''Sarkar'' () is a 2005 Indian
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
-language
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...
crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
film directed by
Ram Gopal Varma
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.**
*
...
. The film stars
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
in the title role alongside
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai B ...
as his younger son, along with
Kay Kay Menon
Krishna Kumar Menon (born 2 October 1966), better known by the stage name Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and also in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu cinema.
Early life
Menon was born in a Nair ...
,
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Turquotte; 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee Cine Awards, in ...
,
Tanisha Mukherjee,
Supriya Pathak
Supriya Pathak (born 7 January 1961) is an Indian actress who works in Gujarati and Hindi films and television. She has received multiple awards including three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She is mostly popular for playing th ...
,
Kota Srinivasa Rao
Kota Srinivasa Rao (born 10 July 1942) is an Indian character actor known for his work primarily in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He has also starred in a few films in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam. As a former politician, Rao has ...
, and
Anupam Kher. It is the first installment of
the ''Sarkar'' film series.
''Sarkar'' spawned two sequels: ''
Sarkar Raj'', which released on 6 June 2008, and ''
Sarkar 3
''Sarkar 3'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language political crime thriller film directed by Ram Gopal Varma. This is the third installment of the '' Sarkar franchise'' and the continuation to the events of '' Sarkar Raj''. The film stars Amitab ...
'', which released on 12 May 2017. ''Sarkar'' was premiered at the
New York Asian Film Festival
The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...
.
The film is preserved at the
American Academy of Motion Pictures library.
Plot
Subhash Nagre, who is known by his followers as Sarkar, lives in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
. The opening scenes show a rape victim's father approaching Sarkar for justice (which the corrupt law and order system has failed to deliver), which Sarkar promptly establishes by having the rapist beaten up by his henchmen. His son Vishnu plays a sleazy producer who is more interested in the film actress Sapna than his wife Amrita. Sarkar's other, more upright son Shankar returns from the United States with his love Pooja after completing his education there. Pooja's doubts about Sarkar's image eventually cause Shankar, who firmly believes in his father's righteousness, to break up with her.
One day, a
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...
-based don, Rasheed, tries to strike a deal with Sarkar; he promptly refuses on moral grounds and also forbids him from doing it himself. Rasheed tries to eliminate Sarkar's supremacy with the help of Selvar Mani, Sarkar's former associate, MLA Vishram Bhagat, and Swami Virendra. Meanwhile, they trap Sarkar by assassinating a righteous, upright,
Ahinsa
Ahimsa (, IAST: ''ahiṃsā'', ) is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to all living beings. It is a key virtue in most Indian religions: Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.Bajpai, Shiva (2011). The History of India – ...
political leader and an outspoken critic of Sarkar, Motilal Khurana, and frame Sarkar for the murder. Everyone, including Vishnu, believes that Sarkar is guilty, but Shankar has deep faith in his father. Sarkar is arrested and imprisoned. Shankar now takes over the position of Sarkar temporarily. On learning of a plot to murder his father in prison, he approaches the police commissioner and asks him to arrange stronger security for his father, only for the commissioner to mock Shankar and his father beside not providing protection. Shankar gets a feeling that the police commissioner wants Sarkar to get murdered. Shankar and Khansaab, one of Sarkar's men, try to ask Mani for help to prevent possible murder, but Mani ultimately betrays them when he reveals that he is in an alliance with Rasheed. Rasheed prepares to kill Shankar and Khansaab, but only Khansaab is killed when he decides to sacrifice himself for Shankar. By the time Shankar reaches the prison and appropriate action is taken, the attempt on Sarkar's life is already made. Sarkar is later acquitted. He remains bedridden as Shankar takes on Sarkar's enemies.
Meanwhile, Mani, Swami, Vishram, and Rasheed try to convince Vishnu to murder Sarkar. Vishnu was previously expelled from Sarkar's house because he had murdered the actor who was having an affair with Sapna. Vishnu returns home pretending to have repented. When he approaches Sarkar in the dark of the night with the intent of murdering him, Shankar foils his plan and later kills him. Shankar eliminates Rasheed, Vishram, and Selvar Mani. He also succeeds in making Swami his puppet. Shankar has also realised that Chief Minister Madan Rathod was really behind everything; Rasheed and everyone else were merely pawns. This results in legal action against Rathod. The closing scenes show a woman approaching Shankar for justice to a fake encounter of her husband by the police and calling Shankar the Sarkar, while Subhash is busy with family.
Cast
*
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
as Subhash Nagre (Sarkar)
*
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai B ...
as Shankar Nagre
*
Kay Kay Menon
Krishna Kumar Menon (born 2 October 1966), better known by the stage name Kay Kay Menon, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, and also in Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu cinema.
Early life
Menon was born in a Nair ...
as Vishnu Nagre
*
Supriya Pathak
Supriya Pathak (born 7 January 1961) is an Indian actress who works in Gujarati and Hindi films and television. She has received multiple awards including three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She is mostly popular for playing th ...
as Pushpa Nagre
*
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Turquotte; 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee Cine Awards, in ...
as Pooja Chauhan
*
Tanisha Mukherjee as Avantika
*
Rukhsaar Rehman as Amrita Nagre (Vishnu's wife)
*
Anupam Kher as Motilal Khurana
*
Kota Srinivasa Rao
Kota Srinivasa Rao (born 10 July 1942) is an Indian character actor known for his work primarily in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He has also starred in a few films in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam. As a former politician, Rao has ...
as Selvar Mani
*
Zakir Hussain as Rashid
*
Raju Mavani as Vishram Bhagat
*
Jeeva as Virendra Swami
*
Deepak Shirke
Deepak Shirke (born 29 April 1957) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi and Marathi films. He has been involved with more than 100 Hindi films, usually playing the role of the villain. Shirke has also worked in the Hindi telev ...
as Madan Rathod
*
Anant Jog
Anant Jog is an Indian film and television actor who acts in Hindi and Marathi films.
Personal life
Jog's daughter, Kshitee Jog
Kshitee Jog (क्षिती जोग) (born 1 January 1983) is an Indian television actress known for he ...
as Police Commissioner
*
Ishrat Ali as Khansaab
*
Saurabh Dubey as Pooja's father
*
Ravi Kale
Ravi Kale is an Indian actor known for his works in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Marathi films.
Filmography
;Marathi
*'' Bangarwadi'' (1995)
*''Sumbaran'' (2009)
*'' Pipani'' (2012)
*'' Vanilla,Strawberry & Chocolate'' (2018)
;Hindi
*'' ...
as Chander
*
Virendra Saxena
Virendra Saxena (born 23 November 1951) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi theatre, film, and television. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Saxena is known for his character roles as well as his unique voice. He has acted in ...
as Girl's father
*
Karan Kapoor
Karan Kapoor (born 18 January 1962) is an Indian photographer, actor and model. He is the son of actors Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kendal. His paternal grandfather was Prithviraj Kapoor and his paternal uncles are Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. ...
as a hero in Vishnu's film
*
Nisha Kothari
Priyanka Kothari, often credited as Nisha Kothari or Amoha, is an actress and model. She has appeared in Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. She has frequently appeared in Ram Gopal Varma films.
Early life
Priyanka Kothari was bor ...
as a heroine in Vishnu's film
* Narendra Sachar as IG Police
* Mangal Kenkre as Shoba
* Shivam Shetty as Bhushan
* Chintan Atul Shah as Cheeku (Sarkar's Grandson / Shivaji Nagre in
Sarkar 3
''Sarkar 3'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language political crime thriller film directed by Ram Gopal Varma. This is the third installment of the '' Sarkar franchise'' and the continuation to the events of '' Sarkar Raj''. The film stars Amitab ...
)
Production
Development
''Sarkar''
's director Ram Gopal Varma was deeply influenced by the Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...
's Hollywood classic ''The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 The Godfather (novel), novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al ...
'' (1972). He picked some aspects of story of ''The Godfather'' and added them to ''Sarkar'''s script, and also changed the film's setting to modern-day Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
.
*
*
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of ''Sarkar'' consists of 10 songs composed by Bapi-Tutul & Prasanna Shekhar the lyrics of which were penned by Sandeep Nath
Sandeep Nath is Singer, Lyricist, Composer, Screenwriter, Director and Producer in Bollywood.His Sufi songs "Rangrez", "Ishq Niralaaa" are full of philosophy, spirituality, pure love and positivity. He started his literary career as a poet and ...
.
Critical reception
Raja Sen of ''Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 ...
'' said that the film "had the potential to be great. It turns out to be passable." Taran Adarsh of ''Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provide ...
'' praised the movie saying that, "''Sarkar'' is without doubt an interesting film. The story, its execution, the performances, the drama… The outcome leaves you spellbound." but criticized the slow pacing of the film and gave it a rating of 3.5 out of 5. William Thomas of '' Empire Online'' gave the film a rating of 4 out of 5 saying that, "Constructed with flair and crackling with intelligence, this is one of the most edgiest and grittiest releases to come out of Bollywood in years."
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai B ...
won multiple awards for his performance in the film, namely Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the awards start ...
, Zee Cine Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Male
Zee is the phonetic pronunciation of the letter Z in American English ("zed" in Commonwealth English).
Zee may also refer to:
People
*Zee (徐), a Wu Chinese surname, an equivalent of Xu
*Anthony Zee (b. 1945), Chinese-American physicist
*Chie ...
, and IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Accolades
Remake
A Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
remake, titled Rowdy
Rowdy may refer to:
Karur
Places
* Rowdy Branch, a stream in Kentucky
People
* Rowdy (Medal of Honor recipient), Native American member of the United States Army during the Indian Wars
Nicknames
* Dale Shearer (born 1965), Australian rugby leag ...
was made replacing the background of Marathi politics with that of South Indian factionism. Veteran actor Mohan Babu
Manchu Bhakthavatsalam, credited and also known as Mohan Babu, is an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. An alumnus of the Madras Film Institute, Mohan Babu has acted in more than 500 films in lead, su ...
reprised the role portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
while his son Vishnu Manchu
Manchu Vishnu Vardhan Babu (born 23 November 1982) is an Indian actor and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema and television. Manchu had a brief stint as a child artist with the 1985 film ''Ragile Gundelu''. Years later, he starred in ...
reprised the role played by Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai B ...
. Rowdy
Rowdy may refer to:
Karur
Places
* Rowdy Branch, a stream in Kentucky
People
* Rowdy (Medal of Honor recipient), Native American member of the United States Army during the Indian Wars
Nicknames
* Dale Shearer (born 1965), Australian rugby leag ...
released on 4 April 2014 to positive reviews from critics but was a moderate commercial success, grossing approximately Rs 8 Crores in its full run.
Sequel
A sequel titled '' Sarkar Raj'' was released on 6 June 2008 with Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
, Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai B ...
(who reprise their roles from the original) and new entrant Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebrit ...
. Supriya Pathak
Supriya Pathak (born 7 January 1961) is an Indian actress who works in Gujarati and Hindi films and television. She has received multiple awards including three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She is mostly popular for playing th ...
, Tanisha Mukherjee and Ravi Kale
Ravi Kale is an Indian actor known for his works in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Marathi films.
Filmography
;Marathi
*'' Bangarwadi'' (1995)
*''Sumbaran'' (2009)
*'' Pipani'' (2012)
*'' Vanilla,Strawberry & Chocolate'' (2018)
;Hindi
*'' ...
also reappeared in their respective roles from ''Sarkar''. The film released on 6 June 2008, was both critically and commercially successful.
See also
* ''The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 The Godfather (novel), novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al ...
'' (1972) by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five ...
from which this ''Sarkar's'' story and lead characters are adapted and have similarities.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarkar (Film)
Indian sequel films
Indian gangster films
Bal Thackeray
Indian crime thriller films
Indian crime drama films
Films set in Mumbai
Indian political thriller films
2005 crime drama films
2000s Hindi-language films
2005 crime thriller films
2005 films
Films scored by Amar Mohile
Films about dysfunctional families
Films about organised crime in India
Films directed by Ram Gopal Varma
Works based on The Godfather