Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

silvan-desouza SHAKTI(2002) was Sridevi's debut as a producer and was supposed to be her comeback after JUDAAI(1997) but she was pregnant and then the role after Kajol was finally accepted by Karisma. Shakti has no resemblance with Shakti(1982) whatsoever,The film is a remake of Telugu super-hit film Anthapuram (1999), which inturn was inspired by Hollywood film Not Without My Daughter (1991) which was based on the real life story of Betty Mahmoody. The film was damn violent for it's time and was completely rejected in 2002. The film however consolidated Karisma Kapoor who was known merely as a star into an actress after FIDA, ZUBEIDAA. The film starts off with Karisma and Sanjay Kapoor(not her husband but the actor) who are married and then go back to Sanjay's gaon. Obviously the North(Bihar,UP) and there Karisma is shocked by the violent escapades. Nana Patekar is portrayed very brilliantly. The characters of the village and the following scenes till the interval are brilliantly handled. Suddenly the filmmaker things lets throw in commercialism and they we have an item song with Srk and Aishwarya out of nowhere, Ishq Kameena which was a hit song those days especially after the success of DEVDAS(2002). Srk's character is used for comic relief but the impact is missing and towards the end though the outburst of Deepti Naval is well handled, the climax is abrupt and the change of heart looks unconvincing.Direction by Krishnan Vamsi is good though his handling does resemble South films(He is a south director) Music is decent, Hum Tum Mile is melidious, Ishq Kameena is superb but forcedNana Patekar steals the show in a role only he could play, He brilliantly conveys the ruthless character Karisma Kapoor does a great job in her role and breathes fire into her confrontation scenes, the actress earlier mostly just did run of mill stuff but post FIZA she took herself seriously, sadly she got typecast in films and her crying became tortorious in other films Sanjay Kapoor is decent in his role, SRK tries hard but his character seems forced, his death scene is unintentionally hilarious similar to ARMY. Prakash Raj doesn't get much of a role, Vijay Raaz is fab Deepti Naval is fantastic and so are the rest

guardians2006 A strong woman oriented subject after long, director Krishna Vamsi's Shakti- The Power, the Desi version of the Hollywood hit Not Without My Daughter is actress Sridevi's first home-production. A story about a woman's fight against harsh injustice.The story of the film revolves around Nandini (Karisma Kapoor) who lives in Canada with her two uncles (Tiku Talsania, Jaspal Bhatti). There she meets Shekhar (Sanjay Kapoor), falls in love with him and they soon marry. Their family is complete when Nandini has a boy, Raja (Master Jai Gidwani). But their happiness is short lived, as the news of Shekhar's ailing mother (Deepti Naval)makes them leave their perfect life in Canada and come to India. And that's when the problems start. From the moment they reachIndia, both are shocked to see the pollution and the vast throngs of people everywhere. They take a crowded train to reach Shekhar's village and when they finally reach the station, they have to catch a long bus drive to his village. The filthy sweaty bus combined with the uncertain terrain makes it a never-ending drive. And unfortunately for them, a frenzied mob that beat Shekhar out of shape for no fault of his attacks their bus. Fortunately, they get shot dead just in time before they can further harm him. After that, they drive to the handing Havel where Shekhar''s father, Narsimha (Nana Patekar) lives with his wife (Deepti Naval). Nandani realized that her father-in-law is in command as soon as she enters the place, but her only solace is her mother-in-law's warm welcome.Living there, Nandini learns of her father-in-laws tyrannical behavior and realizes that ruthless killing is a way of life for him. The day she sees her father-in-law teach her son to throw a bomb, she loses it and lashes out against him, insisting to Shekhar that they move back to Canada. But terror strikes again when Shekhar is murdered one day, leaving a broken down Nandini alone with her son in this strange land where she is harrowed by a cruel father-in-law. Her fight against this man to save her son is what makes up the climax of this emotional heart-wrenching film.What sets apart Shakti from most films being made off late is also the rural setting of the movie. The only drawback is Ismail Darbar''s music, which fails to rise above the script. The only saving grace is the sexy item number Ishq Kameena, which has been composed by Anu Malik. Another pat for the director comes because he has extracted some splendid performances from his cast. Karisma Kapoor is the life of the film and has given a moving performance as a helpless mother. She is sure to win awards for this heated portrayal. Second is actor Nana Patekar who is back with a bang with this film. His uncouth mannerisms suit him to the hilt and he's shown his versatility once again with this role. Sanjay Kapoor is the surprise packet of the film with a sincere and effective portrayal that stands up against both the other actors. Deepti Naval too is in top form and her Pr-climax showdown with Nana is praiseworthy. Shahrukh's cameo provides the lighter moments and surely he's been pulled in to get the required star value. Though his role was not really required, he's done it well. Overall, Shakti is a far superior film than most churned out these days and the Pr-release hype is sure to get it a good opening. Shakti is sure to get the critics and audience thumps up. So what if the film needs to be desperately trimmed by at least 2 reels to better the impact. Shakti still has the power to go on without a hitch!

homegnome1 Okay, I know this does'nt project India in a good light. But the overall theme of the movie is not India, it's Shakti. The power of a warlord, and the power of a mother. The relationship between Nandini and her husband and son swallow you up in their warmth. Then things go terribly wrong. The interaction between Nandini and her father in law - the power of their dysfunctional relationship - and the lives changed by it are the strengths of this movie. Shah Rukh Khan's performance seems to be a mere cameo compared to the believable desperation of Karisma Kapoor. It is easy to get caught up in the love, violence and redemption of lives in this film, and find yourself heaving a sigh of relief and sadness at the climax. The musical interludes are strengths, believable and well done.

Herag Halli Indian Directors have it tough, They have to compete with movies like "Laggan" where 11 henpecked,castrated males defend their village and half of them are certifiable idiots. "Devdas", a hapless, fedar- festooned foreign return, drinking to oblivion, with characters running in endless corridors, oblivious to any one's feelings or sentiments-alas they live in an ornate squalor of red tapestry and pageantry. But to make a good movie, you have to tight-rope walk to appease the frontbenchers scumdwellers who spit in their homes and theaters,who are the quentessential gakwkers, mesmerized with Split skirts and Dishum-Dishum fights, preferably involving scum actors like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, who are the ugly makaka monkey's, good for cleaning toilets, who should never been allowed into India. So you can connect with a director, who wants to tell a tale of leonine village head, who in own words "defending his Village." This is considered a violent movie or too masculine for a male audience. There are very few actors who can convey the anger and pathos like Nana Patekar (Narasimhan). Nana Patekar lets you in his courtyard and watch him beret and mock the politician when his loyal admirers burst in laughter with every word of satire thrown at him, meanwhile his daughter is bathing his grandson. This is as authentic a scene you can get in rural India. Nana Patekar is the essential actor who belongs to the old school of acting which is a disappearing breed in Hindi Films that is taken over by these suvvar corrupt rats. The violence depicted is an intricate part of storytelling with Song&Dances thrown in for the gawkers, without whom movies won't sell, a sad but true state of affairs. Faster this changes better for "Bollywood". All said and done this is one good Movie.