That Prakash Jha has drawn real-life inspiration from the
Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption crusade is pretty obvious from his protagonists
in the film Satyagraha. A retired school principal played by the classy Amitabh
Bachchan – revered for his ideological high ground – wages a war against the
systematic corruption practiced by the political and bureaucratic class of
Ambikapur district. The ‘revolution’ has its birth rooted in a slap that the
ex-principal awards the District Collector with.
What follows is a sequence of first non-violent and then
violent protests, led by a once-corrupt corporate guru, Manav Raghavendra,
exceptionally essayed by Ajay Devgn, who proves once again why he is a metal different
from the fleet of mere stars and actors of Bollywood.
Arjun Rampal plays a local ‘dada’ who too joins the
movement, along with a news reporter, Yasmin, portrayed by Kareena Kapoor.
Arjun’s character is like a cursed spirit wandering aimlessly in search of some
direction by others, and needless to say he does what he does best – anything
but act! The romantic chemistry between Ajay and Kareena evaporates much before
it dissolves.
Moments worth remembering in the film are far too less to
intrigue your senses. I personally liked two mourning scenes, one when Ajay
breaks down in the corner of a terrace remembering his dear friend, and the
other when Amitabh tries to ‘feel’ his departed son on the highway in wee
hours.
This is a casually written story and an ill-conceptualised
script. What is sad is in a film of this serious genre, you are more likely to
remember Manoj Bajpai – who plays a corrupt minister – for his semi-comical
dialogues.
I am going with two out of five for Prakash Jha’s
Satyagraha. The director sure needs to go back to the drawing board, do some
genuine soul-searching before he attempts to tell us his next contemporary
story, and expects us to believe in that!
(6 Sep 2013)
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