Review of Satya

Introduction

The ultimate in modern gangster fare, this moody, murky, murderous film is a cult classic of film noir, an almost mythical production that chronicles the rise and fall of a Tapori gang in the slums of Mumbai. Now on DVD in its uncut format from media Hindi house EROS & Indian DVD kingpins DEI (Digital Entertainment Inc.) does the DVD quality lived upto the expectations?

Video

The film is presented in a widescreen format of 1.90:1 cropped from its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The DVD suffers slightly from cropping as the director`s original vision is not preserved. But the limited frame does managed to cover a reasonable area of picture. Still it would have improved viewing if the film was presented in its original aspect ratio, in an anamorphic transfer.

While limited in scope the DVD does perfectly reproduced images and levels of details that is quite good. The picture shows no major signs of any artefact or of grain. The overall images is quite sharp and clear, detailing neat picture information with no distortion. Wear and tear on the print is no where to be found as it was done when the film first released on cinema back in 1998. There are some minor moments of shimmering but they won`t affect viewing as much.

Dark levels and contrast are spot on displaying many shades of light only seen on the DVD format due to its high resolution capabilities. Also colour reproduction is very well handled.

The DVD is very good for a non-anamorphic picture.

Audio

The sound is presented in its original format, Dolby Digital 5.1. The mix is fantastic and works in all modes of sound levels; from active to subtle moments without any sound distortion. Your LFE channel will also come to life with the bombs and gun sequences that the film has.

The sound mix also produces brilliant sound effects that are contained in a well endowed soundfield enabling your set-up to work wonders. Sandeep Chowta`s work really shines on this DVD.

Features

Menus are also rather neat. Some might find that more could have been placed into it, but as the film was released very quickly onto DVD DEI probably didn`t have enough time to work on it some more. Still they are animated and are very easy to navigate. There are no extras on this DVD, not even a cinema trailer which would have been nice. But the film does have a high average bit rate which contains plenty of picture information giving the DVD quality and less space on the disc.

Conclusion

Satya is three hours of stunning, shocking film that realistically, grimly portrays the insidious crime cartel that grows to omnipotent power. This film is unlike the hallmark gangster films of the past. It relies on no proven formula but tells its story in visual vignettes for which Manoj Bajpai`s almost mythic presence is the mortar that holds the movie together just as it does his gang members.

The film incorporates many of the gangster myths and reality and are balanced out very well here to satisfy many audience members.

All of the leads are stupendous in their unforgettable roles, as are the supporting players. But Manoj Bajpai as Bheeku comes out on full form in this film in which he completely dominates. Also a mention must go to the commendable performance from Telegu actor J.D. Chakravarthy, in which Satya is his first HIndi film.

This film could be Ram Gopal Varma`s masterpiece as he synthesizes elements of scale, narrative, casting, and style. The film is a massive, many-faceted film that continues to hold up, viewing after viewing. The narrative structure is incredibly complex, with the characters` paths intersecting and sometimes intertwining and, as their personal brutality increases.

Songs are well composed by Vishal, but the background music score that Sandeep Chowta gives, is truly mesmerizing. A well made film for an intelligent and intellectual audience.

The DVD does have a presence of quality in the audio and visual sections. But it could have improved more so if the picture was presented in its original aspect ratio, and if the transfer was anamorphic. Still the DVD has its plus points too!