Cast: Vijay, Keerthy Suresh, Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar, Prem Kumar Yogi, Radha Ravi
Director: A R Murugudoss
A.R. Murugudoss, one of the finest directors down South, he joins hands with Tamil superstar Vijay for Sarkar. Though Vijay does not have many fans in the Telugu states, Murugudoss is popular. However, his Telugu Mahesh Babu-starrer Spyder bombed at the box-office.
Sundar (Vijay), CEO of a top company in the US, comes to India to vote but finds that someone has voted in his name. He succeeds in getting the court to countermand the elections and there are fresh polls. The Chief Minister aspirant takes Sundar but fails. The CM’s daughter (Varalakshmi Sarath Kumar) comes down to India to fight Sundar. This sets the stage for the rest of the film.
Murugudoss is known for his films with a social message like Ramana, Thupaki, Stalin and Katthi. His last film, Spyder, a bi-lingual in Telugu and Tamil with Mahesh Babu flopped. He now tries to make a political point. Sarkar also has Vijay conveying his political intentions.
Murugudoss works on the point that a voter can approach court if his or her vote is cast by someone else. The first half is very interesting with high political drama and Vijay does well. In the second half, Murugudoss takes a cinematic approach and this comes as a big letdown. Murugdoss completely concentrates on Vijay’s role, so the female lead doesn't get a properly etched out role. Some scenes are reminiscent of a few recent political films.
Sarkar actually reflects Tamil politics, but when they dubbed it into Telugu the film-makers insert Andhra Pradesh and mentioned 175 Assembly seats. The character of Vijay can be compared to that of Pawan Kalyan, who says he wants to question the government.
Vijay steals the show with his mannerisms and dialogues. Keerthy Suresh is there for a few songs and for a few scenes. Varalakshmi once again shows her talent in a negative role after Pandem Kodi 2. She has a meaty role and dubs her lines in Telugu which is a good thing. Radha Ravi is terrific as a politician. The cinematography is excellent and A.R. Rahman’s background score is good. The songs are just okay. Ram Lakshman leave a mark on the film with the action scenes.
