Don't you feel the last 30 minutes are a bit weak? Ardh Satya will always be the GOAT of cop dramas; nothing really matches it. Still, Shool is the kind of film that makes you go "Damn, what a movie", and then you realise the powerful performances saved it – without them it would have been just average.
The dialogues are top‑notch; I later found out Anurag Kashyap wrote them, no surprise they're that good. The theme is quite ideological, but honestly the weak ending dropped my rating from 8/10 to 7/10. It also over‑explains itself, unlike Ardh Satya. Apart from that, it's engaging from start to finish, never a bore, though the final 30 minutes feel flimsy and there are a few plot holes. Manoj Bajpayee is a phenomenal actor, truly one of the finest in Indian cinema. Huge shout‑out to the villain, Sayaji Shinde (Bachhu Yadav). I actually teared up when the girl died. Back then RGV was delivering tight screenplays; I'm not sure what he's up to these days.
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The ending felt pretty embarrassing. It comes across as if Manoj Bajpayee is saying Sayaji Shinde is corrupt while the other ministers are spotless – which isn't realistic for Bihar.
So true, it's also the saddest film I've connected with – the ending was gut‑wrenching for me.
I watched this back in 7th‑8th standard on DVD. It traumatised me big time.
Absolute stunner of a film – I think Manoj was only 28‑29 years old and delivered such a performance. It even outshines the honest cop movies of Nana Patekar. That line, "Agar aap nahi hote, aaj Bachchu Yadav zameen ke chhe foot neeche hota," still gives me chills.
It got completely overshadowed, and rightly so, by Satya.