Louder ‘Govinda’, quieter thrills

By The Bollywood Onlooker

May 12, Pune – There was a time when Ram Gopal Varma established himself as the undisputed king of the Underworld genre in Bollywood. Films like Satya, Company, D created the base for his dream project, his tribute to The Godfather, Sarkar. In all honesty, I don’t think any filmmaker in India has yet been able to create a character as powerful as Subhash Nagre. The frames that RGV used to build the aura around his Sarkar, the costumes, the background score,  all added up to the audience giving as much respect to Sarkar as the characters in the film. 

After 3 years, with Sarkar Raj, RGV took the series forward with a decent script, and no lack in the thrill quotient. The new characters fitted well in the franchise and the respect for Sarkar, though the 2nd part was not as good as the original, only increased. 

Post Sarkar Raj, we have observed a massive downfall in the career of RGV. Films after films have flopped, and he has failed in every genre he has tried his hand in. Finally, with Sarkar 3, we were probably ready to give the filmmaker another chance to impress us with his brilliance. 

Alas! RGV has not really been able to find his stronghold yet again, and has taken down the level of the Sarkar franchise with this film. 9 years later, the Sarkar is still enchanting but RGV’s story is way too dramatic, and by the end, not very believable. There is nothing very new, very engaging. 

RGV keeps his basic idea that ‘Sarkar ek aadmi nahi, ek soch hai’ intact. He introduces many new characters this time, and just like the 1st part, the plotline revolves around various enemies trying to kill Sarkar. This time, the family politics are intended to seem more complicated, and the rivals stronger.

But somehow, Sarkar 3 does not show the human relationships as strongly as the earlier parts. Sarkar’s love for his sons, his wife, his daughter in law formed a strong crux of his personality that the audience related with. This time, RGV is too busy trying to create a suspense and give a goosebumping end to his story. And honestly, it was a suspense that I could smell pretty early and was actually hoping that this shouldn’t be how it ends. There’s just excessive unneeded drama, especially in the 2nd half. 

The biggest positive of Sarkar 3 are its characters, especially that of Manoj Bajpayee and Jackie Shroff. Bajpayee’s character reminds you of Anupam Kher from the 1st Sarkar. Amit Sadh and Yami Gautam’s characters are linked to the earlier parts and make the story more interesting. However, it is Ronit Roy’s important character that RGV could have worked more upon. 

Sarkar 3 is held together by Amitabh Bachchan. He is only getting better and better with age. Jackie Shroff and Manoj Bajpayee are outstanding in their roles. Amit Sadh comes as a surprise performer between these biggies and pulls of a strong performance.Yami Gautam manages to look sharp and determined despite the very few dialogues she has. Ronit Roy acts fine, but his character could have been made stronger. 

Final word – 

Only a louder catchy ‘Govinda’ soundtrack in the background and Big B’s brilliant performance can’t save Sarkar 3 from its average direction and loose script. Watch it if you are a huge RGV fan. 

Rating – 2/5

Box office estimate – 25-30 Cr. Lifetime collection