'Sarkar 3' movie review: Amitabh Bachchan shines

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Sarkar 3 movie review: Amitabh Bachchan shines

Unnecessary characters, plots add to the length of the film, making it painfully slow

By Anita Iyer

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Published: Thu 11 May 2017, 3:07 PM

Last updated: Wed 17 May 2017, 8:10 PM

You don't see many people at an early Thursday morning show but today was different. It is after all the Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan's first release of 2017 and his fans are keen to see him on the big screen.
Director Ram Gopal Varma and Amitabh come together after a hiatus of nine years for Sarkar 3 and it is enough to raise your expectations. We know the storyline of the film from the earlier installations but this is a fresh film and doesn't rely much on past references. So, don't worry if you faintly remember the earlier films.  
The film starts with the iconic shot of Subhash Nagre (Sarkar) waving his hand, complete with beads. He is clearly the messiah he was, fighting for the rights of the people against the most powerful vested interests.
Amitabh is bang on, doing what he does best and is on top of his game as the intense Subhash Nagre. You don't mind the close-up Ram Gopal Varma shoots of him drinking tea, watching intensely or addressing the masses, because it is him! He holds your attention in every frame.     
The film is held together by a robust cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Jackie Shroff, Yami Gautam, Amit Sadh and Ronit Roy among others. As Sarkar's legal heir, Amit Sadh is impressive and has the meatiest role after Amitabh. His character goes through many sub plots, giving him ample opportunities to prove his acting prowess.
Manoj Bajpayee as the rising politician with views contrary to Subhash Nagre delivers yet another powerful performance. But we have seen him play similar character in earlier film like 'Raajneeti', so he doesn't surprise you.
Amit Sadh's love interest played by Yami comes across as the most under-utilised character. The trailer showed her as a grey character and you wait for her to come in the forefront but alas, not much has been written in the script of Sarkar 3 for her.
It is interesting to see Jackie Shroff in this mix as the Dubai-based don, moving the characters back home like puppets. But he has been given random dialogues like 'Ladoo ka bada problem yeh hai ki who bahut meethi hai' and doesn't really provide any comic relief. He is seen doing the most stereotypical things in Dubai like feeding the dolphins, visiting the aquarium or posing with yachts in the background in Dubai Marina. You have a feeling that his character could have been sketched much better.
Ronit Roy starts promisingly in the first half as Sarkar's right hand but his character isn't given much scope in the second half.
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The film relies on wafer thin suspense and you manage to guess bits of the plot and wait for it to unfold. You leave with a feeling that so much could have been done with the stellar cast Ram Gopal Varma managed to pull for the film, after all.
As it is a Ram Gopal Varma movie, you expect long dialogues, tight shots of random things like the puppy in Sarkar's living room, the Ganesha hanging on the wall, an extremely tight shot of Yami Gautam's eyes from the cup handles and many more.
Apart from the superfluous shots, the film also has superfluous characters that don't add much to the storyline. But they do stretch the movie and it seems painfully slow in the second half.
Watch the film if you are an Amitabh Bachchan fan as he doesn't fail you.
Sarkar 3

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Amit Sadh, Ronit Roy, Manoj Bajpayee, Yami Gautam
Directed by: Ram Gopal Varma
Now playing at theatres in the UAE
Rating: 2/5


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