Review of Satyagraha (2013) by Niraj V — 30 Aug 2013

Prakash Jha!!!!! Why do you keep making such similar movies all the time. Its difficult to tell which one you're watching. Throughout this one, I kept thinking I was in Aarakshan!!!!

The overall story is about the whole Anna Hazare wave that swept through the country last year, and which, expectedly, fizzled out through self sabotage, something that Indians are very adept at.

This movie would be a big fat zero were it not for 2 people. Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal are there to bulk up the known faces on the screen, and god knows what Dia Mirza was trying to do in this one.

The 2 people I was referring to above are:

Amitabh Bachchan! This movie is worth watching for this man's performance. Admittedly he does go a bit OTT in a few scenes (Mr Bachchan, please meet up with me and I will give you further guidance........yea right!!), but for the large part he puts in a stellar performance, controlled and aggressive at the same time. The scene where he metes out just desserts to the Collector, is really good. Kudos as well to Mr Bachchan's makeup man, he gets it down perfectly, all throughout the movie.

Manoj Bajpayee! Now this is a man who knows what acting is, and makes you forget you are watching Manoj in action, he slips into the role of Balram Singh (Home Minister of the State) so convincingly. His lines are delivered with the masked danger and subtle humiliation that one expects from a politician fighting for survival. After Gangs of Wasseypur, Special 26 and Shootout At Wadala, the Bajypayee train thunders on unabated.

So, you might notice that I haven't bothered commenting on any other aspect of the movie, and that is because nothing really made me go "Aha!".

I would suggest you watch this only if:

1) You are an Amitabh Bachchan fan (though show me someone in India who isn't!!!).

2) You are a Manoj Bajpayee fan.

3) Someone else is paying for your ticket.

Otherwise, you will waste 152.04 minutes of your life.

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, for me it was all of the above ;-) ;-) ;-).