Fully commercial film dealing with the typical Indian spicy appearance because no one can expect a man(Here I want to mention Ajay Devgn) protesting against the blunt Government with "Raghu pati raghaba raja ram..." and a flourishing background music. And there too Arjun Rampal and his gang use to make some steps and dramatic gestures.... Those commercial requirements spoil the depth of the film.Multiple issues have been shown in this film but not a single one gets its compact consequence except Dwarka Anand, who has been shot at the end of the film showing the end of his attempt.Overall, An aged personality shows his class through out the film. Here also I need to mention this name:Manoj Bajpayee. I think, personally, there is nothing to watch special in Satyagraha, except this two persons. Watch them and their acting and that brings 2.5 vote for Manoj Bajpayee and the rest 2.5 for Amitabh Bachchan.

"Satyagraha" is a fairly appreciable documentation of the past events into a political-drama, yet not so effective in making a considerable impact. The plot began with the depiction of the generation gap and the mindsets of the working and the business classes that though are profiting the individuals but not the whole community. Then a bridge collapses and the subsequent accidental death of it's Chief Engineer followed by the mistreatment by the Government officials and the Politicians in general, and the breaking point of the dead man's father who slapped a DM as a retort over the misbehaviour on his son's incentive's delay make news in a small sub-urban town. The retortion is gradually supported by a well mitigated public agitation which becomes a nation wide agitation and furor. Trial by media, "dharnas" and constant rebuttals by the politicians go back and forth for the remaining part of the film. The climax depicts the sorrow and sadness behind this "civil war", the murder of the movement's leader, the hunt and the arrest of the convicted minister and the hinted formation of a political party that will fight for the mission. Satyagraha has fairly intense moments in it's course but is full of clichéd dialogues and instants, that do become unbearable at times. Manoj Bajpayee shines as the antagonist and Amitabh Bachchan is strong as always and so is Arjun Rampal whereas, others were just decent enough. The film is held firmly together, however, by the crisp editing (Santosh Mandal) and the direction (Prakash Jha), the latter being not so compact at several occasions. The lyrics (Prasoon Joshi) of the few songs that were placed well, are the other plus points. The casting of the supporting actors,except that of the principal players and the abruptness by which the film ends were the disappointments. The film does raise a lot of issues and are a replay in fiction of the wrong and the torture around the nation in our recent past, but the diagnosis is the only thing that is done without any solid treatment or a proper hint. The film is more like a long street-play on film but not a remarkable one and since so are the circumstances as well, therefore, it is a blunt yet appreciable effort.

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK) Rating: 3.5/5 starsInspiring, relevant, emotional, and thought-provoking. Prakash Jha is back with a hard-hitting political drama and successfully manages to render a gripping narrative – a talent which we dreaded might have abandoned him, going by the loose narratives and slightly melodramatic efforts of his previous two efforts. It might be not in the league of Jha's memorable classics such as "Rajneeti", "Gangaajal", and "Mrityudand" (mostly due to the rushed and predictable climax), but it at least signals a return to form for one of India's preeminent filmmaking talents, which definitely augurs well for his future projects.The screenplay is further augmented by another stellar act from Mr. Bachchan (along with Irrfan Khan's act in "D-Day", it's certainly the performance of the year) and Manoj Bajpayee's fiendishly sarcastic take on the current politician. Kareena Kapoor lends competent support, while Arjun Rampal carries on his good form. The only letdown is Ajay Devgn, who's becoming increasingly monotonous and bland with his incessant brooding, perpetual scowls, unaltered mannerisms, unconvincing body- language, and forced dialogue delivery.

The pioneer of depicting the larger socio-economic issues grappling India over the celluloid, Director Prakash Jha is back with Satyagraha - immensely based on the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare which stirred the entire country last year. While his previous flick Rajneeti was absorbing to the core,Aaraksan lost its plot somewhere midway, Jha's fetish for meshing up topical realism with masala takes a blow due to a saddled script despite some well-intentioned performances.Set in a fictitious small town Ambikapur, Satyagraha tells the story of a righteous Ex-school principal with true Gandhian spirit, Dwarka Anand(Amitabh Bachchan) whose son Akhilesh,a bright civil engineer dies in a road mishap. A corrupt Home minister Balram Singh(Bajpai) announces a compensation of Rs 25 lakhs.But the eventual delay of the remuneration coupled with humiliation leads Dwarka for one-tight-slap on the District Collector's face which puts him behind the bars. Akhilesh best friend, Manav(Ajay Devgan),a corporate high-flyer,must come for help to rescue Dwarka. Through rampant use of the social media(Jha showcases liberally the Facebook and Twitter generation),Manav mobilizes the masses for his release.He finds strong aid in the form a TV Journalist Yashmeen(Kareena),youth-leader Arjun(Rampal) and Akhilesh's widow,Sumitra(Amrita Rao).A chain of incidents leads to Dwarka launching a hunger strike movement against forces that threaten democracy. This snowballs into a gigantic public uprising to thwart the malady of the corruption in our governance system.At the outset, Jha's intention seem to be clear in representing the Anna Hazare revolt and the public outrage.But soon he tries to serve too many dishes in one plate.The clashing perspectives between Dwarka and Manav in the beginning where the former sees greed or entrepreneurial aspirations as a terrible predicament in today's youth while the latter sees it as an opportunity.Or the road mishap which actually is a contemplated murder are unnatural digressions from the burning issue in hand.These overambitious indulgences don't quite culminate well with the narrative.Jha handles some sequences with great aplomb, be it the camaraderie and warmth that Dwarka shares with Manav when he is about to leave the next morning or the moment when Dwarka breaks down for the first time at the place of the casualty. His grief is palpable but then,editor Satosh Mandal tears us away mercilessly from the poignant scene and gradually the chinks begin to show in the second half.We are clueless as to where the story is treading.Jha and his co-screenwriter Anjum Rajabali fail to generate the required intensity in the socio-political romp because of so many loose ends. Add to it, Manav's exponential fondness for Yashmeen followed by a candle-light romantic track and the intermittent Janta Rocks anthem from Indian-ocean band completely dilute the impact.In the wide pyramidal assortment of stars, Amitabh Bachchan is at the pinnacle essaying the leader of the revolutionary group with supreme conviction.Ajay devgan looks haggard while enacting entrepreneur-turned- satyagrahi. Though his metamorphosis from the telecom tycoon to a crusader is striking, he seems to lose on the agility required for the character. Not the typical hot-blooded Devgn that we saw in Jha's previous ventures. With a boorish body language and Desi accent, Arjun Rampal finds limited scope to shine as the goon-turned self-proclaimed youth leader.Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Rao have the most ill-defined character sketch and it looks like Mrs Khan,with an overdone make-up, didn't have much of introspection before choosing this role.A special word of applause for Manoj Bajpai who shines as the wily politician;his expressions, smirks and dialogue-baazi are plain awesome.In one of the over-dramatized sequence,Amitabh's character asks Bajpai "Your time starts now!"(as sly reference to KBC) to clear off all those pending cases of Aam-Junta. Towards the fag end of the 150 minute slog, I was just imagining when would Mr Jha's time tick to revive the age of those brilliant gems like Gangaajal or Mrityudand. The kind of filmy end that he gives to the crusader's fate is simply not acceptable for a director of his stature. Please wake up!VERDICT : I go with 2.25 /5 for Satyagraha. Truly, this glossy face of social activism doesn't quite impress.