Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Kareena kapoor, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal
Director: Prakash Jha
Runtime: 153 Minutes
It starts off abruptly and then does the same treatment with its’ ending as well, Satyagraha shows some promising sequences in the start but more or less ends up becoming a big boring party, where you have to check your watch several times, thinking as to when the movie will finally end.
Based on the caricature of the “Jan Lokpal samiti” fondly remembered for the euphoria that Anna Hazare and his fast created, the film starts with definitive roles, Amitabh Bachchan as Dwaarka Anand (Daduji) essays the role of an old and frustrated Indian citizen having strict desi principles effusing out of every pore. Ajay devgan represents the Hypocrite Youth, who is willing to tamper with the system in order achieve success but finally his Conscience wakes him up. Arjun Rampal as the wannabe-opportunistic local gunda-cum-politician, whose only work is blurting out dialogues like “saalon ko phod denge” and being a side-kick to Ajay, Kareena Kapoor plays the TV Journalist, a very high profile one who conducts a sting operation on the Telecom minister and takes the trouble of showing it live on a tablet to him in the midst of a party, but just after the start of the “Satyagraha” movement, leaves aside all her important work to be counted as a permanent resident first as a guest and then as the Committee member for Satyagraha, all the while still being a reporter. (Wow!! Journalism at its best). Manoj Bajpai plays the cunning, but often used as the fun element that the movie somehow feels required for. It also adds up Amrita Rao as part of its initiative to do something good towards the societies downtrodden.
The plot revolves around the common man’s frustration because of Corruption and Red tapiesm in the system, with a dash of Indian politics in it. An ex-school principal’s struggle to get the compensation awarded due to the death of his son dying in a road accident. The issue becomes a sensation due to the inter-party politics, the common-man’s frustration finally oozing out and of course the Director Prakash Jha’s insistence on turning a rural district to be the centre of the country’s attention, more so in the Social media gang. Twitter and Facebook may also be included as part of the star cast here.
The only positives in the movie are the scenes involving Manoj Bajpai and Vipin Sharma (playing Opposition Leader), they highlight the dark and dirty political game with putting too much of over-the-top drama into it.
Music is decent, but picturisation has been real bad. The old-style love-making scene between Ajay and Kareena was unnecessarily added, as if they have all the time at their disposal, enjoying each others’ company while Satyagraha is still ON.
Prakash Jha again commits the mistake of including “stars” where actors were needed. Reason for the success of movies like Gangajal and Apharan were the apt casting, which he seems to have forgotten.
Among the many flaws in the movie, is the abrupt ending, although what leads into the same is equally terrible. The second half was shot on a treadmill while still trying to complete all the exercises in a gym, not to mention failing miserably in doing so.
I’m going with 1.5/5 for Satyagraha and strictly advice you to not invest time and money in being part of this Movement, rather the Media coverage of the Anna hazare movement would be more entertaining.
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