Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti is a feudal dynastic politics played in mafia style. The film is compelling, powerful and intense but at same time flawed. The movie takes a cue from our greatest epic Mahabharat mixes it with Mario Puzo’s Godfather in the field of dynastic politics that reminds erstwhile bloodstained struggle for crown in the emperor’s days.
The movie begins with a chapter reminding of Kunti. The daughter of a mainstream politician is attracted to a leftist revolutionary (Naseerudin Shah) and end up making love in one rainy day (a filmy obsession for rain and love that even Jha could not escape) But he leaves her soon after, the baby born out of the one-rainy night stand is abandoned in a boat wrapped in a cloth by uncle Nana Patekar. Time moves. The daughter gets married to another politician. And Jha’s Kunti has two sons Prithvi (Arjun Rampal) and Samar (Ranbir Kapoor) While Prithvi is a hot headed, temperamental politician, Samar stays away from politics and pursues a PhD in where else? Ofcourse Bollywood’s next door – US of A. The political head of the party falls ill and he nominates his younger brother (Prithvi and Samar’s father) as party chief much to the dismay of his own son (Manoj Bajpai) Meanwhile Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) is a rising dalit leader who is ignored by Prithvi. Your Bollywood mind would have pulled in the missing knot by now – yes Sooraj is Jha’s Karna – the infant who was abandoned in water and now raised by a car driver. Manoj takes Sooraj into his arms and elevates him to his right hand man in politics. From then, the dynastic politics enters the terrain of dirty politics, gun and blood.
The movie lists an array of actors and everyone has done a commendable job. I don’t understand what issue Nana had with Jha but if at all there is one person who should have enough reason to be angry with Jha it should be Naseerudin Shah. The talented actor is simply wasted in his 5 minutes role left only with a ridiculous lip lock in rain. Arjun Rampal as the temperamental, hot headed politician and a caring elder brother, equally temperamental Manoj Bajpai, under-stated but serious Ajay Devgan and Ranbir, the cool cucumber with an inherent negative shade and cunning Chanakya, Nana Patekar all have brought life to their character. Katrina sports a bubbly character in the beginning, then becomes a pawn in the board of politics and sports the much talked about Sonia look in the last 5 minutes of the movie.
The movie scores in the fact that you never get bored right from the word go. The story is gripping, compelling and racy. The big let down is politicians themselves go gun-trotting and fire at each other as if there is nothing like police or CBI to worry about and we are talking about big politicians getting eliminated. That is something very filmy, logic defying and makes the movie Sarkar-ish.
GingerChai Verdict: Rajneeti makes you sit and watch but the neeti in it is deplorable but then at the end of the day it is a commercial movie and a pop-corn thriller. So go watch it.
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gawd…sounds a bit lame
Had expected so much from this movie…will see this for the thrill of it and of course for Ranbir darling
LP but the movie does make a neat watch. Never boring and unwanted songs to stop the flow
Met my expectations. Had assumed it to be bad
Gonna skip this movie
As i said to LP, you could watch the movie for the lead actors, the tight ferocious storyline
you will not regret watching it.
Good responses all over for Rajneeti.
True, It will be a box office hit without doubt.
like Rajkumar Santoshi’s, Prakash Jha’s movies r woth watching(xception Dil Kya Kare)without considering their BO reports or critical reviews !!!
Just completed watching it and it was compelling to the core… Totally loved the movie…A good watch after a long time I would say
Rajneeti features in our weekend plans!!
Want to watch, let’s see when
One can enjoy the film if he or she is conversant with the Mahabharata characters other wise one is bound to be confused about ‘who is who’ in the drama of too many characters!Ajay Devegon appears to have been sidelined and Ranbir Kapoor emerges victorious.However his dilaouges are not clearly audible because he delivers them in whisper.
Very nice review…
i thought this would be a realistic movie…We havent lost obsession with the west
!!
Ahh feels nice to be back to ginger chai and back to my favourite section – reviews .. missed you !
The theme is interesting gotta catch it