Sarkar is a franchise that has added credibility to Ram Gopal Varma's career over the last two films and 12 years. But his third instalment is a resounding disappointment. While this political thriller has a thumping performance by Amitabh Bachchan, there's very little redeeming quality in this otherwise dysfunctional film. There is a reasonably effective twist in the tale, but for all its thrills and surprise, Sarkar 3 spends too much time dabbling with absurd humour.

I very much liked the two Sarkars before this-the first (2005) was a better film, the second (2008) had a better script. What I find fascinating about this one is that it's been over a decade and some, and Amitabh Bachchan genuinely appears frozen in time through it all (God bless)-looking just as quietly determined on screen, sombre, thoughtful, loud, reactive, but at no moment, bored or disinterested.

When the climax of the first film in your series packs the punch that Sarkar's ending did in 2005, be aware that each sequel is a potential victim of the "can it throw up a surprise to match that one?" syndrome. Chances are, viewers have spent your entire film guessing 10 likely twists in the finale. The only way you can live up to expectations then, is to think up an 11th option no one else could possibly envision.

SARKAR 3 - the third film in the SARKAR (2005) franchise kicks off as a typical RGV drama where Subhash Nagre (Amitabh Bachchan) is still the boss. The fictional version of a powerful leader in Maharashtra is back in his flowing black robes, rudraksh beads around the neck and his husky, deep baritone not failing at all to give the same mesmerizing impact giving hope that the prolific RGV (Ram Gopal Varma) who changed the game of Bollywood gangster flicks and horror/thriller genre is serious this time.

When maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan had teamed up years back to make 'Sarkar', the Indian version of 'The Godfather', the film had attained cult status and though the sequel 'Sarkar Raaj' did not fare well, die-hard fans of RGV were still hopeful about 'Sarkar 3', primarily because of its powerful star cast. However, fans of Varma would be disappointed to know that the third installment of the film is as bad as Varma's latest duds and has nothing to write home about.

SARKAR 3 is a political thriller with strong undercurrents of strength, might, betrayal, power games and relationships. The film starts off with the line 'Real power is not about fear, it comes out of respect'. This is followed by the introduction of Subhash Nagre's (Amitabh Bachchan) inspirational and motivational speech to his followers. The film starts building its momentum when Subhash Nagre plainly refuses to partner on a Rs. 200 crore project in Dharavi, which is brought to him by a certain Mr. Gandhi, on behalf of Michael Vallya (Jackie Shroff).

Subhash Nagre aka Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan) is still ruling in Maharashtra's political scene and after losing both his sons Shankar (Abhishek Bachchan) and Vishnu (Kay Kay Menon), he has now found a trusted aide in Gokul (Ronit Roy). His grandson Shivaji - Vishnu's son (Amit Sadh) is keen to fall in to line and dreams of becoming the next Sarkar.

When was the last time Ram Gopal Varma made a half decent film? Nine years back, with the sequel of Sarkar, called Sarkar Raj, which I liked better than the original. After that it's been a steady slide downhill, with just the odd film that held out a glimmer of the old Ramu. You go into the third part of Sarkar in the hope that it will resurrect RGV. But that's not to be. The best that can be said about Sarkar 3 is that it is not as terrible as Not A Love Story, and, no, nowhere as ghastly as Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag.

Sarkar 3, the third film in the Sarkar (2005) franchise, opens with a typical Ram Gopal Varma punch line, giving us hopes of him returning to his comfort zone and top form. Subhash Nagre (Amitabh Bachchan) is still bossing around, but there is a slight change in his style and modus operandi. But unlike Sarkar 1 And 2, he has started to react more to the people around him. It's a graceful shift to a character that understands the delicate relationship between politics and democracy.

Style takes precedence over substance by a fair distance in Ram Gopal Varma's third entry in the Sarkar series. Despite riding on the broad shoulders of Amitabh Bachchan, as impressively on the top of his game as ever, Sarkar 3 is a tedious trudge. It exudes about as much life as the little stone bulldog that occupies a prime place in the brooding protagonist's gloomy living room.

Subhash Nagre or Sarkar (Amitabh Bachchan), the patriarch of the most powerful political family of Maharashtra, continues to hold centre-stage because of his immense clout with the masses. In this outing, the Godfather is joined by his grandson Shivaji Nagre(Amit Sadh), who loves and hates his grandfather with equal intensity. Will Shivaji betray Subhash? Or will he become a prey to his grandfather's machinations?