RGV goofs up again

Satya 2
Hindi (A) ¬¬
Cast: Punit Singh Ratn, Mahesh Thakur, Amitriyaan, others
Director: Ram Gopal Varma

Interesting story? Check. Documentary-style filmmaking? Check. Characters in all hues of grey, plus more? Check. Talented actors? Check. Captivating camera work? Check. So what’s wrong? It’s Ram Gopal Varma and his less-than-mediocre implementation of a film whose subject, as he has shown time and again, he has a keen understanding in.

For those who have seen and appreciated Satya, the first 20-odd minutes of the new one would seem like a copy-paste job. The comparison thankfully ends there, at least for the moment, because it returns in the end.

This Satya, another RGV anti-hero coming to Mumbai with a dream to rule it, is different. Punit Singh Ratn may have the same bearded, scowling countenance as Chakravarthy, but his character is way more developed psychologically. Ratn shows promise, but can fulfil them the day he improves his dialogue delivery.

The story was clear from the previews. What wasn’t clear was why, and how. The second question is explained in some detail in the second half, and helps answer the first question. However, what no one seems to ask is why, or how, Satya’s love interest, a supposed village belle, knows dance moves that could shame item girls.

More than once do the non-crime sub-plots drag down the film’s pace. Also missing is a sense of inevitability in climax. The same goes for the gritty realism that marked the original. And all these factors can be attributed to the absence of a stalwart like Saurabh Shukla and the uber-talented Anurag Kashyap in the story and writing departments, which had added immensely to Satya’s success.

So what do you take away from Satya 2? The substance is there, like some excellent use of darkness, a few talented fresh faces, and the narration in Makrand Deshpande’s every-man voice.

But they are overshadowed by a combination of some really slack direction, jarring and recycled background music, huge plot holes and several howlers, like a person writhing in pain while being electrocuted, while his interrogator stands unaffected, despite clutching a fistful of his hair. It’s yet another letdown of a promising premise from RGV’s self-titled Factory.