Ardh Satya

"Ardh Satya" is one of the finest film ever made in Indian Cinema. Directed by the great director Govind Nihalani, this one is the most successful Hard Hitting Parallel Cinema which also turned out to be a Commercial Success. Even today, Ardh Satya is an inspiration for all leading directors of India.

The film tells the Real-life Scenario of Mumbai Police of the 70s. Unlike any Police of other cities in India, Mumbai Police encompasses a Different system altogether. Govind Nihalani creates a very practical Outlay with real life approach of Mumbai Police Environment.

Amongst various Police officers & colleagues, the film describes the story of Anand Velankar, a young hot-blooded Cop coming from a poor family. His father is a harsh Police Constable. Anand himself suffers from his father's ideologies & incidences of his father's Atrocities on his mother. Anand's approach towards immediate action against crime, is an inert craving for his own Job satisfaction. The film is here revolved in a Plot wherein Anand's constant efforts against crime are trampled by his seniors.This leads to frustrations, as he cannot achieve the desired Job-satisfaction. Resulting from the frustrations, his anger is expressed in excessive violence in the remand rooms & bars, also turning him to an alcoholic.

The Spirit within him is still alive, as he constantly fights the system. He is aware of the system of the Metro, where the Police & Politicians are a inertly associated by far end. His compromise towards unethical practice is negative. Finally he gets suspended.

The Direction is a master piece & thoroughly hard core. One of the best memorable scenes is when Anand breaks in the Underworld gangster Rama Shetty's house to arrest him, followed by short conversation which is fantastic. At many scenes, the film has Hair-raising moments.

The Practical approach of Script is a major Punch. Alcoholism, Corruption, Political Influence, Courage, Deceptions all are integral part of Mumbai police even today. Those aspects are dealt brilliantly.

Finally, the films belongs to the One man show, Om Puri portraying Anand Velankar traversing through all his emotions absolutely brilliantly.

An absolute classic !! The direction is flawless , the acting is just superb. Words fall short for this great work. The most definitive movie on Mumbai Police. This movie has stood the test of times.

Om Puri gives a stellar performance, Smita Patil no less. All the actors have done their best and the movie races on thrilling you at every moment. This movie shakes your whole being badly and forces you to rethink about many issues that confront our society.

This is the story of a cop (Om Puri ) who starts out in his career as a honest man but ultimately degenerates into a killer. The first attempt in Bollywood to get behind the scenes and expose the depressing truth about Mumbai cops. Kudos to Nihalani !!

After this movie a slew of Bollywood movies got released that exposed the criminal-politician-police nexus. Thus this movie was truly a trend setter. This trend dominated the Hindi movie scene for more than a decade.

This movie was a moderate box office hit.

A must-see for discerning movie fans.

Any story comprises a premise, characters and conflict. Characters plotting their own play promises triumph, and a militant character readily lends oneself to this. Ardh Satya's premise is summarized by the poem of the same name scripted by Dilip Chitre. The line goes - "ek palde mein napunsaktha, doosre palde mein paurush, aur teek tarazu ke kaante par, ardh satya ?". A rough translation - "The delicate balance of right & wrong ( commonly seen on the busts of blind justice in the courts ) has powerlessness on one plate and prowess on another. Is the needle on the center a half-truth ? "

The poem is recited midway in the film by Smita Patil to Om Puri at a resturant. It makes a deep impact on the protagonist & lays the foundation for much of the later events that follow. At the end of the film, Om Puri ends up in exactly the same situation described so aptly in the poem.

The film tries mighty hard to do a one-up on the poem. However, Chitre's words are too powerful, and at best, the film matches up to the poem in every aspect.

The performance by Om Puri, Smita Patil, and Sadashiv Amrapurkar and the whole chemistry comes off nicely, along with the minimalist approach to story telling and direction by Govind Nihlani. The dialogues by Vijay Tendulkar is also great.

I have not seen another movie like this. It is one whole, each piece so nicely fit in the plot. You cannot not be impressed by this movie.

Amrish Puri comes off as the bossy husband and 'baap' of Om Puri. Om Puri is the young man caught between his sense of duty and his inability to fight the system. Sadhashiv as Rama Shetty gives just about the right touch to the movie with his smiling and soft speaking villain. The first meeting of Anand Velankar with Rama Shetty's at Sadhashiv's place is absoulely stunning. Smita Patil does not play a main role, but her part is also not distracting from the main plot.

And to add to this all Kafi Inamdar plays the role of a cop who has come to terms with the system and its workings. Saying right things in the right places and knowing how to keep himself away from trouble. He is also the 'guru' of Om Puri and helps him whenever he gets into trouble.

The movie not only brings to focus the difficulties faced by a police officer trying to do his duty but also the other side of brutalities in police custody. Om Puri captures hopelessness and the burning desire to break free in this exceptional performance in Ardh Satya.

A treat to all avid fans of Indian cinema.

Ardh Satya is an excellently made film. Govind Nihalani leaves no stone unturned in his portrayal of the trials and tribulations of the main character Anant Velankar. He never wanted to be a policeman, but he reluctantly accepted the job because circumstances forced him to as his domineering father did not give him any other option. Now, as a policeman, Anant is honest, hard-working and justice-seeking. No, not at all what we get to see in mindless action films with their exaggerated portrayals of policemen going all nuts over their profession and their fake patriotism being the main issue. Here you will not see any of the silly action sequences or the caricature villains. Ardh Satya is a realistic film, its authenticity is more present than anything else in it. It's a true depiction of the life of an Indian cop and it does not submit to stereotypes, which could have been the easiest way to go.

As Anant, Om Puri plays a man who tries to fight criminals and those who break the low, but ends up having to fight against injustice within the system itself. This movie is just his story, not necessarily as a cop. It's about his dedication to his job, his frustration, his deterioration and fall from grace. Nihalani directs this feature with great integrity, and Vijay Tendulkar's script and dialogues are fantastic. Anant's relationships with those who surround him are aptly portrayed. The sequences showing his interaction with Jyotsna, a young lecturer of literature, are stupendous and are of the best in the film, right from their first meeting which opens the film to the time when they are already considering a future marriage. There isn't a lot of romanticism about it, but there's a lot of humanity and respect. Even the portrayal of his relationship with his parents, in spite of the minimal screen time it is given, is spot on and is very troubling.

Ardh Satya is a one-man show, and needless to say, it is Om Puri who dominates the proceedings with his heartfelt, brilliant performance as Anant. Puri is an actor who has very rarely delivered something unworthy, although he has been given stuff unworthy of his talent. This performance ranks amongst the finest works of his illustrious career. He captures Anant's honesty, determination, anger and devastation with sheer intensity, and is always moving, credible and convincing. The acting in general is very good in this film, but the rest of the cast are just here to support him, and they do it well. Amrish Puri, as the tough, violent and authoritarian father, is unsurprisingly excellent. He manages to convey a lot of his character's essence through just a few scenes. The same can be said about Sadashiv Amrapurkar, who does a lot with so little. Shafi Inamdar is also pretty good as Anant's boss.

Last but certainly not least, Smita Patil is first-rate in a role that was totally in need of someone with her intellectual capabilities and would have turned into inconsequential by a lesser actress. This is not at all one of those powerful author-backed roles she was known for playing, but it's still a very special one in her career. She does not try to impress or steal the show. As Jyotsna, she is natural, pleasant and exudes a certain warmth that is missing in the film. Above all, she had the ability to listen. I highly recommend you to observe the scene in which Anant shares with her his deep devastation towards the end. This scene, devoid of clichés, is one of the finest in the film, showing Om Puri's highpoint but at the same time Patil's wonderfully unconventional reaction of just being there, quietly listening and ultimately lending him a hand of support. The film's climax is most unexpected, and Ardh Satya is overall an excellent, involving movie that is highly recommended.