Watch this Sarkar sequel for Amitabh Bachchan
Sarkar 3 Direction: Ram Gopal Varma Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpayee, Amit Sadh, Yami Gautam, Ronit Roy, Jackie Shroff
Ram Gopal Varma is an unpredictable filmmaker. He’ll make Satya and Company, and then butcher Sholay in a remake called Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag.
When Sarkar 3 opens with a bang, you hope it’s the good RGV you’re about to see. For the most part, it’s not. Twelve years after he first appeared on screen, local strongman Subhash ‘Sarkar’ Nagre (Amitabh Bachchan) is still top dog but he’s mellowed.
His sons are dead. In his dimly lit room, a picture of Shankar (Abhishek Bachchan) looks down from one wall; Vishnu (Kay Kay Menon) was so effective in the original that his very absence screams.
Sarkar still slurps his tea, speaks in long pauses and enjoys keeping guests on edge. But he’s learnt that politics must go handin-hand with at least a modicum of democracy. He still fights, but he fights differently. Bachchan is effective and charismatic; he knows this character and he inhabits it.
Sadly, he isn’t given much to work with. The tale is a repetition of Sarkar (2005) and Sarkar Raaj (2008). Nagre’s life is in danger. He is surrounded by conspirators and back-stabbers. Family turns foe.
This time, it’s Chiku (Amit Sadh), Vishnu’s son, giving him sleepless nights. The boy’s friends Annu (Yami Gautam) and Sir (Jackie Shroff) are plotting against Nagre. You know a bloodbath is coming.
The person to trigger it is Manoj Bajpayee, in another stellar outing, as a conniving politician named Deshpande. He wins hearts from his first scene, where he mimics Nagre. Also a pleasure to watch are Shroff and Ronit Roy.
What works best about Sarkar 3 is the great ensemble cast. Where the film fails is in almost everything else.
The plot, despite being predictable, somehow also manages to be over-involved and hard to follow.
The screenplay is odd. Gone are the clipped, menacing tones of Bollywood’s Godfather. Instead, he’s now repeating lines like ‘Jaan se maar doonga’ and ‘Main naatak kar raha tha’.
You leave the theatre feeling that RGV is a step closer to regaining his touch but just a step. Sarkar 3 just makes you want to see Sarkar again.