An Offer You Can Refuse

There are no answers for the sceptic as Sarkar Raj spins out a routine ending, resolving tensions that haven't been built up enough, writes VIVEK NITYANANDA

POWER CANNOT BE given, it has to be taken” is a caption that rightfully belong to state electricity boards. It is no surprise then that electricity is at the core of Sarkar Raj. Anita (Aishwarya Rai) and her father have brought their international power project to Maharashtra and need the help of Subhash “Sarkar” Nagre (Amitabh Bachchan) and his son Shankar (Abhishek Bachchan), the powers behind the CM’s throne, to be able to set it up. The project will provide electricity to the entire state but displace thousands. This time around, Shankar has taken up the reins of power and, despite Sarkar’s objections, decides to support the project for the sake of progress. This plunges us back into the world of Sarkar with its searing music and thumping beats.

Yet this time, through Ram Gopal Verma’s characteristic angled shots, sepia tones and dim lighting, we see a new story forming. One that is less concerned with the underworld than with the politics of development. There are questions worth pursuing here. Can business be trusted with the progress of the nation? Do Indians, as one of the villains claims, want entertainment not development?

The movie unfortunately pursues none of these questions. With a sudden nod at Godfather before the interval, it shifts gear and returns to the underworld once more.

FILM » SARKAR RAJ DIRECTOR » RAM GOPAL VARMA STARRING » AMITABH BACHCHAN, ABHISHEK BACHCHAN, AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN

There are still themes that interest. The tenderness between father and son. The tension and trust between the old and the young. The shades of Sarkar’s dead son Vishnu that haunt the family. Abhishek and Amitabh create several memorable moments together keeping the movie alive. Abhishek does a competent job despite being allowed to smile just once. He broods but conveys wells of emotion beneath his aggressive front. Amitabh is excellent, often conveying reams with just a flicker of the eyelid.

All of these, however, do not hold the film up. Rai’s performance is unconvincing. Her character could have been the central one given its scope but remains secondary and forgettable. There are also no answers for the sceptical viewer as the film spins out its routine ending, resolving tensions that haven’t been built up enough. Where is Shankar’s wife while he spends all his time with Anita? Why is Anita constantly present during the most intimate scenes of the Nagre family’s life? Is it just that reel life cannot but help imitate real life? Why do characters that have been shot once turn around and cleverly decide to absorb as many bullets as they can?

Neither political nor thrilling, Sarkar Raj falls between two stools. RGV squanders an interesting plot to fall back on a familiar conspiracy. He might have had the guts to script a ruthless plot but he still does not have the guts to make a ruthless film.