Ramesh Sippy's 'Shakti' follows the tried and tested clichéd formula of a cop drama. In a way it's like Yash Chopra's 'Deewar' except that this time it is between father and son instead of two brothers. The execution is quite poor but not as bad as most of the 80's mainstream cinema. The cinematography is flat and the editing is terrible. 'Shakti' is one of those films that REALLY needed strong editing. The movie drags on and on for hours when it could have easily been tightened.
Amitabh Bachchan is stiff and downright bad in many scenes, especially in the final sequence which is unintentionally hilarious. His best scenes are those with Rakhee and Smita Patil (minus the drunken sequence - which was another example of bad acting). For the most part, Dilip Kumar does the best with what he's given but he too has his moments of bad acting. In all fairness to him, his role itself was terribly written. Amrish Puri and Kulbushan Kharbanda are quite. Smita Patil's Roma isn't much of a challenge for a good actress but Patil plays her with grace, poise and sincerity.
Rakhee is a revelation. She was known in the 80s for playing the typical mother roles but in 'Shakti' she is the only actor who manages to draw sympathy from the viewer. A mother and wife so torn between her husband and son that it takes a serious toll on her health but even that doesn't resolve the conflict between Ashwini and Vijay. The actress downplays her part with élan and this is perhaps one of her best and most underrated performance.
To sum it up, 'Shakti' is a poorly made movie. The story is filled with plot holes. It has two beautiful songs, namely 'Huumne Sanam Ko Khat Likha' and 'Jaane Kaisa Kab', that are well visualized. However, it leaves a lot to be desired.
Amitabh Bachchan is stiff and downright bad in many scenes, especially in the final sequence which is unintentionally hilarious. His best scenes are those with Rakhee and Smita Patil (minus the drunken sequence - which was another example of bad acting). For the most part, Dilip Kumar does the best with what he's given but he too has his moments of bad acting. In all fairness to him, his role itself was terribly written. Amrish Puri and Kulbushan Kharbanda are quite. Smita Patil's Roma isn't much of a challenge for a good actress but Patil plays her with grace, poise and sincerity.
Rakhee is a revelation. She was known in the 80s for playing the typical mother roles but in 'Shakti' she is the only actor who manages to draw sympathy from the viewer. A mother and wife so torn between her husband and son that it takes a serious toll on her health but even that doesn't resolve the conflict between Ashwini and Vijay. The actress downplays her part with élan and this is perhaps one of her best and most underrated performance.
To sum it up, 'Shakti' is a poorly made movie. The story is filled with plot holes. It has two beautiful songs, namely 'Huumne Sanam Ko Khat Likha' and 'Jaane Kaisa Kab', that are well visualized. However, it leaves a lot to be desired.