Raajneeti (Hindi)
Release Date:
June 04, 2010Raajneeti is a story about Indian politics. About Indian democracy. About Indian elections. Above all, it is the story of a few people who control the destiny of millions. It is the story of their unstoppable ambition, and their bitter and violent battle to achieve it. This is the story of people who understand power and know how to wield it at will.
It is the story of Bhasker Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah), the fire brand leftist leader, as feared for his single handed ability to challenge the most powerful of leaders as he was respected for his political integrity. Until one private mistake of his hurtled him into a self imposed exile and spawned a secret consequence that shook the destiny of the political future of the state.
And of Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) who rose from the backward classes with anger in his heart and leadership on his mind. And yet, his destiny could never overcome the tragedy of his birth, trapping him in a terrible dilemma where his loyalty to his friend threatens to destroy his own family.
Of Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), who shunned every political ambition even as he continued to mentor and guide the younger generation of leaders while the battle got bloodier by the day.
It is the story of Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal), heir to a powerful political legacy and impatient to seize the top position. A man with a heart of gold but who is all brawn. A man whose uncontrollable passions bring his family to the brink of political extinction.
And of Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai), whose lunge at the throne was thwarted even as he was within striking distance of it. A man who believes he was born to rule, and who will now stop at absolutely nothing to claw his way back to the top.
Of Indu Sakseria (Katrina Kaif), the princess – beautiful, passionate, arrogant. She had only one all consuming love. Little did she know that her personal happiness was dependent on the changing electoral fortunes of her love, and that even a slight shift in the faultlines of political negotiation would cause a devastating earthquake in her personal life. And yet, this spirited never say die diva rose from the ashes of her tragedy to challenge every contender, over turning the political future of the state.
Of Sarah Jean Collins (Sarah Thompson), who came from one of the bloodiest and most violent places on earth. Who escaped from there, bruised, hurt, and fell in love with a soul mate who shared a similar legacy. And her abhorrence for it. And yet, when he was sucked into his destiny, this innocent bewildered girl’s private world was thrown asunder. And, it is the story of Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor), the ultimate outsider. The apolitical conscientious objector, who got reluctantly sucked into the battle ravaged arena of family rivalry. Only to turn into a master of the craft of political warfare. It is the story of the woman that he loved, and the one that loved and lost him. It is the story of his determined and fierce fight to protect his family. Of the bloodiest of final battles in a war alien to his character. It is the story of a man’s descent into the moral hell that is Indian politics.
It is the story of a fiercely fought election campaign, where money power and corruption are the accepted norms, and where treachery and manipulation are routinely used weapons. As the personal drama of these conflictridden characters unfolds against this gritty backdrop, love and friendship become mere baits, and relationships get sacrificed at the altar of political alignments. The darkness that rises from their souls threatens to envelope all that they hold precious. Until eventually, in the crescendo of increasing violence, the line between good and evil blurs, making it impossible to distinguish heroes from villains.
Raajneeti is the story of Indian democracy. And its ugly underside. It is about politics. And beyond.
Ever been to one of those “fill your plate at one go†salad bars? Its funny seeing how people struggle to heap up their plates with two times the max that can fit in. And in 7 cases out of 10, a cucumber slice or a lettuce shred or even a dollop of dressing ends up falling on the floor. People tend to forget that its meant to fill your plate at one go…not your tummy. Similarly, the ever-so-reliable Prakash Jha seems to have forgotten one of his own cardinal rules – the economy of filmmaking.
It was one of the most anticipated releases. It had a writer who I admire. I thought it would be the first wow film of 2010. I WAS WRONG. This political adaptation of Mahabharata turned out to be a rehashed version of Godfather & both the Sarkar’s. It works perfectly well till the interval point with enough twist and turns and lots of Drama which had gone missing from Hindi cinema for awhile now but post interval the screenplay goes haywire trying hard to manage all the sub plots & layers. In fact towards the end the film looked like an underworld flick & ended like a revenge drama. What works for the film are some key performances. The surprise performance of the film was Arjun Rampal’s. It seems the national award has boosted his confidence & it shows. It is by far his best performance. The other actor who stands out amongst everyone is Manoj Bajpayee. It is a treat to watch him. His performance is magnetic. Nana Patekar underplays his role perfectly. Ajay Devgn is completely wasted. Katrina Kaif has almost nothing to do in the film. She is like a glorified extra. All that talks about preparing for the role was bull shit. She only gets to perform in the last few minutes and there also she shows how bad an actor she is. A film like this needed some really hard hitting dialogues something you take home. It could have also done away with some of the subplots. Even with so many characters and so much happening the screenplay doesn’t do anything to your heart. You are as passive to the characters as you are to the real politicians in our country. In fact certain characters and situation are un intentionally funny like towards the end Ajay Devgn in a funny looking wig.
Final few words: it’s flawed but its engaging. At least it is trying to tell a story. Now, when was the last time you saw a good story on screen?
Rating: ** ½ (above average)
Ticket Meter: Rs. 180/- (worth it)
This is a story that deserves to be played out over a decade or more, but is done over a few months instead. The result is akin to Woody Allen’s account of how he read War and Peace in twenty minutes after having taken a speed-reading course.
Then there is a catastrophic failure of a key scene where Kunti meets Karna and reveals her/his identity to him. It says something about the writing that this was the one scene in a three hour long serious movie where pretty much everyone in the theatre laughed uproariously.
What is most frustrating about these problems is that they screw up what looks like an extremely interesting setup and a bunch of characters worth spending quality time with.
A could-have-been, wanna-be political thriller lacks the sizzle and cursorily glances over the sleaze. And yet, despite the dull lines, modern Mahabharat is a tale worth watching.
A sharp political sagacity is miles apart from the wisdom of a PhD in Victorian literature and a transition from the latter to the former requires nothing less than a father, an uncle, a cousin and an elder brother thriving on the art, science and the civics of politics. So much so that they don’t even save neck of any relation beyond their own family. Ranbir Kapoor as Samar Pratap, though scared that politics might bring the evil out of him, gets transposed to a political champ from the pages of his thesis, trades emotions for money and life for power; hence, actualizing his worst fear.