This is a story of the cheat who gets cheated, and the double-crosser who gets double-crossed. Over and above all the mindless violence and brutality portrayed in environs of civilized society, the foremost pillars of which are the political and judicial systems, this is a story of the depths of depravity that the human spirit is capable of. There is no loyalty, there is no integrity, there is no conscience. This is apparently the state of affairs in India, my motherland, and in particular in the capital city, New Delhi that I called home for a short while.
I found the performances striking and the storyline so depressing, that I kept saying over and over again to myself and to my husband that I could never call India home again, if this was indeed what things were actually like. The helplessness that must come from knowing that you are present in a place so filled with injustice and corruption, but being unable or unwilling to do anything about it would be the death of me– or a sure cause of my insanity. Shagird is the Urdu word for disciple, and sure enough, we are shown how one emulates the other with such devotion and panache, they are truly shagirds of the first order.
Nana Patekar is proving that it is possible to never age in human years, or at least that it is possible to arrest the onset of old age to the point that it is imperceptible!
The bottom line is that there is nothing lacking in the movie-making department of this movie, and yet it was anything but entertaining. And yet, it was extremely thought-provoking to the point of being revolting which is probably the highest compliment one can offer to the director and actors of this movie. The fact is, I would have been better off had I not seen it, because I am further discouraged and disheartened at the state of affairs of my motherland and my erstwhile countrymen.
