Many films that I have watched occupied a permanent place in my heart.
The following paragraphs narrate about one such film and I am sure many must have watched it.
No one actually compelled me to watch this particular movie. When I was at a DVD store, my eyes accidentally fell on the DVD cover of this movie. It had those colors and designs, especially a man with his vibrant eyes that attracted me towards it. That was a period when I did not know much about films (well, perhaps now as well!). I got curious and wanted to watch what it was all about. I bought the DVD. I watched the movie.
The actor in the lead role is perhaps more than 60 years old. However after watching the way he performed his role, I was magnetized towards him. A kind of respect coupled with admiration nurtured in me for him. I now hold him at a very high place in my heart.
Well, I have probably kept you from learning the name of the movie for very long. Before you start getting impatient, here you go! The movie is known as Sarkar. It is a hindi movie starring the great Amitbh Bachchan (fondly known as Big B), Abhishek Bachchan, Kay Kay Menon, Ravi Kale and Kota Srinivasa Rao.
Before the movie begins, the following appears:
I was deeply inspired by the film ‘THE GODFATHER’. Sarkar is my tribute to it. – RAM GOPAL VARMA
Though Sarkar is inspired from a
As a matter of fact, it was only after watching Sarkar that I was inspired to watch The Godfather.
After watching Mario Puzo & Francis Fors Cuppola’s Godfather, I felt every character coming alive in that film. It took me to a different world, a world in which the characters actually existed, the world in which they were more than just fiction. It was as if I had met them all in person!
I liked the movie so much that I got Marlon Brando’s every move and body language by heart!
I became a great fan of Al Pacino.
It takes only a small movement of the eye to make all the difference to a scene; even the utmost silence contains the essence of a thousand words; I learnt many such nuances and techniques from the movie.
Besides the fact that I enjoyed the movie to the core, I took some time off to imagine how the fan in Ram Gopal Varma must have watched and appreciated the movie.
“Well, this is not a film that tries to reform a society. Nor does the movie convey great messages to the common man.”
There was also a general opinion that it had “No art, no grammar and was totally meaningless & absurd!”
“What has the guy done with the camera? The entire movie is in darkness and there are often scenes shot beneath tea cups! God only knows why there is always a song ‘Govinda Govinda’ playing in the background. Big B has only wasted his time. Varma might have as well not done anything rather than involve himself in this movie!” these were the thoughts of some people after watching the movie. Disheartening, but true!
Well, it is not as if Sarkar can be titled ‘the greatest movie of all times’. Varma himself would agree to this. But we can applaud him for having done justice to The Godfather and depicting reality on screen.
Subhash Nagre (a.k.a) Sarkar – The man who uses his influence and power in favor of the society in a place where there is no use of having a Government. His influence is greater and he uses it to do good things.
Amitabh Bachchan plays the man who is all clad in black, wears the holy chain (Rudraksh), walks with a stoop and always does things in the right way. It is my strong, irrevocable opinion that there could possibly be nobody else to fill his shoes in this character! The charisma he has, attracts the audience and the way he settles issues is worthy of praise.
Vishnu Nagre - The Sarkar’s elder son and his first enemy. Kay Kay Menon has excelled in playing the son who wants to kill his own father.
Chander – He is the man who obeys the words of the Sarkar to the last letter.
The loyal and trustworthy character.
To put it in right words - Sarkar’s right hand.
When he comes with the dumb bells and thrashes the man who raped a young girl, the anger in his eyes is so fierce that it would be enough to set anything in front on fire!
Rasheed – The man who enters the Sarkar’s Darbar with the least amount of fear or worry in his heart. The moments in which he bargains infront of Sarkar to import his smuggled goods with Sarkar’s permission and authority are the nuances which I always remember! As a debutant Zakir Hussain has bagged the respect and admiration of the audience in his very first movie. And he is extremely lucky, for it is not a piece of cake to play a role opposite Amitabh Bhachan, is it?
Silver Mani – The man who walks around with the innocent smile of a child. But beware; you are in for a surprise! It is only at a later part of the movie that his true character is revealed. The amount of hostility in his smile brings a twist to the movie. And the man who has practically lived for sometime as Silver Mani is Kota Sreenivasa Rao. Perhaps he is the only one capable of making a crowd burst with laughter and in the next few moments crouch with fear.
The scene in which a depressed and hurt father comes to the Sarkar and begs him to punish the man who raped his dear daughter, makes the audience reach out to him in pity. The role is played by Veerendra Saxena and his performance in his very first scene blows us away.
The man who proved his worth as Swami Virendra is the Telgu fame, Actor Jeeva. The way the characters such as Khan, Savatya, Chief Minister Madan Rathore and many such others are crafted, is definitely worth mentioning.
In spite of the fact that the director has given his heart and soul to the movie, there are two other things without which the movie would not have been what it is now- one is Music and the other is Cinematography.
Cinematographer Amit Roy’s Camera takes us into the dark interiors of the Sarkar’s world and shows it the way it is without any ambiguities or falsehoods. The color of the movie is a vague brown, which has helped a lot in portraying the underworld.
Amar Mohile - Be it simple and seemingly insignificant scenes or those that bring a shocking twist in tale, music has been a key factor responsible for triggering the right reactions from the audiences. The man behind this is Amar Mohile, the music director of this film.
Politics, Cinema and the Government are the three things that always get corrupted. Varma has thought on these lines and has intelligently portrayed issues related to it on screen.
It rang a bell when I observed the Sarkar’s character. The role brings to mind Balasheb Thackeray and I also heard that it took a while before the movie could be screened to the public.
To those people who argue that this movie is plainly a copy of a
There is a saying called ‘Never Touch the Classics’ because ‘Classics’ are like fire. They give light. They give you warmth to protect yourself from the cold wind. But if you touch it and play with it with your unsecured hands, you have only yourself to blame for the consequences. There are many directors who have been victims of this ‘Fire’! But Varma has his own identity and a place for himself.
Godfather is among the top of list in the Directors’ Encyclopedia of movies! So accolades to Ram Gopal Varma for having created this fantastic movie in Hindi, without causing serious damage to the essence of its real creations!
Sarkar – A movie that you must watch and enjoy, learn from and get inspired!
Thanks to Vaagdevi, One of My Best Student who translated this review from Tamil to English!
Vaag.. You are the best! :-)
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