Shakthi: The Power (2002)

A couple visits the husband's family in India and finds itself in the middle of a fratricidal battle.

Director:

Krishna Vamsi

Writers:

Krishna Vamsi (screenplay), Kamal Pandey (dialogue)

Stars:

Karisma Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Sanjay Kapoor

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Karisma Kapoor	...	Nandini
Nana Patekar	...	Narasimha
Sanjay Kapoor	...	Shekhar
Jai Gidwani	...	Raja
Shah Rukh Khan	...	Jaisingh (Drifter)
Deepti Naval	...	Shekhar's mother
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan	...	Dream Girl (as Aishwarya Rai)
Vijay Raaz	...	Beeja
Tiku Talsania	...	Nandini's uncle
Jaspal Bhatti	...	Nandini's uncle
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Prabhu Deva	...	Special Appearance
Divya Dutta	...	Shekhars sister
Chandrakant Gokhale
Chris Ippolito	...	Dancer
Prakash Raj

Storyline

Settled in Canada, of Indian origin, Nandini and Shekhar live a fairly harmoniously and busy lifestyle with their young child. While Nandini has family in Canada, Shekhar has no one to call his own. Then one day there is breaking news of violence in India, and that's when Shekhar asks Nandini to accompany him to India as he fears that his parents may have been in killed. Nandini is shocked to find out that Shekhar does have family, but had never discussed this with her, nevertheless she accompanies him. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Shekhar's uncle and cousin, and it is then that this young couple learn that they have entered a war between the two families - a war that they and their child may not survive.

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Plot Keywords:

village | tough guy | family relationships | cigarette smoking | railroad track | 

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Taglines:

Story of a spirited woman whose child was taken away

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Zootrope Films [France]

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi English

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (India)

Also Known As:

The Power

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$171,672

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sridevi Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally titled "Vaapsi".

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Connections

Version of Not Without My Daughter (1991)

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Soundtracks

Hum Tum Miley
Written by Mehboob
Composed by Ismail Darbar
Performed by Adnan Sami
Courtesy of Tips Cassettes & Records Co.

User Reviews

An insane moviegoing experience; possibly the death of cinema

Seeing this movie was the most fun I've had at the cinema in a long time. However, I am not able to say whether this is a good or a bad film, because such simple qualifications simply cannot be applied. This picture has everything any movie could ever have. It has characteristics of a romantic comedy, a political commentary, a thriller, a drama, an action movie, a musical, and an absurdist self-conscious art film. It's all in there, adding up to a myth.

The basic premise is about an Indian couple, Nandini (Karishma Kapoor) and Shekhar (Sanjay Kapoor), happily living in Canada, who rush to India to visit the husband's parents after a disturbing news report. The rest of the story takes place in India, where the couple find themselves in the midst of a plot of fratricidal violence. At one point, the story borrows from "Not without my baby," but to call Shakti a remake of anything would be an injustice.

The ostensible story line takes a backseat to a number of astonishing interruptions, including Shah Rukh Khan's dream of Aishwarya Rai which comes as if out of another movie. In fact, the two stars are on all the posters, but they appear really late in the film, and only Shah Rukh ends up being a real character. Yet he makes up for it with a spirited and truly unexpected performance.

Karishma Kapoor is the one with most work to do in this film, and she does an admirable job, having to link up the film's twists and turns with a show of believable emotion. Another notable presence is Nana Patekar, who plays Narsimha, the tyrannical father of the husband Shekhar. Nana Patekar dominates every scene he's in with a scary but nuanced character.

The movie is not without its share of realism. Violence is rampant, but truly disturbing in the abuse received by most of the female characters, with Karishma getting soundly beaten on a number of occasions. At times, this violence is clearly disturbing but ultimately it becomes surreal as every dramatic sequence is usually followed by such comic and spectacular turns that the overall effect is nothing but cathartic.

I have seen a share of Bollywood releases, and the mixing of genres and incredible plot resolutions are certainly their norm. But "Shakti" raises the bar by absorbing an even greater masala without becoming ridiculous. It is a film that achieves the grandeur of a Shakespearian tragedy, where the audience of the rabble and royalty is equally entertained. It is pure, gratuitous cinema, and the director Krishna Vamsi must have had a dream of a good time by throwing in every trick in the book. Perhaps, the all-important message of violence begetting violence and the inspiring extents of motherly love were not the thoughts on my mind, but I came out of watching "Shakti" exhilarated. Making movies can be the most fun in the world!