GOO VIN DAAA...!

Mario Puzo wrote the epic Godfather in 1969. Since then, many directors and authors have gleefully and at times even shamelessly copied from it. Sarkar starts by accepting Godfather’s influence over it. The very first scene portrays a hapless and helpless father seeking revenge for his daughter’s molestation… pretty much like Godfather.

You start fearing a tame remake of Godfather. But, enter Sarkar. You forget it all. Next two hours is a riveting thriller. AB senior scores in first half while AB junior doesn’t lag behind in second.

Sarkar is messiah for common man, their court for last appeal. He is not bound by laws and rules. He does things as he sees them fit. People respect him, adore him, venerate him. White collared society thinks he is gunda, but they are too afraid to oppose him. Sarkar is widely misinterpreted by them. Sarkar never hurts innocent. He refuses to smuggle, declines illegal business proposals even when monetary rewards are high. But then he firmly believes, “There are no rights or wrongs, only power”.

His character has strength, but no impatience. His character exhibits power, but no arrogance. He has power, but he knows where and how to use it. No rash decisions. He goes about doing things in ruthless manner with cool businessman like precision. No emotions involved.

Rashid, a drug dealer from Dubai approaches Sarkar with an offer of 20 lakhs per shipment. No hassles, no frills, Sarkar is direct, “Nahi karunga main” (I wont do it) and he adds, “aur sun, tumhe bhi nahi karne dunga” (and wont let you do it either).

But, Rashid turns his nemesis. His stratagem gets Sarkar (AB senior) in jail. It is followed by a murderous attack. The whole world revolves around his young son (AB junior). Their close confidants turn against them. But, even in midst of this hubbub, AB junior stands tall. He takes over the reins of the sagging empire. Slowly but steadily, he claws back to supreme position both in world of power and hearts of common man.

At times you feel that, the whole process is not shown as dramatic as it could have been, but then the movie manages to be realistic for larger part. You don’t have hero fighting with ten browbeats and still managing to get out unscathed adjusting his necktie (read James Bond here!). There are no songs; just the chanting of “Govinda Govinda Govinda” which achieves its effect.

The actors in side roles like Kay Kay - playing impatient, hostile son of Sarkar, Chandar – Sarkar’s close confidant etc. deliver superb performances. As you think of characters, you can’t help but compare them with Godfather's consigliere Tom Hagen, Luca Brasi, Johnny Fontane. Tanishaa has little role and so does Katrina. But Katrina’s screen presence is refreshing. You can hear people gasp on her entry. She is the one to watch out for if she can act and of course speak Hindi!

Amitabh is ... superb? marvelous? stupendous? Aren't we running short of adjectives for him? If not better, he is at his usual best for sure. Finally, for Abhishek: It has been projected that Abhishek has performed better than his Dad. Sounds more like publicity stunt. No comparison. Big B is way ahead. But, Abhishek has came a long way as actor since Refugee and the debacles that followed. With B&B and now Sarkar, he puts his feet firmly on ground. He is here to stay; and he is here to rule the box office for years to come!

In the end as you leave the theater with the incantation druming in ears: Govinda Govinda Govinda Govinda GOO VIN DAAA!