Shakti: The Power Explained

Shakti: The Power
Based On:Anthapuram (1998) by Krishna Vamsi
Starring:Karisma Kapoor
Shah Rukh Khan
Nana Patekar
Sanjay Kapoor
Director:Krishna Vamsi
Producer:Boney Kapoor
Sridevi Kapoor
Cinematography:Sethu Sriram
Distributor:Eros International
Editing:Shrish Kunder
Runtime:177 minutes
Country:India
Language:Hindi
Studio:Sridevi Productions
Gross:[1]

Shakti: The Power is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed by Krishna Vamsi, starring Karisma Kapoor, Nana Patekar, and Sanjay Kapoor in leading roles, with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepti Naval, Ritu Shivpuri, Anupam Shyam, and Prakash Raj, in supporting roles.[2] The film is a remake of the 1998 film Anthahpuram, which was based on the real-life story of Betty Mahmoody.[3] [4] The original story of real life escape of the Betty Mahmoody is depicted in the film Not Without My Daughter (1991) which itself was based on Betty Mahmoody's book of the same name. In the film, Shekhar and Nandini's decision to visit his ancestral house in a rural Indian town goes awry when they find themselves embroiled in a feudal gang war and try to return home to Canada.

Shakti: The Power is considered to be one of Karisma Kapoor's career-best performances; with her and Patekar's performances being lauded by fans and critics.[4] Despite this, it did not fare well commercially as expected.

At the 48th Filmfare Awards, Shakti: The Power received 2 nominations – Best Actress (Kapoor) and Best Villain (Patekar).

Plot

Nandini is a carefree young woman who lives happily with her guardian in Canada. She is introduced to Shekhar, and they get married quite spontaneously. They are expecting a child soon. One day, Shekhar learns that his family is in trouble in India. Nandini is confused, as she believed that he was an orphan, but Shekhar explains to her that his family belongs to an extremely feudal society, and unable to bear the factions and violence in the community, he migrated to Canada. They decided to travel to India to assess the situation.

The couple arrives in Shekhar's hometown in Bihar, where his father, Narasimha, is an influential man with rustic habits who doesn't find Nandini to be traditional enough for his son. Nandini is uncomfortable with the casual approach to violence that she and her son Raja see in the household. Narasimha's wife is a kind-hearted person who takes care of Shekhar, Nandini, and Raja. She requests them to remain in India for a few more days to celebrate Shekhar's birthday, and during this time Shekhar is killed by Narasimha's rivals. Nandini is distraught and tries to take her son Raja away from this madness and violence, but Narasimha stops her from doing so. He says Raja must be raised traditionally to avenge his father's death, and if needed, Nandini can leave the town by leaving her son behind. Nandini refuses to allow this, and, with the help of Narasimha's family members, she escapes from the house with her son. Jai Singh, a petty thief and drifter, helps Nandini evade Narasimha's man to board a train to Jaipur. Jai is killed in the midst of violence while trying to protect Nandini and her son. Narasimha continues to pursue Nandini but ultimately allows her and the child Raja to leave after emotionally interacting with his grandson.

Cast

Production

The film was produced by then-retired actress Sridevi (Sanjay Kapoor's sister-in-law) under the banner Sridevi Productions and was supposed to be her comeback film, but she had to find a replacement when she found out she was pregnant. She initially offered her role to Kajol, but she rejected it so Karisma Kapoor was signed instead.[5] Fardeen Khan was the original choice for Sanjay Kapoor's role and the film was originally titled Vaapsi.[6]

Music

Shakti: The Power
Type:Soundtrack album
Artist:Ismail Darbar and Anu Malik
Released:24 August 2002
Genre:Feature film soundtrack
Label:Tips Industries

The songs were composed by Ismail Darbar and the lyrics were written by Mehboob. Anu Malik composed one song and Sameer Anjaan wrote the lyrics for song ''Ishq Kameena''.

Title Singer(s) Length
1"Dil Ne Pukara Hai"Alka Yagnik, Adnan Sami06:27
2"Dumroo Baje"Sukhwinder Singh06:15
3"Hum Tum Mile – Male"Adnan Sami05:37
4"Hum Tum Mile – Female"Kavita Krishnamurthy06:10
5"Ishq Kamina"Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam05:26
6"Jhoomti Gataon Mein"Mohammad Salamat07:35
7"Mere Munna Raja"Anuradha Paudwal05:05
8"Aye Chand Dil Ke"Kavita Krishnamurthy06:57
9"Jhoomati Ghata Mein"Instrumental06:29

Reception

A critic from Rediff.com wrote that "Faced with a regressive audience such as ours, I have one question: did this film need to be made?"[7] Derek Elley of Variety wrote that "Strikingly lensed in the wild semi-deserts of Rajasthan, and anchored by a finely shaded performance from Nana Patekar as the patriarchal father-in-law, film swings between believable realism and Bollywood formulae to rocky results".[8] Majorie Baumgarten of Austin Chronicle wrote that "the film is a gripping drama that is full of memorable faces, emotions, and conflicts between the old ways and the new".[9]

Box office

Shakti: The Power grossed in India and $1.35 million (6.54 crore) in other countries, for a worldwide total of, against its budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of, and grossed in its first week.[1] It is the 13th-highest-grossing film of 2002 worldwide.[10]

India

It opened on Friday, 20 September 2002, across 285 screens, and earned nett on its opening day. It grossed nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of nett. The film earned a total of nett, and was declared "Flop" by Box Office India.[1] It is the 20th-highest-grossing film of 2002 in India.[11]

Overseas

It had an opening weekend of $565,000 (2.74 crore) and went on to gross $770,000 (3.73 crore) in its first week. The film earned a total of $1.35 million (6.54 crore) at the end of its theatrical run.[1] Overseas, It is the 5th-highest-grossing film of 2002.[12]

Awards

Category Nominees Result
Star Screen Award for Best ActressKarisma Kapoorrowspan="3"
Filmfare Award for Best Actress
Filmfare Award for Best VillainNana Patekar[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shakti: The Power Box office. Box Office India. 22 July 2015. 22 July 2015. 8 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151108121849/http://boxofficeindia.com/Movies/movie_detail/shakthi__the_power#.VcCx79yqqkp. dead.
  2. Web site: Shakti – The Power Cast & Crew. https://web.archive.org/web/20120426034409/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/cast/id/510587. dead. 26 April 2012. Bollywood Hungama.
  3. Web site: Karisma back with 'Shakti – The Power'. The Tribune. 20 September 2002. 2 February 2012.
  4. Web site: Bollywood remakes of South Indian films. NDTV. 22 December 2008.
  5. Web site: Karishma flexs her muscles in Shakti – the power. Rediff.com. September 2002. 2 February 2012.
  6. Web site: Shakthi: The Power (2002) – IMDb. .
  7. Web site: Run Lolo Run. Verma. Sukanya. 20 September 2002. Rediff.com.
  8. Web site: Shakti: The Power. 2 October 2002. Derek. Elley. Variety.
  9. Web site: Shakti: The Power. 4 October 2002. Austin Chronicle. Majorie. Baumgarten .
  10. Web site: Top Worldwide Grossers 2002. Box Office India. 22 July 2015. 22 July 2015.
  11. Web site: Top India Total Nett Gross 2002. Box Office India. 22 July 2015. 22 July 2015.
  12. Web site: Top Overseas Gross 2002. Box Office India. 22 July 2015. 22 July 2015.
  13. Web site: Awards 2002 – Filmfare Awards. dead. https://archive.today/20120716185857/http://filmfareawards.indiatimes.com/articleshow/33453439.cms. 16 July 2012. 18 April 2012. The Times of India.