Film Review: Sarkar 3
Date: 12 May 2017
Director: Ram Gopal Verma
Writer: Nilesh Girkar/ story P Jayakumar/Ramkumar Singh/ Dialogues
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, Jackie Shroff, Amit Sadh
Rating: 3 stars.
He meets everyone only at his home and amidst his security and speaks more through his eyes and gesticulations than words.
The visitor seat is placed at a distance and from the manner in which they stroll into his abode, their body language, and tone, Subhash Nagre gages the purpose of their visit.
In 2005 Verma released Sarkar that introduced us to the power and charisma of Subhash Nagre. In 2008 he made Sarkar Raj that shed light on his family and complex relationships.
In 2017 Verma brings Sarkar 3 that gives insight into his wisdom and mindset.
In the decade gone by, a lot has changed in the life of Sarkar/ Amitabh Bachchan. He now lives in a new and a bigger home with his ailing wife Pushpa/ Supriya Pathak and has a new set of enemies Despande/ Manoj Bajpayee, Vallya/ Jackie Shroff and new body guards as well Gokul/ Ronit Roy.
A lot, however, remains unchanged…
His aura and power over the public… His passionate, motivating speeches…The stream of visitors at home and some old habits…Subhash Nagre still peppers his meals with a dash of pickle and audibly relishes his tea in a saucer.
The minus of the film is that it is too dark and without a serious plot. Most of the film is one location and one kind of lighting. The background is cacophonic!
The plus is that the story dares to focus on characters, not common in Hindi films. The dialogues are dramatic and all the performances first rate: Amit Saad is the surprise packet and Amitabh Bachchan – the backbone of the film.
There’s a favorite dialogue of Subhash Nagre in the film and he repeats it often: “I do what I think is right” he says and this conviction underlines his performance.
Watch Sarkar 3 for the magnificent presence of Bachchan. I rate Sarkar 3 with 3 stars out of which 1 star is exclusively for Subhash Nagre.
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Later in the night we arrive at the hotel and discover that other awardees are celebrating their glory in different groups and join the party. The mood is ecstatic and the conversation about films, films, and more films. The celebrations go on till late night and nobody cares that they have to take a flight early in the morning.
To attract competent members on the jury NFA office has revised its guidelines and now offer daily allowances so members don’t have to spend out of their pockets. As an additional incentive the government has from this year onward started honoring jury member with a certificate of merit for their services.
The essays on cinema featured film reviews, analytical stories, a comprehensive listing and serious studies on changing perceptions of cinema.
Most of the regional books/ articles were submitted with an English synopsis and for those missing; the directorate office had a team of translators outlining the merit/ demerit of every book and essay.
The emphasis was on original content, insightful writing, and meticulous research.
I got to spend some time with Raju Misra post the press conference announcing the awardees, Priyadarshan and I bonded over dinner at the hotel sharing films we must watch and had breakfast with Madhur Bhandarkar on the morning of the event. Come evening and we were dressed formally to read a citation each on what propelled us to make our choices and the guidelines we followed.
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Last time the ceremony was at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. This time it is at the Vigyan Bhavan, a premier Centre of Government of India in New Delhi. Built in 1956, it has been the venue of conferences of national and international stature, seminars and award ceremonies attended by distinguished world leaders and dignitaries.
There is excitement in the hotel lobby as the awardees assemble to travel together at the venue. At Vigyan Bhavan, the security guards are over cautious in checking the invites and ID proofs of the guests. There was a long queue but nobody complains and use the waiting time to click pictures with fellow awardees and fans.
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