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NAYAK - THE REAL HERO (2001)
Written and Directed By Shankar
Music: A.R. Rahman Starring: Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever Running Time: 186 Minutes
CineRating: 8.5 out of 10
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A wacky and scathing comedy that takes a generous bite out of political corruption, Shankar's Nayak suggests nothing less than Mr. Smith Goes to Washington crossed with Dave and Bulworth by way of Tsui Hark. Angry, heartfelt, but above all, giddily entertaining, Nayak may well be the most rambunctious political satire since Stephen Frears' Sammie and Rosie Get Laid (1987).
Anil Kapoor plays Shivaji Rao, a cameraman for Q-TV who gets caught in the middle of an angry showdown between students and bus drivers that quickly escalates into a full-scale riot. Shivaji witnesses the police on the phone to Chief Minister Balraj Chauhan (Amrish Puri), who advises them to do absolutely nothing rather than risk alienating any group of his constituents. After Shivaji saves a wounded student's life by carrying him to a hospital, he is promoted to the status of TV reporter and given the assignment to interview the Chief Minister himself on live TV. When Shivaji paints the C.M. into a corner by citing his regime's numerous failures and providing video proof that he allowed the riot to continue unabated, the C.M. erupts in indignity and challenges Shivaji to spend a day in his shoes by taking over the post of Chief Minister. Much to Balraj's surprise, Shivaji accepts the offer. The C.M. and his lackeys believe that Shivaji's naievete and ineffectiveness will only make them look good in comparison, but Shivaji gives them much more than they bargained for when he uses his day in office to crack down on the government's widespread corruption.
From the film's opening scenes, when we meet a goofy cameraman (hyperactive comedian Johnny Lever) who can't help but shout out the word "eunuch!" whenever someone pokes him on his weak spot, and who uses a fan to literally blow away the annoying geezer who wants him to marry his daughter, it's clear that director Shankar (Jeans) is aiming less at the banal realism of your typical political potboiler, and more at knee-slapping comedic hijinx and the contemporary quasi-fairytale quality of something like Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie. Displaying a mastery of his medium that rivals that of Jeunet, Tsui Hark and Baz Luhrman, Shankar brings together a hodgepodge of Bollywood-style romanticism, Hollywood pop-culture satire, and Hong Kong kineticism. And for three-plus hours -- from animated snake people, to gun-toting scarecrows, to a naked, mud-covered hero who dispatches a gang of attackers in pure Matrix-style -- the film manages to gleefully succeed at all three.
A remake of Shankar's own Tamil-language boxoffice smash Mudhalvan (which some critics consider to be the superior film), Nayak keeps its tongue firmly planted in cheek for the most part, but at times also manages to be rousingly earnest in its scorching indictment of political corruption and how its well-intentioned hero must sacrifice the promise of a peaceful family life and eventually his own ideals in order to combat the government's moral decay. While there isn't much here in the way of political context that hasn't been said before, Shankar's execution is mindblowingly eclectic, particularly in the song-and-dance numbers (featuring ear-catching music by A.R. Rahman), which at times border on the surreal (the standout being "Tu Achcha Lagta Hai", featuring dancing sunflowers and scarecrows), and at other times are so lively and amusing that you almost feel like a heel for not jumping up and singing along.
Anil Kapoor gives one of his finest performances as the Jimmy Stewart-like everyman, whose easygoing affability and high moral standards inevitably lead him toward disaster in an institution where graft is the rule of life. As Manjari, the simple village girl who catches Shivaji's eye and eventually his heart, Rani Mukherjee (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) is quite charming in a limited role and dazzling during the song-and-dance numbers. Paresh Rawal, as the C.M. advisor who quickly switches allegiances when Shivaji reawakens his sense of duty, and Amrish Puri as the larger-than-life villain, both leave their distinctive imprints.
Shankar's manic approach to cinema is not without its pratfalls, as his constant use of sped-up motion and whip pans inevitably wears out its welcome. And some comic scenes, such as the one in which a C.M. lackey is tricked into spilling the beans by the threat of having his leg cut off, simply fall flat from overkill. But when a director throws in the kitchen sink with this much imagination and unbridled enthusiasm, it's almost a sin not to forgive the occasionally missed targets.
The DVD for Nayak delivers a colorful and reasonably sharp letterboxed picture, but suffers from some jumpy frames. The English subtitles will not appear in the 16:9 mode.
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DVD Specs:
Video Sound DVD
All Regions
Removable English Subs (partial subs for the songs)
No Extras
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