Performances:Ram Gopal Varma handles a lot of the sequels material very well. As in the earlier film, he reveals himself as a master of mood, atmosphere, and period. And his exposition is inventive and subtle. The film requires the intelligent participation of the viewer; as the Nagres attempts to discover who betrayed them just like in their previous encounters with the baddies. Varma handles the transitions adroitly, keeping the pace consistent enough to limit any sense of jarring or disorientation. Having said that, he has left so much space by the end of the film giving it yet another chance to make the Sarkar trilogy. Mr Varma, you are sure back with a vengeance!
Performances take off from where they left in Sarkar. Abhishek delivers his best after Yuva and Guru and is very good at suggesting the furies and passions that lie just beneath his character’s controlled exterior. He gives us a Shankar who took over the family proceedings with the intention of making it “legitimate” in couple of years, but who is drawn more and more deeply into a byzantine web of deceit and betrayal, all papered over with code words like respect, honor, and gratitude. New entrant Anita played by Aishwarya Rai does come in handy and even though she hasn’t been used to the extent what RGV should’ve, she delivers each scene with panache, like her scene with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek in the hospital. But not to forget, it is her character which will always question you - ‘What next?’Tanisha as Shankar’s wife fills in the blanks while the other character actors like Chander, Kanga, Vora, Somji, Rao saab and Qazi are used very effectively giving each one of them an equal oppurtunity to showcase their individual talent. What’s even more interesting is that RGV has used them in as we say - ‘bits n pieces’ trying to fix in the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and that grabs your attention. But having said that, I personally and dearly miss the company of Selva Mani, Rashid and Swmaiji. If only they could return as ‘Bhoots’ in the Sarkar Trilogy. But let me come to the point here. Have I missed someone ? Yes, I have and it’s not someone..it’s Sarkar. As the saying goes, there can only be one king in the jungle. That’s Amitabh Bachchan. For a man who has constantly stuck to one belief ‘Mujhe jo sahi lagta hai, main karta hoon’ he hardly puts a foot wrong. His hard hitting dialogues reminds you of his roles in Agneepath and Khuda Gawah. Subhash Nagre aka Sarkar’s performance is packed with more classic lines than any movie deserves to have and kudos goes to the dialogue writers.Visually, many of Sarkar Raj scenes have a more gloomy appearance this time around which was vital to the sequel. Especially during the latter portions of the film, the Nagres’ are shown in severely underexposed settings, appearing as a silhouette. The crisp editing by Amit Parmar / Nipun Gupta, the haunting background score by Amar Mohile and Director of Photography Amit Roy seems to be the finest in the business. They deserve much more than just awards.
As the beginning of Sarkar Raj echoes the opening of the Nagre family, so too does the end and because of the manner in which circumstances are handled and considering the people involved, the impact here is more forceful. The film has accomplished its poisonous, inevitable designs as RGV punctuates Sarkar Raj with a gut-twisting exclamation point.
Final Note:
Combined, Sarkar and Sarkar Raj represent the apex of Indian movie-making. Sarkar Raj is not so much about crime lords as it is about prices paid in the currency of the soul for decisions made and avoided. It is that quality which establishes this saga as timeless. A rare sequel that surpasses its classic source.
