Satyagraha Movie Review

SATYAGRAHA Is Compelling Social Drama

Pluses:

Amitabh Bachchan overshadows the proceedings with towering presence, Ajay Devgn delivers another gem of a performance, Kareena looks refreshing good, Manoj Bajpai is superb and so is AMrita Rao in a small role

Minuses:

uneven editing, background score irritates, Mughda Godse sleepwalks, Arjun Rampal delivers one more wooden performance, writing is uninspiring

Critic Rating:

3/5

Business Rating:

2.5/5

Verdict:

Watch it for intense performances

Detail Analysis:

Director Prakash Jha  is champion of social cinema in Bollywood and he gave some real gems like "Mrityudand", "Apaharan", "Gangajal" and "Raajneeti". But his last two films "Aarakshan" and "Chakravyuh" suffered with run of the mill writing and not so great direction. This time he is back with ensemble cast in "Satyagraha".

Film has few caricature - stereotypical characters i.e. Amitabh as a man of Gandhian principles, Ajay as greedy businessman, Kareena as a honest journalist and Manoj Bajpayee as shrude politician. Prakash Jha borrows heavily from real life incidences especially from Anna Hazaare movement but one dimensional characters make the proceedings too dull especially in 2nd half.

Film is saved by exceptional performances. Performance wise Amitabh Bachchan is in golden touch and delivers a very genuine act with all gusto coupled with passion. He lifts the proceedings with his dialogue delivery and passionate eyes. Ajay Devgn is back with a bang in a role which suits him to the core after forgettable nonsensical entertainers like "Son Of Sardaar' and "Himmatwala". He keeps the proceedings tight and stands tall in front of megastar Bachchan. Kareena is good but she is let down by poorly written character and same goes for Manoj Bajpai who tries his best to provide some comic relief but comes out as predictable boring character.



Mughda Godse is as bad as it gets and Arjun Rampal once again irritates with poor pronounciation and zero emotion. Amrita Rao is good and Indranil Sengupta is decent in a cameo. The real culprit here is the lazy writing where everything looks so dramatic and predictable that it gets real tough to sit through 2nd half. Music has repetitive feel of "Aarakshan" and "Raajneeti" and except "Raghupati Raghav" all songs work as loo break. Editing is as lazy as writing and camerawork is decent. Background score tests the patience to the core.
 
 

Prakash Jha succeeds as a director to an extent but shortfalls as a technician. He brings a compelling drama full of contemporary content but fails to give it real punch with some inspired writing. His half baked saga is saved by some towering performances from experienced cast ad he should be thankful to them. He builds a good drama in 1st half but slow pace coupled with predictable proceedings hit audience hard in 2nd half.

Overall film is a good attempt by Prakash Jha to reflect essential social movements and current problems of country but this venture is messed up with not so great writing. But powerhouse performances by Bachchan, Devgn and Kapoor are good enough reasons to watch this social drama.


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