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Satyameva Jayate



            Movies with themes of anti-corruption and misuse of power are relevant to our times, now more than ever before. ‘Satyameva Jayate’ (SMJ) is an action thriller that works on the simple premise of an angry man, fighting corruption with raging passion and violence. While the setup is pertinent, the execution is far from ideal. This masala entertainer has a huge hangover of the staple cinema that used to draw crowds during ’70s and ’80s. But the thundering background score (the Sanskrit chanting used to heighten the drama in several scenes), unrelenting drama and over-the-top action, make this movie feel a little too jaded. 

The film starts off with Veer (John Abraham) burning a cop alive. It sets the tone for the rest of the film, which over a course of 2 hours and 20 minutes, does not deviate from the set path. Veer miraculously shows up every time a cop is committing a crime in various suburbs of the city. There is a twist in the story at mid-point, but even after the arrival of this unforeseen development, the screenplay stays focussed on the crusade against corrupt cops and setting them to flames. The narrative never changes gears from the cliched good versus evil scenario, while also doling out lessons on patriotism. The heavy-duty dialogues are written to play to the gallery, but more often than not they’re over employed and end up losing their intended impact. The rivalry between Manoj Bajpayee and John Abraham’s characters had a lot of scope, but the writing fails to explore it in a credible manner. 

The performances are a lot better than director Milap Zaveri’s vision. John Abraham leads the charge in ‘SMJ’. While he’s tearing up tyres and beating the bad guys to a pulp, he infuses the angry young man role with passion and energy. Manoj Bajpayee as is in top form. His ace act as the fiercely determined and honest cop adds credibility to the film. Debutante, Aisha Sharma, has a confident screen presence, with a little more work on diction, she could do much better. 

‘SMJ’ desperately tries very hard to sell the age-old idea of revenge and righteousness. But the big booming treatment is a little too hard to accept and digest. With John in the film, one can expect good action, but it’s gruesome and a little too bloody at times. Truth be told, the story is relevant in today’s times, but too many cliches in the story and the style of storytelling will make you want to cop out of this one. 

           फिल्म की कहानी मुंबई से शुरू होती है जहां वीर राठौर (जॉन अब्राहम) अपनी धुन में भ्रष्टाचार में लिप्त पुलिस अफसरों को सबक सिखाता हुआ दिखता है. पुलिस महकमे में अफरा-तफरी है. जब इसकी भनक पुलिस अफसर शिवांश राठौर (मनोज बाजपेयी) को पड़ती है तो वह इन घटनाओं के पीछे की गुत्थी सुलझाने में लग जाता है. इसी बीच कहानी में शिखा (आयशा शर्मा) की एंट्री होती है और बहुत सारे ट्विस्ट और टर्न्स भी आते हैं. साथ ही साथ कई राज भी पर्दाफाश होते हैं. अंततः क्या होता है यह जानने के लिए फिल्म देखनी पड़ेगी. 

 फिल्म की कहानी सामान्य है. संवादों को काफी दमदार तरीके से लिखा गया है जिसकी वजह से कहानी सुनाते वक्त सिलसिलेवार घटनाएं देखना दिलचस्प हो जाता है. फिल्म का एक्शन जबरदस्त है और इस तरह से ट्रेलर में एक्शन और संवादों को दर्शाया गया है उसी तरह का फ्लेवर फिल्म में भी देखने को मिलता है. जॉन अब्राहम और मनोज बाजपेयी के बीच चोर-सिपाही वाली कहानी बड़े अच्छे तरीके से जंचती है. फिल्म का बैकग्राउंड स्कोर बढ़िया है और भ्रष्टाचार खत्म करने के लिए प्रयोग में लाए गए स्टाइल को अच्छे तरीके से दर्शाया गया है. मनोज बाजपेयी एक बार फिर से दमदार एक्टिंग करते नजर आते हैं. वहीं एक्शन के लिए मशहूर जॉन अब्राहम पूरी तरह से किरदार में डूबे नजर आते हैं. मनीष चौधरी और आयशा शर्मा का काम भी सहज है.

 फिल्म की कमजोर कड़ी, इसकी शुरुआत और खासतौर पर क्लाइमेक्स का हिस्सा है जिसे काफी लंबा दिखाया गया है. उसे छोटा किया जा सकता था. आयशा शर्मा का किरदार अपनी बनावट में न्यायसंगत  नहीं हो पाता है. फिल्म में और भी सस्पेंस बनाया जा सकता था. मल्टीप्लेक्स की ऑडियंस को शायद यह फिल्म ज्यादा आकर्षित ना करें, लेकिन सिंगल थिएटर में सीटियां और तालियां जरूर सुनाई देंगी. फिल्म को एडल्ट सर्टिफिकेट दिया गया है जिसकी वजह से शायद हर तरह की ऑडियंस इसे ना देख पाए.

 फिल्म का बजट करीब 50 करोड़ रुपये बताया जा रहा है. इसके साथ अक्षय कुमार की फिल्म 'गोल्ड' भी रिलीज हुई है. हालांकि स्वतंत्रता दिवस का बड़ा वीकेंड है जिसकी वजह से दर्शकों को अपने मनपसंद की फिल्म चुनने में ज्यादा परेशानी नहीं होगी. देखना दिलचस्प होगा कि गोल्ड के सामने जॉन-मनोज की फिल्म कितनी कमाई करती है.
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