Ardha Satya: Rama Shetty = Hand pump, spreading poison all around
In continuation with the post Ardha Satya : Silver Jubilee remembrance–Part 1.
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Two things can easily be said about Ardha Satya or by taking clues from Ardha Satya
(1) Fine characterisation is the most beautiful aspect of Ardha Satya
(2) Good director never needs to use harsh back ground music or chanting of shlokas to
introduce a powerful character. Such gimmick is not needed.
It rarely happens that in a 2 hours film, one gets hardly 5-6 scenes consuming not more than 20 minutes, and still his presence is felt all over the film. Rama Shetty (RS) is that character in Ardha Satya and Sadashiv Amrapurkar has played the character with a great command over his craft of acting. Villain always remains an important part in such a story but rarely such a non dramatic villain was presented in the past, who could leave such a deep and long lasting impact on the audience.
Villains get powerful scenes and heavy dialogues which help them in establishing their impression on the audience. Villain has to be very powerful so when he is finished in the end then hero looks much bigger but RS defies all these norms.
When he is not physically present in a scene then mere mention of his name brings impact that a highly cunning and powerful person is present in the story. Before his first appearance on the screen his name is introduced to the audience and this is the power of writers and director that he is given a defined existence before he actually appears on the screen. His image is introduced by other characters Sub Inspector Anant Velankar (Om Puri) and Inspector Haider Ali (Shafi Inamdar).
AV reaches to Police Chowki and HA informs him that Rama Shetty had come to meet their boss.
AV has captured some gang members of RS.
HA tells AV that RS has left a message for him that he should meet him whenever he likes.
It’s a short conversation but apt dialogues and expressions of the two characters AV and HA, establishe the importance of RS in the story.
Rama Shetty is introduced by the conversation between HA and AV and through their expressions while they talk about him.
He is such a guy who could come to police station to meet higher level police officers and leave a message for a police officer, who has captured few of his gang members, to pay him a visit.
No dramatic scenes, no unusual get ups, no extraordinary and unusual kind of mannerisms so that audiences should start liking him and no powerful dialogues to support his larger than life character.
At best a mute RS looks like a small shop owner, wearing Dhoti and baniyan. But man has got such a substance in every moment of his presence in the film that he becomes a terror. Team of Writers and director had drawn the sketch of this character, Rama Shetty and Sadashiv Amrapurkar inserted the spirit in that character and made it alive and an interesting character to see on screen.
What a performance!!!
Shrewdness, cunningness of his character is visible through his eyes and practical smooth talking drops out of his mouth. Two contradictory feelings exist on his face. Eyes reflect his Wolf like cruel nature and Cat like cunningness and at same time his lips stretch in a smile and mouth delivers sweet talks to allure his enemy.
AV reaches at RS’s adda and though RS’s man has already informed him about AV but when AV enters in his room, RS does not take any notice and remains busy playing cards with a man.
After a few moments only when AV wants to declare about his arrival he lifts his face and looks at AV and says with a smile,”Aao saab aao”.
Since the very first moment of their face to face meeting, RS wants to show the reality to the AV. He wants AV to understand and accept his power so that he remains friendly with him.
Since begining, he plays psychological games with AV.
He praises AV’s devoted duty senses and honest nature but tries to make him realise this also that he did not do good by arresting his gang members.
The whole scene of their first meeting is sample of brilliant writing, brilliant direction and brilliant performances by Om Puri and Sadashiv Amrapurkar.
RS tries to win the favour of AV but AV turns out to be a hard man and he says clearly to RS that he does not have time to waste on sitting and chatting with him.
This is too much for RS. Nobody talks to him in this rude manner. He is obviously angry but he controls his feelings and his face carries smile again and he leaves his seat and comes to AV and takes him outside of the room and again tries to put pressure on him by saying that the other man sitting in the room is an officer of secret services but there is nothing to worry as he is his personal friend.
RS’s eyes are shining with the displeasure generated by the rudeness of AV but outside he tries to smile and continues his efforts to make AV friendly. He utters self praises to show off that he is involved in social services for the benefit of poor people of the slum areas.
AV is silent and his gestures have made RS aware that he is quite a difficult task to become a cow. Still when AV starts his motorcycle, RS says with smile,” Happy new year”.
AV leaves without replying him and then RS’s true face comes on screen. He is turned in to a Wolf again, alert and dangerous.
He has not got broad shoulders, inflated chest and a panther like body but these are his expressions and body language which support his image of a very dangerous mafia don.
He is such a cruel man that he orders his men to burn his own gang member, who wants to leave criminal life because his ill body can not bear the pain and tension of such a life.
His second meeting with AV, when AV goes to arrest him, gives again moments of brilliant performances to audiences.
By the time AV reaches upstairs in his room, RS has already called AV’s boss and when AV informs him that he has come to arrest him, he calmly asks him to come next day.
“Kal Aana, dekhenge”.
He finds that AV is not ready to spare him, he calls again boss of AV and Police officer rebukes AV on phone only and orders him to go back to police chowki and if disobeys his orders then he will be suspended. AV is standing there burning with the insult done by his officer and arranged by RS, and RS again shows his power and says smilingly to AV,” Jarurat pade to bolna Velankar”.
A clever, dangerous and powerful villain is established in just two scenes.
In the last meeting between AV and RS, when AV is facing under suspension status because he has killed an under custody man, then also RS utilizes properly the space given to him by the director.
He knows very well that AV has been defeated and now he is a weak person because his conditions have become tough and he can not control them and he has come to ask for his help.
He starts talking in his usual smooth manner and says that he does not carry any bad impression of AV in his heart because he understands that being an honest police officer, AV had arrested his son. He says that though AV had beaten his son also but he does not carry this impression also.
He now knows that AV has come under his trap and now he can be domesticated easily so he asks him and he asks this not putting any mask on his face but he asks this in a real Rama Shetty manner showing arrogance and self importance.
“Velankar, kaam to jaisa pehle bola mushkil hai, par chalo maan lo maine tumhara kaam kar diya, Maine, to badle mein mujhe kya milega”?
AV says he is ready to pay him any amount in cash.
RS says with a laugh,” Piasa ka baat kaun bola Velankar. Aisa baat ka badla paise se nahin chukaya ja sakta. Tumhe police mein hamara admi ban kar rehna hoga”.
This offer makes AV angry and he says that means he will have to behave like a dog before RS.
RS says with laughing,” Tum sochte bahut ho Velankar”.
Sadashiv’s facial expressions, sitting posture, use of left hand while propositioning and whole body language help him making the scene memorable. In addition to his eyes he uses movements of his scalp and ears also to add more value to his performance.
Apart from these 3 scenes he has 3 more little scenes but in all 6 scenes he has got in the entire film he establishes his performance as one of the most wonderful portrayal of an actor in a villainous role ever seen in hindi films.
Long after the film is finished, Rama Shetty’s shining eyes remain alive before the audience. Such a fine portrayal of a villain was one of the major USPs of Ardha Satya.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rama Shetty in Ardha Satya is the visible face of the nexus between mafia and politicians. Corrupt system is a Ravana having 10 faces and Rama Shetty is one of those 10 faces.
A hand pump seems small above the surface but it always has more existence inside the earth. In early times water level was easily found at a boring level of 20-30 ft deep only but now one gets potable water level by digging atleast 100 Ft deep in to the ground. Same way mafia and corruption have entered in the society so deep that it has become a very difficult task to eradicate them from the society.
Like small size of a hand pump visible above the ground level, Rama Shetty’s bad but strong existence seems small as he looks like an individual hooligan heading a gang of criminals but in reality he is an important and influential part of a rotten and corrupt system. Hand Pump provides water but Rama Shetty like existences spread only poison in the society. His physical appearance, his cruelty and fear generated among people due to his existence accepted by corrupt authorities, these all things are visible but his invisible roots are not exposed to all but a few. He has become part of a system and common people have to bear him because he has been accepted by the same system which should have eliminated him. Invisible corrupt but very powerful people give shelter to Rama Shetty and fulfil their evil desires. They will not be seen by many. If some how one Rama Shetty is killed then they give shelter to another Rama Shetty and this process does not see a tag of “The End”.
On surface Anant Velankar also finds him an individual anti-social element but soon he finds that he has his roots lying deeply in the system and whole system has accepted him as an influential person. Now he has entered in to politics himself and has won the election of corporation of the city. He has got socio-political acceptance and now its very difficult to prove him as a criminal.
This is the conflict between AV and RS. They both can not live together. Pity thing is this that Anant Velankars are forced to surrender before these evil forces and Rama Shettys are flourishing.
Filed Under
Movies, Review, Thoughts , Ardha Satya, Om Puri, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Shafi Inamdar
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RK saahib ..wonderful post ..
dunno if u have read my analysis of anant velankar ..but here
http://passionforcinema.com/being-anant-velankar-ardha-satya-character-analysis/
also i feel the one dialogue
“Kal Aana, dekhenge”.
summarises rama shetty in one line !!! the attitude with which he says “abhi kaisa aa sakta hai ..kal aana ..dekhengey ” is …i dunno ..brilliant is all i can say …
awesome post on one of the defining ‘art’ films that i saw ….
ohhh ..and also
” Good director never needs to use harsh back ground music or chanting of shlokas to
introduce a powerful character. Such gimmick is not needed. ”
BINGO
sometimes i feel ..silence is a lot in establishing a strong character …it somehow establishes a strong character more than may be background score can //
in ardhsaty 1st i like om puri nd then sadashiv …
then amrish puri…
smita patil was not much active…
sada shiv was so gud in all the scenes…
ven he asks om puri 2 sit nd drink nything nd om puri refuses
sada shiv says… hum force nahin karega saab…
nd ven om puri says.. mere pass faltu waste karne ko vakt nahin hai..aur kuch kehna hai…
then how he becums angry nd stands up but he says…
aur kuch nahin saab…
nd below his building he says…
duty karna pade to karna saab ..hum beech men nahin ayega.. kanoon ka ijjatt to karna hi mangta…
everybody knows he is the last person to respect law ,,,but he effortrlessly says it
nd arrest scene…
kal ana tab dekhenge…
abhi ke abhi kaise aa sakta hai men..
subah ana…
he says it with so much authority…as if he is talking 2 his milkman who has cum to take payment…
great scene…
he is such a lier…ven he calls police officer then says kya pata saab kyon giraftar karna chahta hai apka admi…
nd last scene is best scene in the film…ven sadashiv asks om puri to work 4 him in police force…
ahhh how he says… bahut kathin kam hai … par agar maine tumhara kam kar diya…tab mujhe kya milega…
scene ven om puri strangle sadashiv was copied in shiva by rgv…where raghuvaran kills his political mentor nd in ab tak chhappan also…
sada shiv except hukumat nd sadak cdnt act in such a powerful manner…
no doubt ardhsaty is his best performance till now…
as sholay was amjad khans best
Ardha Satya won the 1983 Filmare Awards for Best Movie, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Best Screenplay and Best Story.
In 1984, Om Puri got the National Best Actor Award for his leading role in the movie.
RK Sir,
I have one major problem with Ardh Satya. How did an honest and idealist cop like Velankar come about? The character is too convenient. It’s not as if his father, Amrish Puri’s character gave him those values. There is nothing in the movie which suggests that. His mother hardly has a single line in the movie. A man doesn’t become an idealist just because he wants to rebel against his father. Even the poetry that Velankar reads is not the poetry of idealism.
So it looks as if Velankar’s character took birth and was immediately an idealist sub-inspector. It is not convincing.
In contrast, look at Ajay Devgan’s character in Yuva. Even there no supporting evidence is given to us but at least no evidence is given against such a possibility also. All of us have been an idealist at one time in our college days and believe we can change the world.
In Ardh Satya, you are left wondering that with a dad like Amrish Puri’s character, Velankar’s own frustrated life and the way the criminal justice machinery functions, how did a guy like Velankar exist in the first place. What is his anchor? This question is not answered in the movie and in my opinion is a major flaw.
Looking forward to your opinion on this.
But I completely agree with your post. Sadashiv Amrapurkar was amazing in the movie. Was this his first movie?
He was good in all his roles, even the comedy ones which he did later in his career in movies like Aankhen. He and Kader Khan were a good combination…:)
deeper roots of rama shetty like a hand pump luks gud …
thats very gud…i liked the comparison…
but isnt it true 4 any pump 4 which is extracting water out of earth?
y hand pump…just curious…becoz 1 has 2 physically move hand pump 2 get water…
????
10…
i also like sadashiv amrapurker in comedy …
mohra…cooli no 1…
he is gud in comedy
@KK (1),
I have bookmarked the article. will read 3-4 days later once I am through with Ardha Satya posts.
Truely Rama Shetty changes his colours so fast. When he has to show authority then he is so hard and when he has to do efforts to allure Ananat Velankar then he becomes so easy going.
in such a small role it was very hard to leave that long lasting impact but Sadashiv Amrapurkar did that brilliantly.
@KK(2),
There was a film Hum Se Badh Kar kaun where whenever Mithun Chakravorty used to appear on screen, a song type thing used to start where audiences could hear Tony Tony Tony.
Cant recall properly if same device was used in Shaan also whenever Kulbhushan Kharbanda appears on screen? Cnat recall if chanting of Shakal Shakal shakal was there or not.
Then in late 80s, every third film started using these background chanting of slogans or shlokas or names of villain. It is such a stupid thing.
Strange and saddest thing was to see such gimmick in Guru. One does not expect such things from a Mani Ratnam film. What impact this chanting of Guru Bhai Guru Bhai Guru Bhai brings except giving pain in ears of audiences.
These things are bearable in Rajiv Rai kind of films only.
@D&C (9),
If I respond to this here then it will be quite a long response. in coming days perhaps you will be able to find answer to this confusion in the post on Anant Velankar, Om Puri’s character. That will satisfy you or not, cant say but these aspects will certainly be there. Thats the whole psychological paradigm of Anant Velankar.
Please wait.
@Krishn (7) D&C(10),
In Ardha Satya, Sadashiv had benefit of playing a marathi character also so language and pronunciationwise he was at ease and that should have helped him a lot.
If we remember his Hukumat, he says
mein cheunti ko tab tak nahin masalta jab tak uske par na nikal ayen
in normal case we will say mein cheenti ko——
so that Marathi tone could be a limitation for him in playing variety of roles.
I cant recall the name of a film where he had played the cruel husband of Madhuri Dixit. He has acted very well in so many films. He is very competent actor and has done good in comedy also. But after mid 80s he did not get any other film which could match Ardha Satya. Such films were not made those days. Sometimes its bad phase in an industry also which may be the reason behind average career of a talented person in that industry.
Perhaps Ardha Satya was his first hindi film. But I guess he was doing marathi films before. He started bit late or got offers bit late. But these things are not in one’s hands.
He has some memorable roles to his credit and still he is active so we can hope to see him in good roles.
krishn(11),
Rama Shetty like hooligans are nothing before the powerful authorities if they handle these Gundas with honesty. These holligans can not be more powerful than the power of a state but corrupt politicians, industrialists and authorities give shelter to these anti-social elements and make them more powerful to use them for their purposes.
These gundas can not function on bigger level on their own, they are not operated on automatic mode. small gundagardi is different thing.
Not even mafias operating from other countries can dare to challenge the state’s power. They are backed by some other countries and hence they do get success in arranging some big event.
Because these Gundas and Dons and Mafias are not independent and to function smoothly they need shelter of politicians and authories and these politicians and authorities may use them so keeping all these things Hand pump word was used. They are not automatic motor.
Even if an electric motor is used an operator is needed to press the button.
@krishn(3),
if you have got hold on the film then watch it again keeping in mind Smita Patil only and see it from her point of view and then consider if you can say that she was not much active.
chemistry between son and father was fabulous…most real in hindi cinema…
RK Sir aap likhne ke liye Itna topic kaha se laate hai ???
great writeup…
waise Ardhya satya ko aap “Andha yugh” se bhi explain kar sakte hai..
didnt find ny film with title andha yugh…
there is a film andhayudh…
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383875/
vent seen this…
nana patekar …raj babar…rohini hatangdi…
is it similar 2 ardhsatya?
sorry andha yugh cmnt made on other post….coment was stuck in spam..so …by mistake i posted on other post…
andha yugh film c’dnt b found…
i found andha yudh in imdb
@Shatrughan (19),
If you want there is no dearth of topics.
I am curious to know what you have in your mind regarding a connection between Andha Yug and Ardha Satya?
How you define later with the help of former?
See this has come to your mind, write on it. Even if its a short post, but write and send. when you start and finish it you will have another topic ready in your mind. Thing is to give first start. Later its automatic process.
@krishn(20),
Andha Yug is not a film (dont know if film is also there with such title) but Shatrughan is writing about a book titlked Andha Yug. Its a play written by famous author and editor of Dharmayug, Late Dr DharamVeer Bharati. Book is in verse form. Though subject is Mahabharat but he uses the background of Mahabharat as a metaphor to talk about prevailing conditions in the India of that time when book was written.
It should easily be available and comes in a must read category.
It deals with psychology of Ashwatthama also. It explores Pandavas also.
Read the portion where Gandhari curses Krishna that his whole lineage will be destroyed and he accepts her cursings and he says with folded hands
Sweekar mujhe hai maate
Putra hun tumhara
——
This scene always brings a high voltage excitement.
read it. Its a treasure of Hindi literature. An unparrallelled book. Its the best work of Dr Bharti and easily comes in 10 best books of Hindi literature.
@krishn
Andhayudh is a good film. Raj Babbar plays a psychopath contract killer. He is on a run after killing a politician and enters a house where handicapped Pallavi Joshi is present. He makes her hostage. ACP Nana Patekar uses his intelligence and convincing power to make Raj Babbar ready to leave Pallavi Joshi.
Nana and Raj Babbar both are good.
With efforts of Nana, audience are made to feel that Raj Babbar should surrender. Its a psychological drama.
Cant recall who had directed it.
This was the film before Mehul Kumar and Partho Ghose trapped Nana Patekar in their kind of films.
[...] second part - Ardha Satya: Rama Shetty = Hand pump, spreading poison all around [...]
@RK - Andha Yudh is a gripping film. I first saw it on TV in the late 80s and was completely surprised by it, mostly because I had no expectations. Even otherwise, it is a good psychological thriller, It was directed by Dayal Nihalani, probably his only good film before he completely changed course with hard core commercial stuff and subsequently disappered from the scene.
24…26…
ok i ve 2 search now andha yugh… i like thrillers… i shd like this also…
i ve nt seen nana patekar’S early films… 1st film i had seen was krantivir…
i ve yet 2 see ankush..also… i ve read its a gud film…
ooooops sorry…i meant 2 write andha yudh film…
by mistake i wrote andha yugh in 27…
i cant read books in verses…but if i get this book i ll try…
i find on gogle that andha yugh is a famous play among theatre people nd it has been played by many famous grps…
but dont find any clue on u tube…
perhaps no play was ever recorded on video…
@Aditya,
We might have seen Andha Yudh, same day same time on DD, though in different cities.
Without trying to look at his online filmography I don’t recall watching Dayal Nihalani’s any other film.
But its sad that he made a good thriller and then lost in bogus stuff.
was andha yudh based on some hollywood stuff?
@krishn,
Ankush remains best film of N Chandra. It had a good prayer song also which you surely must have seen or heard.
I dont think you may get video of Andha Yug on net but if you get success and find it, please send the link.
[...] second part - Ardha Satya: Rama Shetty = Hand pump, spreading poison all around [...]
Dear RK Saab,
in my opinion,thanks to your literary skills,the movie is being seen in a different light.after seeing the movie at least 20 times it never occured to me that the story ever revolved around Rama Shetty.It is strongly pivoted to AV who struggles with his idealism and realities of the phisical world.A man torn between the two worlds,he tries to derive a logic for it in the whole length of this movie.The poetry”Taraju ke…”best depicts his dilemna.The story starts from genesis of this dilemna during AV’s childhood when he is being influenced by two different characters..his mom and his dad.As he grows the dilemna grows and so do the characters around him.He always has a wide domain for selection,between Smita Patil and Rama Shetty.as a man in his thirtees this is how i see the movie.Thirtees are an unique stage of life when doors start closing on you,you have to come to facts that you can not be many things you wanted to be and realities no more create dreams and dreams start fading..
@Ritesh,
People may see things differently according to their background (information, knowledge and understanding, mood, acceptability and openness etc) at a given time when the thing (object) is seen.
This is not something strange that you can have a different take on same film than others.
—-
Ram Shetty post (this present one) is just one chapter on Ardha Satya. In case you missed there are three more already existing (on Ardha Satya, Amrish Puri and Naseeruddin Shah).
I have yet to make posts on Jytosana, Anant and Director/writer/cinematographer/editor.
After writing on Anant, I can find if I think similarly about Anant as you have thought or I take different path.
As of Now I am not writing immediately on AV so will keep comments reserved on his character.