Satya

It was showing on our cable yesterday. I could not resist the temptation of seeing almost the entire film. Such is the magic woven by RGV.

The biggest three strengths of the film are its impeccably drawn characters, flawless dialogues and the shock treatment that RGV is famous for. Apart from being realistic and yet a fantastic drama. The transformation of a young man searching for a job in the crucible of Bombay into a feared right hand shooter of a 'supari' extortionist cum hit-man Bhiku Mhatre is smoothly handled. It is Satya's rebellious nature mixed with initial ill-treatment received that claws its way over his conscience when Bhiku hands him a gun to shoot Jagga. A scary fact it highlights is that gangsters are made of common simple young men not too different from any we see every day.

Satya, the only educated man and perhaps also shown as a shrewd mind (Chakrabarthy shows nothing to prove this) starts influencing Bhiku's decisions pretty soon. He urges for revenge on Guru, he asserts that if police can treat gangsters with cruelty the gangsters have a right to shoot the Commissioner, he assures Bhiku that Bhau means no good. These are extra ordinary happenings and I suppose a good insight into real Bombay underworld must be give to RGV by a reasearch team. These decisions also seal the fate of Bhiku's gang.

Satya's love story was as essential for giving a human touch to a gangster's life, as Bhiku Mhatre's wife. However, both Chakrabarthy and Urmila Matondkar are utterly useless actors. By being clumsy, they accidentally show the initial discomfort of their attraction. But later on, they screw up the film big time, leaving the viewer yearning for more Bhiku, Kallu mama, Vakil Mule or Shefali Cchaya.

Bajpai's career got a rolicking start with his Bhiku. Deservedly so. Makrand Deshpande is brilliant with his chameleon like character of Vakil Mule. But my two favourites from the film were Kallu mama & Shefali. Kallu mama, the calming factor of Bhiku's gang is a sensational hit. I did not want him to die. Shefali is a brilliant actor an I am amazed by the command she shows over marathi styled hindi pronunciations. Like, "Kal anda diya tha na?"

All in all, Satya is an all-time great Bollywood flick and I just wish RGV had better brains than would allow him to make a film 'factory' and make cheap disgusting imitation flicks like 'Sarkar' and new 'Sholay'.

n.b. I loved that song 'badalon se kaat kaat ke.......' And of course, 'Kallu mama' & 'sapano me milti hai' are great dance numbers too.