Desi Train

The opening credits have RGV’s statement and signature acknowledging the movie is inspired from “The Godfather”. Up goes your body, spine straight and your focus is a 100% aimed on the screen. What happens when RGV meets Godfather?? You gulp your spit down your throat in heart thumping anticipation. RGV meets Godfather. You get Sarkar. A highly polished “B” grade movie from an “A” grade team. You collect your bag and baggage at the end of the movie. You gotta use the restroom before driving off. And if you are an intense movie fanatic like me, you completely will understand my action. I am in the restroom, I unzip my pants and as if I had let open the lid off the pressure cooker I scream “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?”

RGV is RGV. His style and execution have been the same, be it Shiva or Sarkar. His Style? A story is made up of X number of scenes. Each scene will be short and precise. The objective of each scene is to blow you out of your seat using 3 key elements – RGV Style – High powered emotions (anger, blood, chase etc.), Heavy “crack your ear drums” background music, and a racy camera.
RGV is RGV. Godfather be damned. If Sarkar is Godfather, you get no feel of the influence, power and authority that Bachchan has. There are no scenes to build up the character as done in the original. How have people come to respect Sarkar? In Godfather you just have to see a few scenes to find why Brando is Godfather – “Be a man” when he strikes the spineless Hollywood singer or when he so deliberately pieces his advice to Sonny or for that matter even Micheal Corleone. Honestly, some of the pieces of advice Brando delivers in Godfather are meant for each person to use in his/her life. You then realize how powerful a personality this person has and why he is THE “Godfather”.

Sarkar could as well be a frustrated chump who could not get his big break in politics and now is a second class power player operating from my mama’s backyard. Sarkar’s statements act against him. You don’t feel the power of Godfather when Sarkar announces to the Dubai based smuggler “I won’t do the job….and I won’t let you do it”. Somehow it just doesn’t convince you the power, authority and regality a Sarkar or Godfather should possess. The reason? RGV and the script don’t spend enough time (you needed 5 to 10 minutes, 2 to 3 scenes) to build up the emperor like character of Sarkar. Showing Sarkar brooding with intense eyes and having people crying for his help isn’t going to convince me or any movie enthusiast, that Sarkar is the Godfather.
The only movie according to my view, that RGV spent sufficient time to build and play with his characters was “Rangeela”. I’m in awe of RGV’s punch in the face style of execution and his “shock your nuts out” style. Not his story telling. If you think RGV’s “Bhoot” was awesome, please strike off my name from your “I like these guys” list.
Luca Brasi’s character or non-character is handled is such a fucking half hearted way. Come on RGV, you could have done better than that.
And his racy chase sequences are below mark. Abhishek being chased by gangsters around the beach boats under pitch darkness is good, but not good enough, much below that - one would expect from RGV. So is this the beginning of the slip and slide of a talented director? I have no fucking clue. Maybe asking Mansoor Khan, Punkuj Parasher, Rahul Rawail, J.P. Dutta and such others may help us to find the answer.
And where the fuck did the element of “Swami” come into this whole thing? Did RGV pick this character right out of one the best copies of Godfather made in Hindi cinema? Yes, I’m talking of the relatively unknown but essentially one the best Godfather copies – “Zulm ki Hukumat” which Kamal Hassan stamped his approval on. If you are still confused of what I’m talking about, please rent a DVD of this movie and watch Paresh Rawal as the “Swami” in ZKH
Come on RGV. This whole thing looks like an inspiration from (1) Godfather PLUS (2) the good copy of Godfather – “Z.K.H.”. At least in ZKH, I had no aspirations or expectations. And then 30 minutes later I was being blown away by how good the movie was (of course with a bunch of minus points too). So let me get this straight. “Sarkar” is inspired from a movie which was in turn inspired from another movie which in turn was inspired from a novel. What the HELL!!!!!!!
And strangely there is a sense of detachment between the characters and us. Why don’t we feel them, hate them, or fall in love with them? RGV’s movies “Raat” and “Drohi” are fine examples of this detachment. He learnt to avoid this mistake after “Drohi” but it has time and again crept back in movies like “Daud” and “Bhoot” and now you see the full blown version in “Sarkar”.
The only elements worth watching in the movie are the performances of KayKay (a freaking undernourished and under used exceptional actor), Sarkar’s key men – Khan and the muscle man and the cinematography. Horror of horrors – Editing – a RGV strength, is shoddy and screwed up in parts. And what the fuck does the reciting of “Govinda Govinda” in the background has anything to do any of the fucking scenes it is played in???

I thought I read somewhere RGV mentioned that “Sarkar” was his best movie to date. If that being the case then God help us. And perhaps its time to write an eulogy of RGV’s directional talents.
Minus C grade. See it if you are not busy with pappu and tinku’s homework and you are for once enjoying lunch at your house with the Sharma, Verma, Reddy and Gopalan families.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 5th, 2005 at 10:59 am
Filed under Bollywood, Movie Reactions
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