Ten minutes into the film Sarkar Raj and you are already so spellbound and engrossed in the film, that the only non Sarkar Raj thought that crosses your mind is, did the genius behind this film, really make the last few disasters he is credited with? Sarkar Raj is one of the best films of the year and could arguably be one of Ram Gopal Varma's best films, as it is a fine amalgamation of proficient storytelling and characterization, tight screenplay supported with powerful dialogues, superb cinematography, taking and close ups, soulful and pace enhancing background, flawless performances and yes, masterful direction. Does that make Sarkar Raj a perfect film? The answer is no; there are flaws mostly only at a story level, but they are completely overshadowed by the brilliant execution of the screenplay that we forgive the fact that despite being large enough to set up a 200,000 crore power plant, the main investing company seems to be run only by a father daughter duo with no one else taking decisions, or the unnecessary resemblance of the film's characters to certain real life politicians. There have been many sequels to originals but RGV seems to have perfectly mastered the trick of not basking in the glories of the original, and ensuring that his sequel is superior in almost all respects to the original.
No time is wasted in setting up the plot or the characters as RGV prefers to unravel more as every scene enfolds. There are certain tricks which RGV has used to parallel Sarkar Raj to Sarkar like Shankar's (Abhishek Bachchan) opening sequence in the film where he is seen holding a cup of tea in front of his face (akin to Sarkar in the original) as a symbolic gesture that Shankar has taken over the business from Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan) and the symbolism is again repeated in the closing shot of the film which is sure to garner a combination of claps, whistles and stunned deep breathes. Also the parallel of Shankar's action's of revenge in the original with Sarkar's action for revenge in Sarkar Raj is quite profound.
It would be unfair to reveal much about the plot as it is aplenty with surprising twists and turns. The crux of the story is that Anita (Aishwarya Rai) is the CEO of a power plant company looking to build a power plant in Maharashtra, something the state needs. Although initially her motives seem monetary, through her interactions with Shankar we realize that she too believes in Shankar's belief that "power plant ke liye paise ki zarurat hai, paise ki liye power plant nahin" and that everyone including the people of the state need to benefit else it's a worthless investment. However both are oblivious to the fact that there are deeper political games embedded within the power plant plan. The story overall is treated in an extremely realistic manner with realistic issues and characters treated to be real and believable.
The film has sharp dialogues which remain with you much after leaving the cinema halls and almost every scene of the film is mention worthy in a review. Whether it be when Anita first meets the Nagre family, to Avantika's (Tanisha Mukherjee)brief scenes with husband Shankar, to the hospital scene between Sarkar and Shankar post the bomb explosion and Anita's presence in that scene to the sequence between Shankar and Sarkar reflecting on Vishnu's death to Anita's breakdown in the hospital room while witnessing the interaction between Sarkar and Shankar and of course the scene between Sarkar and Anita towards the climax. Actually the list is truly endless as one superb scene is followed by another. Lines like "Insaan ko marna jurm hai, lekin insaan ko sahi waqt pe marna, rajnithi" leave a powerful impact especially with the brilliant use of Amar Mohile's background.
The cinematography is first rate reaffirming that RGV and Amit Roy together make a fabulous team. However one has to accept that although the same time of treatment, low angle shots, lighting and use of sunlight reflections were used in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, the treatment this time suited Prashant Pandey's screenplay to the tee making it work all the mor. Watch out for some brilliant close ups for reaction shots.
The performances are like the fine thread that pulls everything together; Amitabh Bachchan epitomised the character of Subhash Nagre aka Sarkar in the original and this time the transition in his character from the semi retired, almost philosophical Subhash Nagre into the revenge seeking Sarkar is so subtle and real. Abhishek is even better this time around as Shankar, a man of fewer words and the only emotion we get to see is anger, when anyone speaks ill of his father. There are a great many subtleties to Shankar's character such as a certain coldness and hidden remorse about having had to kill his brother Vishnu; if you reflect on the original, it is clear that that one act changes Shankar as a person and we now see him as someone who almost always refrains from showing his emotions, even when he loses his wife and unborn child; The hurt and pain are there, yet restrained, as though they are only for himself to see. Aishwarya Rai is the surprise of the film as RGV had aptly stated pre release. Coming on the tails of the release of Jodhaa Akbar, audiences need not be reminded of how brilliant an actress she is. However, her restraint to avoid being remotely melodramatic in the emotional scenes to her inhibited breakdown shows that Jodhaa Akbar was no fluke for her. She has matured tremendously as a performer and post Sarkar Raj there should be no doubts that she is no longer the "ice maiden" she was once referred as. She uses her expressive eyes brilliantly and one only needs to see her reaction in the scene where Shankar tells her her partner tried to bribe him, to see this sheer magic. Supriya Pathak and Tanisha, although in miniscule roles, do create an impact. However, the only downside in the performances is that of all the negative characters which are slightly one dimensional and over the top. Debutant Rajesh Shringapure as Sanjay Somji is refreshing but one can't help wondering why he needs to be yelling in every scene.
The best part of the film is that RGV has given a clear indication within Sarkar Raj that the audiences can most definitely hope for Sarkar to become a trilogy.
