Satya (transl. Truth) is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language crime film, produced and directed by Ram Gopal Varma; written by Saurabh Shukla and Anurag Kashyap. It stars J. D. Chakravarthy, Manoj Bajpayee, Urmila Matondkar, Saurabh Shukla and Shefali Shah in lead roles. It is the first of Varma’s Gangster trilogy about organised crime in India. Varma initially planned to make an action film, but decided to make a film focusing on felony after meeting some criminals. He hired Kashyap and Shukla to write the film, and opted to use lesser-known actors. The soundtrack and score were composed by Vishal Bhardwaj and Sandeep Chowta, respectively, while the lyrics were written by Gulzar. Satya was released on 3 July 1998 to critical acclaim, particularly for its realistic depiction of the Indian underworld. It was a commercial success, grossing more than ₹15 crore (US$2.1 million), and helped launch a number of careers. The film won six Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. Over the years, Satya has been regarded as a cult film, and is considered one of the greatest films ever made by a number of critics and scholars in Indian cinema.
Plot
Satya is the story of a man who comes to Mumbai to make a living. A series of incidents puts him in jail where he meets and becomes close to a gangster, Bheeku Mhatre. Once out of prison, Bheeku initiates him into the gang and gives him a place to live in.
Opposite his apartment, Vidya, a struggling singer, lives with her aged parents. A relationship between Satya and Vidya develops alongside his rise in the underworld which Vidya is completely unaware. As his love for Vidya grows in intensity, so does the need to conceal his identity from her, until he finds himself living a lie. The tension of living a double life- trapped between underworld gangwars and his desperate fear for Vidya’s safety, jeopardised by his proximity to her- makes him want to get out of this life of crime. The events which follow this decision form the climatic sequence of the story.
Satya is the story of truth as it is perceived by different eyes, where only shadow lines demarcate the good actions from the bad and only the happiness and pain that follow are a reality.
