August 30, 2013.
Cast: Amitabh Bachan, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor.
Cast: Amitabh Bachan, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor.
Director: Prakash Jha.
When you are a filmmaker the
best way to vent your anger or express your views is through the films you
make. Prakash Jha is one such director who makes movies not for entertainment
but for a social cause. That is something which has to be appreciated very much
till it reaches a point where you keep getting the same wine time and again in
almost the same bottle. This was in the offing for quite some time and with
Satyagraha unfortunately we reach that point.
Dwarak Anand (Amitabh) is
an ex principal of an educational institution in Ambikapur who could be called
the Gandhi (read Anna Hazare) of the present day. After the death of his only
son in a road accident, he is joined by his son’s close friend Maanav (Ajay
Devgan),whose ideology happens to be capitalism, in his fight for justice
against the corrupt minister Balram Singh (Manoj Bajpai). Arjun (Arjun Rampal)
who is the local leader and Yasmin (Kareena) who is the reporter for ABP News
are also out to support Dwarak and Maanav.
In an attempt to bring
several issues to the forefront Jha forgets that it is not a petition against corruption
in the form of a video that he is making but a feature film. The film shifts
from one issue to another as if it is a series of public woes put together on
video.
The lead cast seems to have
no other job but to go on with all the protests and campaigning. As silly as it
sounds When Dwarak is taken into custody just for 7 days for slapping the Collector
Maanav starts an online campaign for his release and Yasmin comes all the way
from Delhi just to cover that. Soon
afterwards this small issue turns into a movement demanding several things like
action against corruption, ordinance etc.
Though the lead cast gives
a good performance each of their characters without exception seems half baked.
For a scene to be good the audience has to empathise with what is happening on
screen but sadly here the director tries to make that happen only by “heartfelt”
dialogues coming out of the blue (in which he fails miserably) as the
screenplay does a pitiful job in building up almost all the scenes.
As if all the above was not
enough you have endless songs and a romance track going on between Maanav and
Yasmin which not only increases the length of the film but also shows the
naivety on the part of the director to stick to a certain formula that should
compulsorily involve romance.
The scenes leading upto the
climax are so silly and boring to the core that you literally want to run out
of the theatre. It is very apparent that Prakash Jha is soon going to lose his
market unless he stops making films like this. It is sad to see such a film
from the person who gave us Gangaajal.
I
am giving a 1.75 for Satyagraha. Doze off if you feel
like sleeping inside the theatre, you would not have missed anything when you
wake up.
Rating Scale (Out
of 5)
Less than 2
- Unwatchable.
2 to 2.25
-
Below average.
2.5 to 2.75
-
Average.
3 to
3.25
-
Good.
3.5 to
3.75 -
Really Good.
4 to
4.25
-
Great.
4.5 and
above
- Extraordinary.
