Satya 4-8-16

Gang membership and their family extension is very much at the heart of poverty and gang presence in virtually any urban area. Satya is a film that does this element of gang mentality and existence justice as the main character, Satya, befriends Bhiku in prison and later becomes enrolled in a gang which is as much akin to a family as possible for someone like Satya. The gangster genre of film as a whole, however, does not always represent this underworld with much accuracy and instead draws “on the mythology of the underworld” (Mazumdar 149). Most often these films shy away from genuine realism or focusing on true aspects of the humanity involved in the underworld, but Satya is one of few films that became popular by depicting a gritty, honest image of what the “underworld” looks like and how the people involved get to where they are. As Susan quotes from the director of Satya in an interview, the film is meant to address the human side of the underworld and “why a man picks up the gun.”

The genre itself doesn't seem to contest with the typical trends of popular Hindi cinema so much as exemplify them. Even the most light-hearted Bollywood films we have seen have still tackled serious societal discourse though presenting it often surrounded by other story arcs and scenes that make these criticisms or commentaries more digestible. Satya and others of the same ilk do without any liquids and demands the pill be taken as is. What the genre, if following in the same vein as Satya, does complicate and interrogate is, no pun intended, the truth.

The interest in what people involved in the underworld do in between their hits and other gang related activities that the director projects into the film does exactly what Susan notes in her presentation: it creates a grey area immediately as these otherwise “bad guys” are humanized and are ultimately a product of their environment like Commissioner Amod suggests. And the juxtaposition between communion scenes around the dinner table at police officer's homes to members of the chawl and then with the gang meeting, the film creates an ambiguity around the actions taken by each character to some extent. It is not black and white as Susan mentions. There is no one verifiable bad guy or good guy. Instead, we just have people trying to navigate an unfortunately corrupt and impoverished cityscape from different angles with the network and skills that they know.

When it comes to humanizing the underworld characters, the main character of the film's romance and familial bond with his gang are what represents the ambiguous and realistic depiction of life in poverty within a gang. Firstly, Satya is a person seemingly devoid of emotion or care when we first meet him, admitting to Bhiku that he does not fear death, which we, the viewers, can safely believe is true given that the first 30 minutes of the film involve Satya either beating or getting beaten by someone, going as far as having a gun pointed at him. The first thing to put a smile on this hardened characters face is the friendship between him and Bhiku who then takes Satya under his wing and adopts him into his gang which stands in as his family. From there, we are shown numerous invitations by Bhiku for Satya to come to his home and meet his wife and kids, or the other several occassions of communion between Satya and the rest of the gang members. Professor Ghosh makes note of the scene showing the contrast of windows between Vidya and Satya, with Satya behind bars and Vidya amidst a bushel of greenery and her arms stretching wide which suggests the entrapment that Satya feels by his position later in the film after he finally meets and falls in love with Vidya. With Vidya involved, this is the first time that he has have called in to question his lifestyle either before or during his crime-life. Vidya, the innocent, hardworking neighbor in the chawl is what brings Satya down from his life and seeks a way out but through a series of unfortunate events, he is abandoned by his family and feels obligated to get revenge on the man that disrupted and ended the lives of his gang family.

These experiences that create such a conflicted character out of a previously empty person are a true testament to what poverty does to push people to these extreme positions, what gang community provides for lost or impoverished individuals, and what friendship and love can do to promote change or provide sanctuary. These elements come together and illuminate an otherwise demonized part of society without perpetuating the flashy, glamor of other gangster genre films which often completely skip over the social, human experiences that truly drive these institutions. 

As a general aside: The actor for Satya did not hold my attention well and I couldn't tell if he was just bad at acting or if he was playing a down and out character too well. I will admit that the film becomes more interesting and impressive after thinking and reading about it critically and within real life context.