Anarchy Rules!

A sequel to a powerful drama, and a film that marks the first ever collective on screen appearances of the people who are together touted to be the who’s who of Bollywood, Sarkar Raj, sure had it all that it takes to be the biggest ruler at the box-office. But alas, thanks to the anarchy in the plot, and the kingdom does fall flat.

Basically I didn’t think it was a bad film, but the biggest tragedy with Sarkar Raj is that I have to put it across this way. It should have been a good film, and that was the bare minimal that one would expect out of it. Amongst the several flaws, I think the very start of the film could’ve been much better, had Abhishek made a simple effort to analyse the project before he gave it his everything. Anyway the film bares a lot of unwanted stuff, so a scene or two which justified as to why Sarkar Junior gave in everything for this project could have made the narrative smoother. It is about being subtle and all is fine, but this scene works like a missing link in the entire plot, which in turn makes the character of Shankar completely half-baked, which in turn does contradict the original Sarkar. This is where the film loses its grip, as far as the plot is concerned.

The series of murders and the inclusion of characters which follow, do add to the dramatic twists in the film. And as much as I did like the background score, the frequency and the pitch of the score did make me feel like it was a soap on one of the channels. The constant usage of the sound does dilute the effect and most importantly the subtlety of RGV’s cinema (Aag excluded!).

The plot is interesting, though the execution isn’t as inspiring. From the writing perspective, I believe that Shankar’s character has been taken to a level, where he tries to be God. If attitude is what we are talking of, Abhishek’s screen presence bears resemblance with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s state of mind when he made Saawariya. And thus, his character turns out to be arrogant and over-confident, rather than a balanced benevolent one, which is what Sarkar was in the prequel. Shankar’s demise and the original Sarkar’s obvious resurgence into the power chair only justify the half-hearted effort that has gone into the character of Shankar, which is the primary flaw in the entire plot.

Amongst others, Senior B is his own self, which is why he can’t be bad. But considering the fact that he is the ultimate one in the industry, his performance isn’t that great. Ash on the other hand has done a great job. Be it her body language, or her expressions, I liked her, barring the ‘ek chai laana’ bit in the climax where I thought she looked like she was possessed by the ghost of Shankar. Abhishek lets down after the fab performance in the prequel. The camera work is good in pieces, but the bizarre angles in certain places, make the film look like a distant cousin of flicks like Jhoom Barabar… and Tashan.

If one were to analyse the plot, it does follow a standard format, wherein the sequel perfectly fits into the grid established by the prequel. One man rules, another one supports him totally, a third man is vying for the throne and the then the murders happen for several vested interests, and then there is a new found heir to the uncrowned kingdom, as the king has grown old. Barring the difference that the heir is replaced by an heiress, the template of the film is the same. A whole lot of razzmatazz, and a bunch of interesting characters, which pop up from nowhere and still strive to reach a level, which their half-baked description and characterization don’t let them achieve; it is the anarchy in the writer’s mind which prevent the flick from being coherent in terms of the story that it tells.