krishna Vamsi has done a decent job with this and so does Boney Kapoor.The movie title means power.It has some power but enough of them power it required.Give it a decent watch