Sarkar Movie Review: Hero Vijay shines in unimpressive Diwali release

It's films like Sarkar that keep reminding us how our brand of cinema is entirely different from the general perception worldwide. If a film can be considered good if it succeeds in meeting all the goals it sets for itself, then Sarkar is a winner because its only mission seems to be selling Vijay as the other political prospect of Tamil Nadu - even if it means sacrificing the form. It is shockingly surprising that director AR Murugadoss has cut a lot of slack in his cinema to incorporate the hero that is 'Thalapathy' Vijay.

Sarkar is a propaganda film in many ways but here the filmmaker is not selling an ideology but a hero; a brand called Vijay, and it is safe to say that he succeeds. Sarkar is the kind of film that Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan would have done eventually, but Vijay pulled the trigger first.

But Sarkar fails as far as cinema is concerned. The story, which has been making a lot of noise over the past few months, opens with NRI Sundar Ramaswamy (Vijay) the CEO of American corporate company GL, coming to India. His arrival is news. It sends chills down the spine of all the domestic corporate companies because he is a 'corporate monster' known for hostile takeovers and dissolving competitors. But the purpose of his visit is to cast his vote and return that very day. The twist is that his vote has already been cast by someone illegally.

The fight for his one vote takes Sundar on a journey that changes the fate of the state.

There is very little happening in Sarkar even till the interval. Apart from the 'massy' fight sequences which are compulsively in slow-mo, pleading the audience to hoot and whistle, not much is going on. There is very little drama in the film. Real-life politician Pala Karuppiah as the villain Masilamani doesn't look all that great as it sounds, but his daughter Papa (Varalaxmi) turns out be the only interesting character in Sarkar.

Keerthy Suresh as Nila is actually the third wheel in the romance that goes on between Vijay and his fans. She is omnipresent but has no reason to be so. It is one of the terribly-underwritten roles for a heroine in recent times. As Vijay fans drool over their star, she drools along with them, and our hero doesn't give two hoots about her.

After a point, Sarkar looks like a stretch of Vijay's speeches - on issues that range from Tamil Nadu fishermen to Jallikattu to freebies to what not - knitted one after the other in a weak narrative.

Coming to the only thing the film seems to care about - Vijay. He is, without a doubt, suave. AR Murugadoss seems to know the alchemy of making Vijay look his charismatic best. He is on top of his game when it comes to the dance numbers and sending goons up in the air, but fails to invoke empathy. His emotional segments don't do much to the viewer. But the film is not about his performance. For Vijay, Sarkar is something beyond box office, acting and success; it is an announcement... that he is very much in the game of thrones.

Vijay's big Diwali release Sarkar serves only its hero. Watch it for Vijay. There's not much more than that in the film, says our review.

2.5 stars out of 5 for Sarkar.

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