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Satya


  Reviews and Interviews  


This section contains
reviews about the film and the people involved with it.
It also features exclusive interviews of the main team off and on the screen.

This section will be updated regularly as more reviews/ interviews are made available.

This section also contains comments and compliments of the 'industrywallahs' for the film 'Satya' and its crew.




  Reviews  


In response to a lot of feedback and suggestions received from visitors to this site, we are putting up excerpts of the various reviews that the film has received from the press as well as the people (through the feedback form on this site).

  Press reviews  


Nothing but the truth (Khalid Mohammed, Sunday Times)

Satya is a gritty, hellishly exciting film which stings and screams. No one will go away from it unprovoked or unmoved.
Rating - ***** (Outstanding)


On top of the underworld (Afsana Ahmed, Asian Age)

Satya hits the screen like a bullet.


In Satya, what unfolds is a hard hitting story of people who live by death. The killing fields of Bombay where gang wars, encounters, extortion and murder are a way of life. Where crime is just another 9 to 5 job.
(Deepa Deosthalee, Indian Express)


Its a classy piece of film-making by Ram Gopal Varma. Daring and sleek. You can't package ghastly stuff like this any better.
(Mukhtar Anjoom, Deccan Herald)


Satya is a gripping, violent and tragic story of the survival of the fittest in the murky bylanes of Mumbai.
(Tejaswini Apte, Screen)


  Public opinion  


I saw the film. I think it was one of the best films i have seen in a long time. Superlative performances by all. (Abhishek Sharma)


Let me first take the oppotunity to congratulate you for making the best underworld thriller ever.I was of the opinion that Is raat ki subaah nahin was the finest movie but your movie has overshadowed it. (Faisal Shariff)


Super movie.. I'm amazed it could come out of Bollywood. Keep them coming.. we need content. This was better than "Goodfellas". (Arvind Kumar)


Great Movie!!! 1 of the very few quality "Hindi" movies that came out of the Box Office in the recent years . Everything about the movie is just wonderful & I enjoyed every moment of it. (Alexei Isac)


after a long time one has seen such class on the hindi film screen. mr ramgopal verma has joined the list of legends and probably moves closest to the class of coppola, tarantino! watching this movie and appreciating all its finer aspects, including all the shots, the lighting , the tight scripting and editing has definitely been one of the highlights of the recent past. while i can wish mr verma keeps up the good work, i don't think anything quite in the class of satya can be made again... ever. (Pankaj Mittal)



Click here to read reviews of 'Satya' by Ali Peter John

Click here to read a review of 'Satya' by Shobha De

Click here to read a review of 'Satya' by Dinesh Raheja

Click here to read reviews about Manoj Bajpai

Click here to read a review of 'Satya' by Suparn Verma




  Interviews  

This week, an exclusive interview with Ram Gopal Varma, the director of Satya, as told to Jyothi Venkatesh (of Afternoon Despatch & Courier) on why he decided on making such a realistic film.

JV To begin with, tell me why are you making a realistic film like 'Satya' after a flight of fantasy like 'Rangeela' and 'Daud'?
RGV As a maker, I have never stuck to one particular genre of films. If I started off with a violent film like 'Shiva', I later did a horror film like 'Raat'. Then I did a light entertainer like 'Kshana Kshanam' with Sridevi in Telugu. Then I did a sort of a violent love story like 'Drohi'. After making 'Rangeela', I went on to do a spoofy film like 'Daud'.
JV Would you say that it is a deliberate attempt on your part to make films of different genres?
RGV It is a concious, deliberate attempt on my part to go on making films which are different from one another. I generally tend to make a film in any genre which excites me at that particular point of time. I do not make any film to prove any point to anybody.
JV How did 'Satya' take shape in your mind?
RGV Actually, I decided to make 'Satya' as an action film since I had not made one for quite a long time. Mumbai has always attracted me because it is a fascinating city. In the process of making an action film, I bumped into some of the people in the underworld. And I realised that the human side of theirs attracted me much more than what they did. It never occurs to us that anyone, who is shot dead in an encounter by the police, has a face. To us he is just a name in print to be forgotten the very next day. 'Satya' is the story of people who are put in a position which the average man may not be able to identify with.
JV 'Satya' is able to leave an impact even though it does not have mindless violence. How was your approach to violence in the film?
RGV The mainstream definition of violence may be horses falling off, a chase, bombs exploding or a brutal fight, but in 'Satya' it could be just a gun-shot which creates violence. It is the mental thought process of the person resorting to violence which brings out the violence, not the physical thing. You are basically into the psyche of the man who is doing the shoot. It is precisely because of this that the violence in 'Satya' does not appear to be mindless to you.
JV What was your motive behind making 'Satya'?
RGV Saurabh, Anurag and myself have written the story of 'Satya'. In 'Satya', I have tried to probe into the mind-set of a person who is forced to take to the world of crime unwittingly. Making 'Satya' was a process of self discovery for me.
JV In what way do you feel 'Satya' has been a different experience for you as a filmmaker?
RGV In Satya, I have not tried to be exhibitionistic. I am not trying to show my technical talent or acumen in terms of photography. 'Satya' has evolved out of the emotional content in the film. As far as my other films including 'Rangeela' was concerned, the form and the technique was fixed first and then I tried to mould my story around them. It was a reverse pattern as far as 'Satya' was concerned because I was moved by the story and the complexity of the relationships of my various characters.
JV What is your perception of a gangster today?
RGV To me, a gangster today is just a strategist. I do not think he is a physical guy anymore. It is not necessary that he should fight with five people with bare hands. It is more on a planning level that he shows violence. Unlike in 'Deewar' where Amitabh Bachchan had to prove his mettle by fighting with ten people, today he gets the job done.
JV What exactly went wrong with 'Daud'?
RGV I totally blame myself for the 'Daud' debacle. The script writer and the actors trusted me. They thought I knew what was happening and enjoyed their individual scenes immensely. Everyone who saw the film thought that the film was a fantastic presentation. Till the audience told me otherwise. I assumed that everything was okay with the film. In a film like 'Satya', which runs on an emotional hook, I could detect a flaw here or there, but with 'Daud', it was difficult for me to prevent getting carried away. I lost track of the film completely as it progressed. The problem in 'Daud' was that there was no emotional hook in the film unlike say in 'Rangeela'.
JV As a director, do you allow improvisations by actors?
RGV Basically, I love to watch actors perform in front of the camera and hence I allow a lot of improvisations by them. But at times, it may go overboard too because I enjoy them. When you get entertained, it is difficult for you to be objective as a director.
JV You have cast Chakravarthy in 'Satya'. Why?
RGV Chakravarthy has the kind of face which is very vulnerable and at the same time he has the unique ability to look very violent, which the script demanded. His presence is very volatile and strong and he has a certain depth in his face. Moreover, I have already worked with him in 'Shiva' and a couple of Telugu movies.
JV Why did you throw Mahima Chaudhry out of 'Satya' and replace her with Urmila?
RGV I did not throw Mahima out. We parted mutually because I realised that I needed a more established actress like Urmila because 'Satya' was essentially a love story set against a backdrop of violence and underworld.



  Comments and Compliments  

This section contains comments and compliments of the 'industrywallahs' for the film 'Satya' and its crew.
The following letters/notes are electronic re-productions of the actual letters received:


To,
Mr. Manoj Bajpai.
I saw 'SATYA'. Too good you were.
Priyadarshan (Film Director)

Dear Manoj,

I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your fantastic performance in the movie "Satya". I was greatly impressed with it !

With 35 movies under my banner and the kind of films and performances I have seen, I have never seen anyone else perform so naturally and so very down-to-earth !

I wish in the near future, we can work together

Here's wishing you all the best !

R. Kayanaraman (Mohan) [Producer - Shogun Films]





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