Indu Sarkar movie review: Bhandarkar's Emergency era tale is backed with impressive dialogues, performances

After much of a controversy over its release, Madhur Bhandarkar's much talked about political drama 'Indu Sarkar' has finally hit the theatres on July 28. The movie has been mired in controversies since the time it was announced because of its concept as it turn back the pages of emergency era of 1970's giving a riveting account of what all happened at that time.

With a star cast of Kirti Kulhari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Parvin Dabbas, Tota Roy Chowdhury and Supriya Vinod in key roles, the expectation are indeed high from 'Indu Sarkar'. And seems like it is somehow standing true on all the expectations.

The Madhur Bhandarkar directorial is being appreaciated for its crowd-pleasing, impressive dialogues. Although, it is Kirti Kulhari who is carrying the responsibility of the movie on her shoulders, the  performances by Neil Nitin Mukesh and Tota Roy Chowdhury are grabbing all the attention.

Indeed, all the buzz surrounding the movie has created a sense of curiousity regarding 'Indu Sarkar' review. So before you grab your ticket for the movie, we bring you a quick review of what the leading dailies have to say about this Madhur Bhandarkar's directorial.

Here's 'Indu Sarkar' movie review:

Indian Express: The smartest thing about the film is its name. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was also known as Indu (only a favoured few could address her thus). First name Indu surname Sarkar (Kirti Kulhari) is an ordinary Indian woman with extraordinary courage and tenacity. Neil Nitin Mukesh makes a meal of the part. The resemblance of the actor to the person is eerie: the pushed back hair, the thick rimmed glasses, and that thin smile, instantly make you remember the man who was the power behind the throne. Being forced into hiding fact and passing it off as fiction weakens the film. Indu has an interesting back story, and her romance and marriage with an ambitious civil servant, the very sarkaari Sarkar (Tota Roy Chowdhury) is a nice early diversion. Indu is both an insider and outsider. Kriti Kulhari works hard at getting into her character, and her earnestness is a good fit. But she’s made to do too much, and the others around her too little. Some balance, and a sharper perspective would have made Indu Sarkar the what-happened-during-the-Emergency-film for this generation.

Scroll.in: Indu Sarkar is a valuable addition to a slim catalogue of films about the excesses of the period even though it lacks the political insights of the better works about the Emergency. Indu’s awakening is a personal one, spurred more by her concern for the children than deepening political understanding. Indu Sarkar is nowhere near Sudhir Mishra’s Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in terms of understanding the rich and complex politics of the 1970s. The opposition to Indira and Sanjay Gandhi is reduced to a handful of activists, and budget constraints ensure that the scale of the resistance is underreported. Bhandarkar’s favoured canvas is the underbelly of Mumbai, and in Indu Sarkar, he finds that the grubby-handed culture of India’s financial capital also thrives in its political capital. This film is yet another Madhur Bhandarkar chronicle of corruption in high places.

Firstpost: One expects a film like Indu Sarkar to have a strong impact. And it builds up like that — before fizzling out. On seeing it, one understands what director Madhur Bhandarkar meant when he said it's '70 percent fiction and 30 percent truth'. The fuss made around the film in the run-up to its release also becomes a little difficult to comprehend — it certainly doesn't show anything we didn't already know about. The title of the film worked in its favour, as one was led to believe that the film was about Indira Gandhi's government, whereas it's really about Kirti Kulhari's character. Bhandarkar overdoes the symbolism in some places — which perhaps is the director's trademark. The film, very vaguely, seems to be made through a right-wing lens. Moreover, if he wanted to make a fictional story with a female protagonist, then he should have created a more powerful setting for her. The intensity of Indu gets lost amid all the attention given to the Emergency. In summation, great performances by Tota Roy Chowdhury and Neil Nitin Mukesh, but certainly not Kirti Kulhari's best act yet.

Times Of India:  Indu Sarkar is at its best when it focuses on its protagonist's emotional struggles and dilemmas, leaving the politics behind. Indu and Navin’s story by itself is far more palatable than the elaborate political schemes surrounding them. Kirti Kulhari shoulders the responsibility of the central role with a lot of earnestness and keeps you interested. Tota Roy Chowdhury makes for a good foil to Indu. With Indu Sarkar, Bhandarkar drops most gimmicks and turns the page. But he is still far from Page 3.