Satyakam, the movie

Ganapati Puja means different things to different people. For an average commuting Mumbai-ite it only means longer commuting hours on account of the Pandals (thoughtfully put right in the middle of the road) and processions (with complete and utter disregard for other life forms on the road) for the lord. All this gives a good excuse to leave a little early in the evening (to avoid the traffic). Today being the last day of the festival, we left quite early, at about 5 pm and before the longer needle on a watch could complete half the circle, I was home.
A full evening lay in front of me. Generally I would have jumped at this opportunity to go out to some movie or even go to that Gym that I had promised myself today morning but the sound of the crackers from outside reminded me of the trouble I would land in if I were to go out. And I picked up that one movie I had been planning to watch for some time now. Satyakam is a movie I have already seen but I have always felt special for that movie hence the repeat viewing.
Satyakam is an ode to what we would today call Gandhian values. It’s a heartbreaking story of a man who is willing to fight for his ideology. A man who is so real yet so unreal for his conviction and his beliefs. A man who is ready to pay any price to stand by what he believes in. And so he declares “A truthful man not only suffers from it (truth) but he is also prepared to give such sorrow (caused by truth) to his loved ones”.
Satya, played by a surprisingly vulnerable Dharmendra, has high hopes from the dawn of an independent India. Truth is his only dharma. He is so driven by his truth and compassion that he takes little time in deciding to marry Ranjana (a delicate Sharmila Tagore) who is wronged by the society. He dreams of an India which will not be plagued by the problems of unemployment, corruption and poverty. He is looking forward to a free country where free people work towards the upliftment of the country. And is he wrong? Isn’t that what everybody was fighting for? But then why is everyone talking about “a little compromise”. How is it that everybody has to make some minor “adjustments”? Bewildered yet resolute, Satya keeps fighting his battle. He does not even know who he is fighting with; the unseen evil, the society, himself. And his battle ends only when he succumbs to an incurable disease, a disease undoubtedly caused by the evil around him. But he isn’t the one who is defeated.
Satyakam overwhelms me. Some moments stay with me long after I have watched the movie. The charming exchange between Satya and Ranjana as he gives her compliment when she prompts him is one such moment. Another one is Satya’s outburst at Naren’s (in the narrator’s small but powerful role, Sanjeev Kumar) place. That scene is a complete portfolio of Dharmendra’s acting capabilities. And a very powerful climax has always been the strength of all Hrishikesh Mukharjee movies. This movie is no exception. Watch how Satya is ready give up all he stood for by signing a paper, for his family’s sake and watch how Ranjana stands by him.
Satyakam is heartbreakingly real. Though it was released about three decades back, yet it feels its happening today.
But why was I getting irritated with Satya’s obsession with truth and his values? Was I hoping for him to make that ‘little’ adjustment for the betterment of his family, his own self. Was I thinking “what’s the big deal” when Satya said he couldn’t spend his office hours on his personal visits? I guess, I was. And this indicates a lot about what kind of society we are today. About how ends have taken precedence over means. About how callous we have all become to what is going on around us. About how irritated we are if someone decides to stand by what he believes in, for he is “inflexible”.
Do I have hope?
As the movie nears its end, Satya on his deathbed signs the paper that would provide money to his family but Ranjana tears it off. He knew she would do that. His values would not die with him. They would live on.
And I cheered for them. And I felt happy…and light.
I do have hope!