Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

indianature To start with, I dislike violent movies and usually can not watch them. This one was different. It was action packed till the very end with more than a reasonable dose of gore, but riveting nonetheless.The story unfolds horrifyingly, more so when you realise that there are feudal pockets like this still remaining in some parts of India where 'rule of law' is not even a theoretical concept. Yes there is violence but the story line is interesting to the point that you just must keep watching to see what happens next. The interest factor is sustained so that one does not feel the movie is dragging unnecessarily.Karishma Kapoor has superbly portrayed the terrified newly widowed mother. Nana Patekar does what he does best. Shahrukh Khan's black humour delivered effortlessly in the most natural way, is after all his trademark that has made him the actor he is. Deepti Naval did well. The little boy child actor was convincing, the cinematography was outstanding.This is a violent movie, NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN. For adults even those like me who do not care for violent movies, it is riveting and holds the interest right till the end. Do watch it.

silvan-desouza SHAKTI(2002) was Sridevi's debut as a producer and was supposed to be her comeback after JUDAAI(1997) but she was pregnant and then the role after Kajol was finally accepted by Karisma. Shakti has no resemblance with Shakti(1982) whatsoever,The film is a remake of Telugu super-hit film Anthapuram (1999), which inturn was inspired by Hollywood film Not Without My Daughter (1991) which was based on the real life story of Betty Mahmoody. The film was damn violent for it's time and was completely rejected in 2002. The film however consolidated Karisma Kapoor who was known merely as a star into an actress after FIDA, ZUBEIDAA. The film starts off with Karisma and Sanjay Kapoor(not her husband but the actor) who are married and then go back to Sanjay's gaon. Obviously the North(Bihar,UP) and there Karisma is shocked by the violent escapades. Nana Patekar is portrayed very brilliantly. The characters of the village and the following scenes till the interval are brilliantly handled. Suddenly the filmmaker things lets throw in commercialism and they we have an item song with Srk and Aishwarya out of nowhere, Ishq Kameena which was a hit song those days especially after the success of DEVDAS(2002). Srk's character is used for comic relief but the impact is missing and towards the end though the outburst of Deepti Naval is well handled, the climax is abrupt and the change of heart looks unconvincing.Direction by Krishnan Vamsi is good though his handling does resemble South films(He is a south director) Music is decent, Hum Tum Mile is melidious, Ishq Kameena is superb but forcedNana Patekar steals the show in a role only he could play, He brilliantly conveys the ruthless character Karisma Kapoor does a great job in her role and breathes fire into her confrontation scenes, the actress earlier mostly just did run of mill stuff but post FIZA she took herself seriously, sadly she got typecast in films and her crying became tortorious in other films Sanjay Kapoor is decent in his role, SRK tries hard but his character seems forced, his death scene is unintentionally hilarious similar to ARMY. Prakash Raj doesn't get much of a role, Vijay Raaz is fab Deepti Naval is fantastic and so are the rest

elshikh4 We have : A character who sings and dances after his death. A heroine who does nothing but crying, running, crying, running, then crying again. A loyal henchman who kills his boss's daughter just to make way. A bunch of thugs, who already have guns, fight one unarmed man they really hate with only sticks. The same unarmed man got shot right in the middle of his back then fights 10 men bigger than him with his bear hands, wins them all, runs after a train, catches it, saves a women and her son, fights again, kills all the bad guys, then finally dies out of his injury (remember it ?!). Yet nothing in the world can outmatch the ending; where one of the toughest men ever appeared on screen turns into a complete idiot who stops chasing his late son's wife after numerous – totally bloody – pursuits, leaving her utterly alone out of the blue AND FOR NO REASON AT ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!In some movies I forget logic a bit, but this time I regretted to do it, then became incapable of doing it anymore. The scenes of (Karisma Kapoor) crying are free and endless. Many times I felt that the director must yell cut, well, he didn't while I DID ! The way how the father-in-low was enjoying beating up his daughter-in-law non-stop; could assure that the director was the one who enjoyed it the most. The character of (Shahrukh Khan), which reminded me of the young (Amitabh Bachchan)'s roles, turned out to be the most disappointing cameo ever. I thought he would be the lead, instead of that dispensable bum who played the husband, but I was awfully wrong. (Nana Patekar) is wasted in nonsense, his last scene is the worst thing he did, or any actor could have done. Actually the whole third act is a fine cinematic interpretation of "random". While the board of "The End" showed suddenly, it is one of the most surprising indeed, I had a big hysterical laugh, being in denial, to just laugh again and again (believe it or not, I kept laughing even in my sleep after the movie was finished !).For some time, I felt how that could be an original Indian western. However, it ended up being a cross between pure violence and outrageous comedy. Maybe the makers of it wanted basically to make an action with some comedy, to have eventually a comedy with action where most of the comedy comes unintentionally. To tell you the truth, this is not an action, a comedy, a musical, a romance, or even a social commentary. It's a huge savage cartoon, a commercial fatuity, and an explosion of silliness. In a word this is a frank shame, and you have to see it to believe that this actually exists, and being made with big money and proud artists. By its end I felt embarrassed, while in fact not someone, but "some ones" else should. I just don't know how these artists can face people again ?! But according to their very movie; I see that they don't lack the impudence !(Shakthi: The Power) has a lot of reasons to be one original rubbish. In the same time it's one of the longest jokes ever made. So, laugh out loud, if only you can stand it!

PaulR-3 Seeing this movie was the most fun I've had at the cinema in a long time. However, I am not able to say whether this is a good or a bad film, because such simple qualifications simply cannot be applied. This picture has everything any movie could ever have. It has characteristics of a romantic comedy, a political commentary, a thriller, a drama, an action movie, a musical, and an absurdist self-conscious art film. It's all in there, adding up to a myth.The basic premise is about an Indian couple, Nandini (Karishma Kapoor) and Shekhar (Sanjay Kapoor), happily living in Canada, who rush to India to visit the husband's parents after a disturbing news report. The rest of the story takes place in India, where the couple find themselves in the midst of a plot of fratricidal violence. At one point, the story borrows from "Not without my baby," but to call Shakti a remake of anything would be an injustice.The ostensible story line takes a backseat to a number of astonishing interruptions, including Shah Rukh Khan's dream of Aishwarya Rai which comes as if out of another movie. In fact, the two stars are on all the posters, but they appear really late in the film, and only Shah Rukh ends up being a real character. Yet he makes up for it with a spirited and truly unexpected performance.Karishma Kapoor is the one with most work to do in this film, and she does an admirable job, having to link up the film's twists and turns with a show of believable emotion. Another notable presence is Nana Patekar, who plays Narsimha, the tyrannical father of the husband Shekhar. Nana Patekar dominates every scene he's in with a scary but nuanced character.The movie is not without its share of realism. Violence is rampant, but truly disturbing in the abuse received by most of the female characters, with Karishma getting soundly beaten on a number of occasions. At times, this violence is clearly disturbing but ultimately it becomes surreal as every dramatic sequence is usually followed by such comic and spectacular turns that the overall effect is nothing but cathartic.I have seen a share of Bollywood releases, and the mixing of genres and incredible plot resolutions are certainly their norm. But "Shakti" raises the bar by absorbing an even greater masala without becoming ridiculous. It is a film that achieves the grandeur of a Shakespearian tragedy, where the audience of the rabble and royalty is equally entertained. It is pure, gratuitous cinema, and the director Krishna Vamsi must have had a dream of a good time by throwing in every trick in the book. Perhaps, the all-important message of violence begetting violence and the inspiring extents of motherly love were not the thoughts on my mind, but I came out of watching "Shakti" exhilarated. Making movies can be the most fun in the world!