Satya

RGV poster for sale: Satya (1998).

Featured here is an actual surviving original Bollywood poster of the cult classic 1998 crime drama directed by Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) that starred J.D. Chakravarthy in the titular role along with Manoj Bajpayee and Urmila Matondkar.

Written by Saurabh Shukla and Anurag Kashyap, Satya (1998) also starred Saurabh Shukla, Makarand Deshpande, Shefali Shah, Govind Namdev, Paresh Rawal, Aditya Srivastava and Jeeva in supporting roles.

Made on a shoestring budget, Satya (1998) was a surprise hit at the box office and went on to win several National and International accolades. Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) received the Bimal Roy memorial trophy for best direction for the film.

Satya (1998) won six Filmfare Awards in total, including all three critics awards for Best Movie, Best Actor and Best Actress. The film also won four Star Screen Awards including Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay and the Special Jury Award.

Satya (1998) marked the introduction of a new genre of filmmaking, a variation of film noir that has since been called Mumbai noir. The film is considered as India’s answer to Quentin Tarantino and has left an indelible mark on Bollywood. British director Danny Boyle cited Satya as an inspiration for his 2008 Academy Award winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Manoj Bajpai’s performance as Bhiku Mhatre turned him into an overnight sensation. Aditya Srivastava (who played the role of a police inspector in Satya) was offered the role of inspector Abhijeet in the popular TV series CID after the producer of the latter saw his performance in the film.

Satya (1998) has been included in CNN-IBN’s 100 greatest Indian films of all time. In 2005, Indiatimes Movies included Satya in its list of 25 Must See Bollywood Movies. The film was showcased at the 1998 International Film Festival of India, the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland and the New York Asian Film Festival.

The film has amassed a cult following over the years, with many critics heralding it as one of the finest gangster films ever made in Indian cinema, making this RGV poster highly collectible.

Printed and circulated during a subsequent release of the film (somewhere in the late 1990s), this original RGV poster was designed and printed for publicity of the film in north Indian theaters but never ended up being used.

Lead actor J.D. Chakravarthy is seen in a stunning still photo in this Satya poster. He appears taking aim with his pistol, which obscures his nose and mouth, keeping his true identity a secret. The still draws the onlooker’s attention to his eyes, giving away the intensity of his character. Actress Urmila Matondkar is seen in a close up at the bottom of this original RGV poster.

The title of the movie appears written in a bloodstained font in Devanagari Hindi with a message at its bottom that reads, “The other side of truth” in English. The dark background of this old Bollywood poster gives away the noir genre of the film.

The soundtrack album of Satya (1998) was composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, while lyrics were written by Gulzar. It became a rage throughout the nation at the time of its release. Songs like “Goli Maar Bheje Mein” sung by Mano and “Sapne Mein Milti Hai” sung by Asha Bhosle & Suresh Wadkar are fondly remembered and played till today.