Ghatak – Film Review

Ghatak – The status of Indian Freedom fighters

There is a scene where villain Katyal drags Amrish Puri by a dog’s leash and screams that he is a dog and his son is a pup!

Amish has been shown in this film as an ex-freedom fighter who had participated in the Dandi march with Mahatma Gandhi and was even awarded a Tambra Patra (copper Plate) as a token of respect or reverence. Amrish was a simple man from Banaras (Varanasi) and was mighty proud of his achievements – esp. the one he earned by being with Gandhi ji.

Katyal, on the other hand, was a don or thug of the locality who had spread fear among the inhabitants of the locality. He had started as a petty thief but gradually rose to immense power and then he started misusing his power. He had money – which he had made by collecting ‘protection fees’ or hafta/ chanda from the inhabitants of the same locality. He played his cards well though – he paid money to the ministers and police officers and constables so that they work under him.

So basically we can come to the conclusion that humans are basically dumb and fearful. Katyal spread fear and continued to expand his empire. How? Of course by recruiting children – who turn into adults eventually – of the prostitutes (male child especially because females become sex-workers when they grow up).

There was an item song of Mamta Kulkarni – the inhabitants of the same locality were shown to be all too sexcited to watch Mamta jump high and low ….immediately after this show, the son of freedom fighter Amrish Puri dies! Sunny Deol, who was an adopted child of Amrish then takes revenge and puts an end to Katyal’s empire. So it just took one orphan to set the thugs right! Rest of the nincompoops were just shitting in their pants the moment they saw Katyal and his gang approach them!

Hospital Scene

Amrish reaches a hospital and was not getting a bed. So he asks Sunny to show the authorities the Tambra Patra – showing that he was a freedom fighter –  and that would instantly get him the bed. Sunny shows the Copper Plate to the clerk and the clerk replies: What was the need to fight for freedom – the system of the entire country is in doldrums!

It is such a pity to see the state of our nation! All the sacrifices of our ancestors seem such a waste when humans – esp. Indians – behave so thanklessly towards their own country..culture..tradition!