Sarkarnama Marathi Movie Review

Sarkarnama was one of the movies which made a deep impact on me as I was getting interested in Indian politics in college. Watched it again recently and still liked it (minus songs,) unlike some movies that lose their sheen as age and reality catches on with you. My reflection on re-watching it.

Sarkarnama is a political drama. It is a realistic portrayal of the politics in an Indian state which is still feudal at heart and where personal ideals are always in conflict with the larger machinery of the system.

Sarkarnama deals with the issue of builders racket and cement scandal which rocked Maharashtra in the 80s. It has the quintessential ingredient of the underdog against the system. It may be considered one of those realistic movies that state the truth as is but does not end on a pessimistic tone, like the other movies of this genre such as Sinhasan or Dombivli Fast. Unlike these movies where the protagonists begin to lose grip on the situation as it unravels, the protagonist of Sarkarnama remains incorrigible.

The intent is to portray the stratification of power at different levels and the consequential bureaucracy, corruption in the political system and the condition of an ordinary citizen in such state of affairs. As such the director has many balls in the air but the first time director, Shravani Deodhar has a knack of a storyteller and manages the act of driving many branches of plot and giving weightage to array of characters with adroitness. Sarkarnama has an admirable ensemble in its casting of actors to fulfil its vision.

The movie takes time to build momentum but once it gains pace it maintains and leads to justified conclusion which is the success of humility against against power.