A Hindi remake of the Telugu hit 'Anthapuram' by the same director, Shakti - The Power is exactly what the name implies, a power packed film. Originally inspired by an English film 'Not Without My Daughter' based on a true story of Betty Mehmoody, an American housewife and her daughter on the run from her Iranian husband's fundamentalist household, the Indianised Version Shakti lives up to the mark.

The story revolves around Nandini (Karisma Kapoor) who lives a sheltered life with her loving uncles (Tiku Talsania and Jaspal Bhatti) in Canada. She meets Sekhar (Sanjay Kapoor), falls in love and gets married. They have a son Raja (Master Jai Gidwani). The happy couple lead a peaceful life in Canada until, Sanjay decides to visit his mother (Deepti Naval) in a village in rural India.

There after the events that takes place turns Nandini's life upside down. The long exhausting journey to the village turns to a nightmare when their bus is attacked by a mob and Shekhar gets nearly killed. But escaping from this ordeal doesn't end their misery. They reach Shekhar's house only to meet the domineering, rude Narasimha (Nana Patekear) for whom everybody else are just puppets to pull strings with. His will is the rule and killing is a way of life for him.

Nandini cannot digest his behaviour but she begins to love her submissive, gentle mother-in law. Things reach a peak when one day she discovers her father-in-law teaching her son Raja to throw country bombs. She confronts Narsimha and wants to leave the place immediately. Sekhar promises to leave for Canada soon, but .. he gets killed leaving Nandini shattered. Thereupon begins her endless battle to save her son from the clutches of the evil Narasimha. She gets help from a village ruffian Shah Rukh Khan...

The impact of the film is sure to keep the audience gripped. A powerful script, realistic settings and performances add to it. Credit goes to the Director for recounting such a story with poise and handling certain sequences perfectly. The narration is too realistic and violent that at times it disturbs. The second half drags in between.

Karishma has given a fiery performance as a mother out to save her son. This is definitely one of her best performances till date. She is sure to win acclaim for her character in the film. Nana Patekar does full justice to his role as the tyrant Narasimha. His performance as the bad guy is nerve-racking. Deepti Naval is back in full steam after a break. Aishwarya Rai makes an alluring appearance in the dream song sequence ' Isq Kameena' with Shah Rukh Khan. Sanjay Kapoor does his roles effectively. Shah Rukh Khan's character does not leave any impact.

Music in the film is just okay except maybe for Anu Malik's hit 'Isq Kameena' a crowd puller, well taken but not much needed in the context. Overall Shakti- The power is a well taken meaningful film worth a watch.