What went wrong, Sarkar?

Nonika Singh

The once upon a time angry young man, Big B, might be angrier (so he proclaims). The once an ace director Ram Gopal Varma might be tweeting right and making all the right noises.  But as they come together in yet another outing of Sarkar, titled Sarkar 3, they can’t stem the downhill spiral.

Not to say that Amitabh Bachchan is not in true form; he is as effective as ever with just the right inflections and tones, as are some of the actors keeping him company. Alas, the same can’t be said about the film that treads the same conspiratorial path it did some nine years ago when the sequel to the first one came.

Sequels as it is rarely offer much. Since the template is invariably not much different, it’s more of the same. So palace politics it is, as extra-constitutional authority Subhash Nagre (Amitabh Bachchan) says in the end. Indeed, ghar ka bhedi Lanka dhaaye applies here as well, but the net result is nowhere as engaging as it was in the prequels.

The film starts with a long-winding vocal disclaimer; no resemblance to any living or dead type, though the character of Nagre is supposedly fashioned after Shiv Sena supremo, the late Bal Thackeray.

Even though it takes you straight to its titular character, it shows signs of fatigue early on. The monologue with lines like Ek haath mein maala doosre mein bhaala is portent of what is in store. But there is no clash of civilizations, only of the familiar vengeance kind.

The idea is the same, taking forward the story of Nagre. Having lost his two sons (one of whose picture is almost permanently etched in the background), he is now dependent on his close aides.  In walks the grandson Shiv (Amit Sadh) and the intrigue begins. Who is with Nagre, who is against him in the war that cuts across politics, money power and underhand dealings?

The warring sides (including generations) could have provided excitement, especially considering that Amit Sadh cuts a fairly fine picture. Oh yes, it’s hard to believe he can stand against his mighty grandfather and does lack the requisite menace to emerge as an alternative power centre. Yet, he is earnest. His love interest is played by Yami Gautam. Sadly, all she gets to do is wear glares and keep glaring into nothingness.

In comparison Jackie Shroff’s mollycoddling with his moll (in various stages of undress) while plotting devious details is far more interesting. Ronit Roy as the loyalist too is in fine fettle.

Surprisingly, in a film where acting is subdued the music is over the top. Each time RGV wants to enhance the tempo or wants us to understand the urgency of the situation at hand, he goes all out with chants of Govinda, Govinda. Even otherwise, the background score is jarringly loud. No wonder even the much-hyped Ganesh aarti sung by Amitabh gets lost in the commotion of sounds.

To be fair, this particular scene of Ganpati visarjan has some energy otherwise conspicuously absent, even when the action picks up. Indeed, guns go off, bodies pile up and treachery and vileness have many faces too. But the cutting edge is singularly missing.

Watch it only if you are a diehard Big B fan. In another day and time, we could have said the same for RGV but as the master has lost his deft touch for so long we wonder if he has any fans left! A pity, this dull affair will not win him anymore.