First day matinee

Its been a long time since I went to a movie on the first day of its release. Yesterday was one such day. I watched Sarkar on day 1 of its release. I wanted to watch the movie that had one of biggest casting coup of sorts in recent times. I wanted to watch it firsthand instead of reading its reviews or listening to my friends. I was at the theater - crowds started pouring out as I waded my way in to the ticket counter. That was where I met this guy who just bought a ticket but was willing to sell it off because his friend next to him (who watched the noon show) said the movie was bullshit. So I bought the ticket from this gentleman - Lucky me ... He surely missed alot. I got a chance to view the movie sitting on a big couch (A couple seat where the other person didnt show up) and the movie was pure magic.

The movie was a literal rip-off from Godfather with minor changes. But what made the movie novel was the terrific chemistry between the two Bachchans. I watched the Godfather saga many times over an over again. I was overwhelmed by the potrayal of Don Vito Corrleone by Marlon Brando. Marlon towered above every one else though his voice never rises beyond a certain level althrough the movie. When I heard they were making Godfather in hindi I wanted to watch - not to see the two stars in it but how well they adapt it to our nativity. In this regard I have to say that RGV succeeded in two aspects. One - He managed to get the most out of the two stars, Second - He adapted it to our nativity excellently. Just as Al Pacino appears clueless in the beginning and grows as the movie progresses - Abhishek Bachchan steals the show towards the end. The movie is serious in note and the only comic releief in the movie is provided by the dialogues uttered by certain characters and the way they are uttered. For example the way Kota (playing Selvan Mani) says 'Main Selvan Mani - Mera style complete South - Mera operation complete north' evokes a good laughter. The way he asks for concession while Abhishek Bachchan was going to be executed by Iqbal ("Yeh Sarkar kaa beta hain. Aur Sarkar mera dost hai. Mere liye tumhe concession denaa hi hogaa - Sirf ek bullet se maarnaa - Brain yaa phir heart") also evokes laughter despite being in the middle of one of the most tense moments of the movie. The highest point in the movie comes when they come to the point of bumping off Abhishek's charcter. This is a very high point in the movie not only in terms of the story but also the background music. The music scores 10/10 for the scene because it creates a tension in the hearts - Will he or wont he! Abhishek Bachchan gives one of his best performances to date. As for Amitabh - What can I say? He was the one who pulled the crowds in. He is the one who makes Sarkar a 'must watch' movie. Since the beginning of the movie it appears as though all the characters pale when they share the same screen as BigB including AB Jr. Towards the end of the movie AB Jr towers so high that the process starts repeating with AB Jr at the helm and BigB pales! Among all the movies I have seen in recent times I have never seen such a chemistry. The Bachchans emote most of the time through their eyes. It is one of those rare movies where their rich baritones take a backseat while their eyes do all the talking!

Some call it trash, Some call it hype - I call it sheer 'movie magic' - A movie spread a little over 2 hours holds your attention althrough, backed by a good script, crisp dialogues and tight screenplay make it a treat to watch. I wasnt disappointed. A truly great desi-adaptation of a great cinematic phenomenon called the Godfather.