All the lessons of history in four sentences:
Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad with power.
The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small.
The bee fertilizes the flower it robs.
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars
- Charles Beard
A person obsessed with power ceases to rationalize things ethically and justifies his acts by taking refuge in false idealistic beliefs to impress his followers. He revels in his powerful status without any fear of repercussions. Since its impossible to run a vast empire single-handedly he adopts feudalistic approach that leads to fragmentation of power in the hands of trusted persons and has to take support of his coterie who might not share the same ideologies and when there is difference in ideologies the coterie rebels and if a family member is one of the rebellion then this spells doom for him.
Though Sarkar is influenced by The God father – the setting, story and characterization is different. While GF was about underworld, Sarkar is about Amitabh - a powerful messiah with his own set of rules and rational thinkings. Sarkar is obsessed with power not to flaunt it but to help the needy and to protect & keep his family together. Sarkar’s USP lies in its characters who have responsibilities & respect towards their family, who celebrate happy occasion & wail on tragic incidents, who quarrel on certain issues and make sacrifices when needed. These factors make the movie not only identifiable to the Indian audience but it also makes itself different from GF. The undignified influence of power, difference in ideologies, family responsibility is the mainstay of SARKAR. How Amitabh deals with his powerful status, his power- obsessed coterie, his well- wishers, his enemies, and his family is what Sarkar is all about.
STORY
Amitabh Bachchan (Subhash Nagare) is Sarkar and he does what he feels is right irrespective of moral, legal, or social implications. He dispenses justice to the needy and solves problems of poor. He is married to Supriya Pathak. Kay Kay Menon (Vishnu) is the elder son of Amitabh and does not agree with his father’s outdated ideologies. Rukhsar is his estranged wife. Abhishek Bachchan (Shankar) is the younger son of Amitabh studying abroad oblivious to the dubious activities of his father. He is in love with Katrina Kaif. But his mother wants him to marry Tannisha whome she has raised from childhood. Certain circumstances force Shankar to carry on his father’s legacy. But the cracks in the empire have been created. Will Sarkar’s power erode or will Abhishek carry on the legacy?
PROS
The sequences that showcases how much power Sarkar wields and how he dispenses justice and handles sensitive & political matters are excellent – like ordering his men to thrash a rapist, saying no to a Power company’s proposal of bringing labourers from other state, refusing the Chief Minister’s plea to vacate a land occupied by poor people.
The scene where Sarkar explains to Rashid about his style of working and his refusal to Rashid Khan’s illegal business proposal is mind blowing.
The scene between Abhishek and Katrina where she questions Sarkar’s style of working explains the need for Sarkar working outside the system due to social discrimination that serves as a justification for the way business is conducted in profit-making business houses of which Katrina’s father is part of.
The scene where transfer of power takes place is explained through just one word spoken by Amitabh to Abhishek – “Ab”.
Scenes showing Amitabh’s efforts to hold his family together, his disappointment and anger when he asks Vishnu to leave his house, his inability to bear the betrayal by his trusted ones brings out Sarkar’s vulnerable trait.
The scene featuring Selwamani who fear his elimination by Sarkar is hilarious.
CONS
The screenplay doesn’t establish as to how Sarkar acquired those powers and what is his source of earning to maintain a lavish life style and to carry out his munificent activities. Some cursory scenes showing the expansion could have made more impact on the overall depiction of Sarkar.
TECHNICAL TEAM
Direction: Ramgopal Verma has brilliantly adapted The Godfather and has managed to give a distinct look that the Indians can identify with. To replace a story of a gangster (GF) with the theme of a powerful personality and then to set it up against a real life character requires great skills and the danger in intertwining these characters is that it could have marred the narrative and the characterizations but RGV handles the placement of characters deftly without disturbing the basic theme of the movie. His extensive use of close-up of Amitabh & Abhisek who express through their eyes is excellent.
Story & Screenplay: Manish Gupta's story depicting expansion being supplanted by gradual breakup and power & victories by grief and collapse of the empire is shown in a gradual way. Though the first half vaguely resembles the Thackeray saga, the second half takes a tangential turn. Through a carefully and meticulously constructed screenplay every character evolves as a distinct personality. The script deals with numerous subjects – family honour, tentacles of power, disputes about tradition & change, romance, betrayal and the value of ethics in today’s time.
Cinematography: Amit Roy has been able to capture the authentic settings, the emotional soirées, Bachchan’s (both) expressive looks, and the tragic incidents very effectively.
Editing: by Nipun Gupta and Amit Parmar is slick and fast paced.
Art Direction: The Maharashtrian family atmosphere is authentically created by Sunil Nagvekar through costumes, the interiors, the settings, etc have been splendidly created.
Music: Amar Haldipur’s score is first rate, situational and enhances the effect of key moments.
CAST
Amitabh Bachchan is the soul of the movie. Sporting a tilak, donning a black kurta and a lungi, speaking in a rasping voice, displaying unconventional mannerisms, emoting with his eyes, Amitabh has made the character a memorable one. Whether he is displaying his power, whether he trying to keep his family together, whether he reels in sea of pain due to fragmentation of his family, whether he watches his empire crumbling and his power eroding, he gives the character an authentic touch.
Abhishek Bachchan has given a very effective performance. With his exceptional restraint, strong demeanour, penetrating stare, and effective dialogue delivery; Abhishek has created a memorable character. His acting comes to fore through his gradual and subtle transformation from a mute witness to the saviour of family honour.
Kay Kay Menon is excellent. He provides the fire and impetuousness required for the character.
Supriya Pathak, Anupam Kher, Rukhsar, Katrina Kaif, Tanisha Mukherjee, Rashid Khan, and all the character actors have performed excellently bringing out the nuances of their brief roles.
CONCLUSION
Sarkar is characterized by fantastic performances, deft direction, tight screenplay and an insightful study of power, honor, family, politics, relationships and the power structure in India.
VERDICT
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AMJAD K. MARUF
