Sarkar Raj not a sequel to Sarkar

"I want to say two things about Sarkar Raj. One, it is not a sequel to Sarkar. It does not take off from where Sarkar ended. For a man like Sarkar, he will be in various situations at different points of time. Now in Sarkar Raj he has to deal with a new set of situations. The first movie was simplistic in its plot and narration, its performances and direction made it unique. Sarkar Raj is much more complex in its story telling and because of the situations; it calls for a much greater degree of acting capacities from its principle cast, the Bachchans," RGV clarifies.

Sarkar Raj is a much anticipated release and it is the first time Aishwarya and Abhishek will share screen space after marriage and the first time Big B, his baby and his bahu will act together.

Says the director, "The second point I want to make is that I am often asked how it was working with the Bachchans as a family. I think that is incorrect because all of three of them are individually established actors. The fact that they are a family does not concern me as a director."

I always believed the greatest cinematic visual is an actor performing in a tight close up. Every film director has a basic desire to see the close up of an actor. I am delighted to say that never in my career have I been more satisfied to watch actors perform than the three Bachchans in Sarkar Raj!"

Sarkar Raj has Big B playing Subhash 'Sarkar' Nagre while Abhishek plays his progressive son Shankar Nagre. Aishwarya Rai character, Anita Rajan, the CEO of an international firm, is a gray character. She wants to set up a power plant in rural Maharashtra and Shankar helps her out. However, when he reaches the site, he finds out that things are not what they seem. The project is not as beneficial as he thought it would be and it eventually becomes a political minefield. It is a study of power and a tradition versus modernity debate.

Sarkar Raj will premiere at the IIFA Weekend in Bangkok on June 6.