Satyagraha

<p>Retired teacher and ex-principal Dwarka Anand ( ) in is an idealistic man who lives with his engineer son Akhilesh and daughter-in-law Sumitra. Akhilesh’s friend Manav ( ) is an ambitious capitalist. Manav cherishes his friend Akhilesh ( ) who suddenly dies in a road accident maliciously conducted by Sangram Singh, brother of Minister Balram Singh ( ), who, unknown to all of India, is the mastermind behind Akhilesh’s murder. Balram Singh announces compensation, which Akhilesh’s wife Sumitra ( ) cannot get in spite of submitting daily applications in the government office. Incensed, Dwarka slaps the and is imprisoned. Manav starts a campaign to free him, using social media, roping in Arjun Singh ( ) and journalist Yasmin ( ). As hopeful students, hungry laborers and angry middle-class citizens join in the agitation, politicians start panicking. Eventually, Dwarka Anand gets freedom after the DM takes his complaint back under pressure from Balram Singh. Dwarka Anand gives a notice of 30 days to the government to clear all pending claims in the entire district. After a series of dramatic events, he goes on a hunger strike and asks the government to bring an ordinance in the district. Meanwhile, Lal Bahadur, a youth, commits suicide to support the agitation. During his cortege, four policemen brutally get killed by the mob. Soon after this, riots break out, forcing Balram Singh to send paramilitary force. His henchman shoot Dwarka Anand who dies in Manav’s lap, requesting the public to stop the riots. Balram Singh is then caught by the police. Manav and Arjun decide to construct a regional party to eliminate corruption and reconstruct the system for the common welfare. The story starring , based on social activist , was shot mainly in and . The hi-tech news studio set was built in Bhopal as it offered more space. (village of ), a village in with a population of 2,500 people, was one of the main shooting locations. Bachchan plays a man who is a firm believer of truth, akin to a new age , while Ajay plays an ambitious entrepreneur who represents the philosophy of modern India. Manoj Bajpayee plays the role of a wily politician who uses every means to break the system. Shooting of began in February 2013 in Bhopal. After that, the production unit headed to Ralegan Siddhi. Amitabh Bachchan stayed at the heritage Noor-Us-Sabah Palace Hotel, whose Gauhar Taj suite was being renovated. was also shot at the IES College campus, Bhopal. It was speculated that the film more than just touches upon the 2G spectrum case that rocked the nation. Prakash Jha had a small presence in the film. The soundtrack of is composed by , Aadesh Shrivastava, and Meet Bros Anjan, while the lyrics penned by . It was released on 27 July 2013. ‘s teaser trailer was released along with , which released on 31 May 2013. released on 30 August 2013 on more than 2,700 screens in India and occupied many multiplex screens in place of . The film was submitted for Censor certification on 8 August 2013. The film released in the UAE on 29 August 2013. received a 12A certificate by British censors on 23 August 2013; it was awarded an M certificate by Australian censors on 27 August. A book titled was released on 27 August by , and . The book, penned by writer Pooja Verma and published by Om Books International and priced at (equivalent to 1,700 or US$20 in 2023), was released on 1 September 2013. The book tells the story of the development of the film. Ajay Devgn and Prakash Jha promoted on . The star cast also promototed the show on various news channels like Aaj Tak, Zee News, ABP News, Times Now, CNN IBN, etc. The film was promoted in Mumbai and Delhi. A social action group, the Bhopal Citizens Forum (BCF) objected to the laying of a tar road and construction of a makeshift market at the historic 19th century Benazir Palace, the location of . The issue caught the attention of the National Monuments Authority (NMA) as well. Benazir Palace grounds come under the (GMC, ). The palace itself, not a protected monument, is held by the public works department (PWD). On 28 August 2013, refused to stay the film’s exhibition while hearing a suit filed by a producer claiming he was the original copyright owner of the movie’s title. The plea was to stop release of the film and sue for damages worth (equivalent to 420 million or US$5.0 million in 2023). The film received mixed reviews upon release. of rated it 4 out of 5 stars and stated that the film is an all-engrossing, compelling drama that mirrors the reality around us. Srijana Mitra Das of gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and said that ” deserves an extra half-star for capturing corruption from root to branch.” gave it 4 out of 5 stars and summarised that is “a timely wakeup call for a wounded nation”. also gave it 4 out 5. Joginder Tuteja gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Neha Gupta of the gave the film 4 stars and stated that conveys the uncontrollable anger and energy of a nation on the brink. Prathamesh Jadhav of DNA gave it 2.5 stars and concluded that it is a “predictable story spoon-fed with sincerity.” Sarita Tanwar of DNA India gave 2.5 stars and stated that is a bad script with good actors. Saurabh Dwivedi of gave it 2 stars and remarked that “despite choosing a hard-hitting topic other directors have managed to side step, Prakash Jha’s was lacking and managed to land right on top of a pile of weak stories.” of gave it 2 out 5 and opined that in , “Jha effectively meshes the urban angst witnessed on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook with the ground realities of India’s heartland, but the plot subsequently loses its way.” gave it 2 stars and felt that the impact is diluted by a plot that “lurches from one event to the next without giving us anything new”. Resham Sengar of Zee News gave it 2 out of 5 stars and wrote that is a mission left unaccomplished. Saibal Chatterjee of gave it 2.5 out 5, stating that parts of make perfect sense but, on the whole, “it never comes close to clicking into top gear. It leaves you more disappointed than angry.” Khalid Mohamed of the awarded it 2 stars and said that it offers nothing new either by way of content or style. Paloma Sharma of she gave the film 3 stars and stated that “Prakash Jha’s much-awaited political thriller, has a heart of gold.” She adds the story “attempts to speak about important issues but ends up over-simplifying them. Nevertheless, it is a good attempt.” Prasanna D Zore of gave it 3 star and stated that Prakash Jha’s is a terrible hodgepodge of Arakshan, Rajneeti and Gangaajal. Shubhra Gupta of rated the film just 1.5 stars. opened to an Average occupancy of around 40%. It collected around (equivalent to 190 million or US$2.3 million in 2023) nett on its first day. The movie was declared a by boxofficeindia.com. The 2 weeks overseas gross of film was (equivalent to 930 million or US$11 million in 2023).</p>