Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú

What happens when the only child of a lonely widow in a strange land is taken away from her?

This is the powerful saga of Nandini . . . . in Shakti-the ultimate power of revenge.

Shakti meaning ‘The Power’ revolves around the beautiful Nandini (Karisma Kapoor) who lives in Canada with her two doting uncles.

Soon life for our beautiful damsel takes a romantic turn when she meets Shekhar (Sanjay Kapoor).

Even though their regular courtship gave rise to love and marriage, their blissful life becomes complete only when they have a son whom they name Raja.

But their chance of a happy life is short lived, as news of Shekhar’s ailing mother (Deepti Naval) filters back to them from India.

Hence this prompts them to go back to their motherland. It is at this point that their nightmare begins.

From the very first moment they reach India, both are shocked to see the pollution and the vast numbers of people.

To reach Shekar’s village, they take a crowded train and when they finally reach the station, their journey continues by a filthy bus ride until their final destination.

But unfortunately for them, their bus is ambushed by a frenzied mob. Shekhar ends up taking the brunt of their beating.

Finally they manage to reach Shekar’s home where Shekhar's father, Narsimha (Nana Patekar) lives with his wife (Deepti Naval).

Nandani realizes immediately that her father-in-law is in command and so her only solace is her mother-in-law’s warm welcome.

With time, Nandini learns of Narsimha's tyrannical, and barbaric behaviour and realizes that ruthless killing is a way of life for him.

The twist in this tension filled story comes when she witnesses Narsimha teaching her son Raja, on how to throw a man made bomb.

Not being able to control her anger any further, Nandini lashes out against her father-in-law. She decides to go back to Canada.

But to her horror, her nightmare begins when her husband gets murdered. This leaves a heart broken Nandini alone with her son in this strange land dominated by her cruel father-in-law.

How she fights against this monster in order to save her son and herself forms the climax of this tense drama.

Full credit goes to the director for the portrayal of Nandani and Narsimha’s characters with sheer realistic perfection.

Some sequences in the film make a deep impact on screen. Although this is very relevant to the narration it might not appeal to the more sedate group of audience.

Ismail Durbar’s music blends in to some extent with the tense story. But the pick of the lot comes from music director Anu Maliik whose composition ‘Ishq Kameena’ will have the audiences tapping away with the on screen dance sequence of Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan.

Veteran actress Karisma Kapoor shoulders this film throughout with a brilliant but at the same time moving performance of a widow who fights till the very end for her son’s freedom.

In the male category Nana Patekar is in top form but its Sanjay Kapoor who stands tall between the Nandani-Narashima confrontations.

Special mention here goes to Deepti Naval, a fabulous actress who plays her oppressed character with great ease but eventually bursts out loud in the pre-climax sequence against her husband Narsimha.

Overall Shakti -The Power consists of many top actors who give excellent performances. Packed cinemas are pretty much guaranteed! Give this one the once over. It's highly recommended.