Satyakam

Many great men have exhorted the importance of following the path of truth, however arduous, in amazingly simple words (almost nonchalantly in many cases). Our holy relics, our Upanishads, and our two most significant historical texts- the Ramayana and the Mahabharata- too have averred vehemently that there is nothing greater than reveling in the knowledge and the spreading of truth. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, in his 1969 feature Satyakaam, pays homage to these thoughts by means of depicting the journey of a man who never wavers from this formidable path of truth.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee chooses a very complex subject and treats it in an unconventional manner. The movie is definitely a critique on our society and how we tend to ignore a lot of things while leading our lives. Through the ordeals of Satyapriya he makes a defining statement on how difficult it is for an honest man to live with his head high in today's materialistic and insensitive set-up. But at the same time through the dissonance and irritability of Satyapriya, he makes the point that it is futile to stop appreciating the life around us by becoming a cynic and seeing the worst in each and every thing. By the end of his life, Satyapriya becomes so obsessed by his ideals that he even started ignoring the interests of his own family. In a way God decided to end his trials and tribulations by giving him the lung cancer, after having given him enough time to fall in love with life. So Satyapriya can be seen as both a loser and as a winner. In my view he was more of a loser than winner, but I am sure people will form quite diverse impressions if they decide to watch this movie.

Because of my above view, I see don't see this movie as a perfect film. Although the narrative and story as such is unique and the intentions are definitely quite honest, I didn't like Satyapriya's character and was left disappointed by him- and it was his story. Of course it was how Hrishikesh Mukherjee must have intended it to be, but because of the way the story was treated, the movie failed to either inspire or educate or educate. It is lengthy and has many unnecessary sequences that don't really add up to the central theme. Also, Satyasharan's (Ashok Kumar) character is shown as caught between his Dharma and his traditions. He is neither here nor there- and so is the film in its entirety. The performances by the lead cast otherwise are indeed praiseworthy- Dharmendra especially more because he was Satyapriya- and he was the entire film.

Parting Note: More than a film, Satyakaam is a comment on the society in the form of a biopic of a fictional character. It is most certainly an important film and showcases the range of Hrishikesh Mukherjee as a director. But overall the film is not the classic that it promises it to be.

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This is movie making at its best, perhaps one of the finest Indian movies of all times, but surprisingly relatively unacknowledged and unknown even amongst movie lovers. Hrishikesh Mukherjee has done what he does best, evoking minimalistic everyday emotions throughout the movie, no overkill or overload of emotional jargon no overacting. Sharmila Tagore is supereb as usual, Sanjeev Kumar as good as ever, Ashok Kumar does justice to his small role, but the surprise package is Dharmendra he has out done all of them and by a mile, I never knew Dharmendra had done such excellent work in the past, upon more research have found some other good work by him in Jevan Mrtityu & Anupama, its a shame he got stuck in B grade work later on in his carrier much like the immensely talented Mithun(mrigya). Overall this movie is A+++ by all standards a must see for movie lovers, a masterpiece by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

A fine movie by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and undeniably has his trademark - brilliant depiction of characters. Even an idealistic character like Satyapriya is shown to be human - indecisiveness when faced with the choice of saving Ranjana when she is forced to go the Prince's room, timidity when initially posed the question if he would marry her and face the society. The dialogues are excellent, a couple specially stand out - honesty is not a policy, it is a duty and right at the end when the grandfather admires how the mother Ranjana uttered the the truth, without any reservations, just as it stood. Dharmendra has given his one of his finest performances and Sanjeev Kumar is brilliant as usual. Sharmila Tagore looks beautiful but and her acting is decent. The movie overall is a must-watch for all Hrishida fans.

My Rating : 7/10

The maker of Bollywood classic movies such as Anand, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Abhimaan and many more said that 'Satyakam' was his most favourite of his works. Often heralded as one of the greatest Indian filmmakers Hrishida (as he was popularly called) blends mainstream extravagant Bollywood cinema with arthouse sensibilities with an emphasis on the social middle-class of India.

'Satyakam' is almost reminiscent of Satyajit Ray's style of making movies where idealism and truth are given utmost importance and letting go the mainstream expectations of what a Bollywood movie should be. It is rare to find a movie which is so simple in Bollywood cinema that deals with middle-class struggle against the wealthier sections of society. This is not a sloppy melodrama but a genuine portrait of the times.

Fine acting from all especially Dharmendra who gives a fine portrayal of a man who believes in adherence to truth above all else.

A beautiful, simple, quiet film - extremely rare for mainstream Indian cinema - Kudos to Hrishida!

Known for his bigger hits like Golmaal and Abhimaan, Hrishikesh Mukherjee is not credited much for this master piece. But this is truly a classic. Not the routine 'time pass' movie. It hits you. The cast is very good. It exposes the human weakness. A true "truth speaking" person does not muster courage to protect the exploited Sharmila only to later marry her. However, its later and she has been abused the prince. The predicaments shown are so common and so is the acceptance or compromise, hiding our weakness as 'being practical'. And yet SatyaPriya keeps fighting. Some of the scenes are so difficult to forget: - The big politician coming to Dharmendra's house and blessing him and when he leaves the pride with which Sharmila sees Dharmendra. - At the deathbed, when she fights with him to sign on the tender, and he signs it silently and then she realises her mistake and tears and it and he only smiles with satisfaction. - The scene where the son scolds the grandfather (Ashok Kumar) that he is telling a lie and the grand father realises the folly.

Don't watch for entertainment, this is for self introspection.