Satyagraha (2013)

Satyagraha: Directed by Prakash Jha. With Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn. A corporate go-getter sees his priorities shift when a personal tragedy brings him face-to-face with political corruption.

“After the super successful political thriller u0026#39;Raajneetiu0026#39;, when Prakash Jha gave a confused u0026#39;Aarakshanu0026#39;, all were curious to know as to which side will his latest camel u0026#39;Satyagrahau0026#39; sit. Sadly, the movie goes the latter way, though most of the ensemble and genre resemble the former one. Letu0026#39;s delve straight into its facets:u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e• Plot: The movie draws its name from Gandhian way of dissent which was used recently by Anna Hazare and gang. Yes, it does talk about Gandhian principals and tries its best to showcase the most contemporary topic u0026#39;corruptionu0026#39;, yet fails to serve the message quite well. The basic problem is- treatment. Unlike the crisp u0026#39;Raajneetiu0026#39;, sluggish u0026#39;Satyagrahau0026#39; keeps meandering throughout, trying to match Anna movement, literally. In the process, everything appears fake and characters look mere reel caricatures of the real. It attempts to take you through micro nuances of our rotten politico-administrative system, which finally lead to a macro movement. The intent is commendable; however, itu0026#39;s the content and presentation which falter. Realism gets lost in commercialism (lots of brand endorsements there!), larger-than-life portrayal of a ground-level subject and overdose of crowd-protests. Barring a few moments of real business, movie looks more preachy and glossy (facebooked). Climax is a big let-down out of its abruptness and fictional treatment.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e• Casting: The ensemble of big names does not disappoint you when it comes to performance. Big B is a master at his work and exudes both strength and fragility with equal ease. It was good to see Ajay back to some serious stuff after his Himmatwala/ SoS phase, though he is unable to match his Gangajal feat. Kareena looks beautiful in the street-smart character. Hunk Arjun oozes ample masculinity while Amrita Rao is mostly on MMS mode. Itu0026#39;s basically Manoj Bajpai who is the biggest saving grace with his comical villain-giri. Though his character is a shadow of Virendra Pratap of u0026#39;Rajneetiu0026#39;, he carries off this one too equally well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e• Music: In my previous reviews too, I have mentioned, in movies based on genuine subjects, music should be pushed to background only. u0026#39;Satyagrahau0026#39; loses out here too. Unnecessary songs and persistent rock bands at movement-sthal, all steal authenticity from the flick. u0026#39;Janta rocksu0026#39; makes you wonder whether you are watching a u0026#39;Rock onu0026#39; while Adesh Srivastava fails to repeat a u0026#39;Mora piyau0026#39; with u0026#39;Ras ke bhareu0026#39;. Only u0026#39;Raghupati Raghavu0026#39; manages to touch you both through the remixed music and meaningful lyrics. In all, music only interrupts the already snail- paced movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTo conclude, u0026#39;Satyagrahau0026#39; does no justice to its name, star-cast and the noble message it intended to deliver. I really hope some other film-maker to grab the burning subject and present to us something more authentic, moving and engrossing. This one is certainly not the one expected from a Prakash Jha!”