Satyagraha

Satyagraha is a migraine-inducing, wholesome lump of shit. A preachy overdose of lousy dialogues straight out of the Aastha Channel morning sermons. The grand daddy of Bollywood is a strict disciplinarian who loathes three things in life: corporates, alcoholic beverages and corruption. Like father, like son. Gold medalist engineer working for the 'aam admi' of his district, like the doting son shares his daddy's abhorrence for corporate greed and consumerism, ends up saying [after a flyover designed by him collapses] - "Yeh kharab quality ka cement hain; maine toh kaha tha Ultratech Cement use karne ke liye!" Later we would see Daddy Ji's followers wearing Anna caps and Rupa Frontline vests, screaming out fancy slogans. Apart from a sluggish item number and a quirky 'Raghupati Raghava', there's also a ludicrous youth-anthem called 'Janta Rocks'. Seriously, Prasoon Joshi? Mr. Richie Rich-turned-activist donates his billions, a noble gesture indeed. Or maybe a new strain of untreated bipolar disorder? A TV scribe who has fans cutting across social milieu, from chaiwalas, corrupt cops to bigwig politicos and biz honchos, suddenly takes a month-long sabbatical to participate in the Janta-Revolution, braving the lathicharge and water-canons, yet managing to maintain her perfect make-up and blow-dried hair. Oh I forgot, she was [still is?] a newsperson. And finally, the crafty and fraudulent politician, with a strong affinity for theatrics and half-baked English idioms, apparently has more say in Cabinet decisions than the seemingly toothless CM. Just one more thing, Prakash Jha - since when does the main Opposition leader take part in Cabinet meetings? Overall verdict: race for the 2013 Best Film on National Integration just got tighter.