SYNOPSICS
Rajneeti (2010) is a Hindi,English movie. Prakash Jha has directed this movie. Ranbir Kapoor,Ajay Devgn,Nana Patekar,Katrina Kaif are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2010. Rajneeti (2010) is considered one of the best Crime,Drama,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
Belonging to a prominent Uttar Pradesh-family of ruthless politicians, Samar Pratap is about to return to his Irish-American girlfriend, Sarah, in the U.S. and obtain a PhD, but cancels his trip when his father, Chandra, is shot dead. He decides to stay put and avenge this slaying but ends up dealing with aspiring politician, Indu Sakseria, who wants to wed him; his brother, Prithviraj, who has been granted control of the Rashtrawadi Party but is facing imprisonment on charges of Assaulting a Police Officer and Sexual Molestation; his cousin, Veerendra, who wants control of the party; and his astute maternal uncle, Brij Gopal - who secretly controls the entire family. Before he could even handle these situations, Sarah arrives in India and will soon accuse him of being a manipulative and conniving politician.
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Rajneeti (2010) Reviews
Politics, Corruption, Skullduggery: An Entertaining Hybrid
If this were a typical Hollywood political thriller, it would be clear which folks were the nasty ones and which were the heroes. If this were a typical Bollywood film, there would be plenty of dancing and the usual generational conflicts. But Raajneeti is neither; surely it is a political thriller, but because it upends expectations, some viewers are disappointed it doesn't deliver what they expect. Granted, it might be a richer film from Westerners if they were more familiar with the complexities of politics in another country, but if you approach this film for what it is--a political thriller with a heavy dollop of family melodrama and a good deal of violence, adding numerous rich characterizations and brilliant color, you might find it hugely entertaining
A multi-starer to the core
Even if you do not know before going into the movie, it is evident in the first few minutes that the film draws heavily from the epic of Mahabharata. From the basic plot to the characters. Your palms will get sweaty a few times if you can relate to it. Ranbir Kapoor is our modern day Arjun & Krishna woven into one. All characters in the movie have shades of gray and Ranbir is no exception. He is a strategist who is not afraid to go the bloody mile. Being a young actor in a multi starer can be tricky, but Ranbir does emerge on top, thereby setting the pace for more serious & deeper roles in the future. Nana Patekar is so subtle & understated that he takes the film forward effortlessly. No yelling, just shrewd smiles. Ajay Devgn proves yet again that he is past the stage where he needs screen time to justify his role. He easily enters into the skin of the modern day Karna, letting Manoj Bajpai as Duryodhan take center stage. And Bajpai, justifies every minute of his presence on screen. Arjun Rampal has his moments in the sun. Katrina impresses mainly through her improved Hindi. This is definitely not the role that she was hoping would get her a national award. Subtlety is not a mark of Prakash Jha's cinema. From Gangajal to Apaharan to Raajneeti, all are in your face dramas. Raajneeti, if I may say, would be his most commercial outing in some time. We have very mainstream actors, a grand scale in the sheer number of crowds, bloody violence, cars going up in flames & people killing each other left, right & center. Even for its 3 hour run time, some scenes & sequences do seem rushed in a bit. Nasserudin Shah has as much a presence in the film as he has on the posters. He is not in the film if you are five minutes late to the movie. All our political men are ultra virile & the females- ultra fertile. There is also a needless club song. Then, there are car bombs & a climactic gun battle that is a bit over the top just like all Prakash Jha films. It could have been kept tighter & more believable. But that said, the film is a gripping tale with very intensely executed pieces and careful attention to detail. The basic premise remains that of the Mahabharata, but the film is not limited to that. It is fast paced and there is seldom a loose moment. It is not Jha's best work, not even close. But I am tempted to rate it highly for the power packed performances & the gripping screenplay. I say 3.5 on 5
A Potpourri of Vestiges Review: A spineless saga of political corruption
The Hindi cinema over the years has produced a plethora of timeless gems, which not only entertained the masses, but also awed the critics with their originality, poignance, austerity and occasional grandeur. Today, the Hindi cinema has become a mere impression of what it used to be in its decorated days. Rajneeti is a mere continuation of the long chain of over hyped run-of-the- mill movies, which lack both originality and substance. The ever meticulous and uncanny Prakash Jha fails to leave any mark on the movie, which is a mere mishmash of weak dialogues, trite sub-slots, incongruities, and incompetency in editing and to some extent in direction. Jha fallibly blends the epic tale of the Mahabharata with that of the Godfather in Rajneeti. Jha missed yet another trick by failing to acknowledge and avow to the fact that Rajneeti was meant to be an adaptation of the Mahabharata. The stellar cast of the movie somehow manages to give it a much needed impetus. The acting is commendable with a special mention of Manoj Vajpayee, Nana Patekar and Arjun Rampal. The cinematography, sound editing & mixing are also up to the mark. The movie, though marred by the aforementioned inconsistencies is definitely worth a watch if the viewer overlooks the banalities of the plot and its conspicuous similarities to the Mahabharata and the Godfather trilogy. PS: Rajneeti can definitely serve to be a guilty pleasure to the less eclectic viewers and for those whose sole purpose is entertainment. 6.5/10 http://www.apotpourriofvestiges.com/
An Epic unfolds
Power. The quest for its supremacy has seen many a battle through centuries bringing chaos, destruction, bloodshed, grief and loss. India's greatest epic, The Mahabharat witnessed cruel forces stand for what they seemed as right, against their brothers who, aided by a master Strategist, outsmarted the great warriors. In the end, it never was about good or evil. It was about achieving victory at any cost. Prakash Jha's audacious venture of Raajneeti treads this very path to re-incarnate the intricate battle for supremacy. An ensemble cast comprising of Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Naseeruddin Shah and an impressive lot of others play today's warriors in the great battlefield of Indian politics. The back story of Kunti's 'first born', Karna leads us to the high stakes political game in the Pratap family after their supremo is hospitalized. The state is witnessing a transition in government and there is more than one challenger within the family itself. The battle lines have been drawn and clearly, the thirst for power has corrupted everyone involved. There is no good in this quest for victory. Aided by Karna, Duryodhan leads his charge against the Paandavs who are aided by the experienced strategist, Krishna. After the fall of Paandu, the united brothers of Yudhishtir and Arjun salvage their position with every move, lie and trick outside the book as Krishna guides them through the battlefield. This essence of The Mahabharat has been adroitly adapted to Raajneeti's political backdrop and all credit for its intricate development goes to writers Anjum Rajabali and Mr. Jha himself. The scale is elaborate, the cast ensemble and the plot engaging but the execution of it all with the thorough script, well paced screenplay, masterful direction and flawless performances make this a remarkable film. Raajneeti is not for the faint hearted who solely indulge in slap-stick comedies, heart warming tragedies, mushy love stories or any vampire chronicles. This is real, wicked, unforgiving and ruthless politics. But Jha doesn't make a documentary with this cast. There is a bit of filmy drama with women being impregnated after just one encounter, love being compromised for the ultimate goal in battle and people being used as pawns on a big chess board. At the same time, Jha is unforgiving while he portrays the brutally of battle. There are car bombs, assassins, gruesome beatings, bloodshed and profanity suited to the film's environment. It rarely fails to surprise you with every new conniving plot and strategy and the convincing performances by the actors who certainly are portraying dual characters. One being those of the film Raajneeti and the other being the celluloid reincarnations of characters from The Mahabharat. This is also a performance powerhouse. Naseeruddin Shah of course, excellent in his brief role, deserved more screen presence. Nana Patekar's simplicity in portraying the most important of characters is awe inspiring. He is indeed a mentor for the rest of them. It's been a long time since we watched Manoj Bajpai in a worthy role and what a laudable performance it was! His defining moment was his speech after Shakuni Mama's incident. Ajay Devgan being Jha's favorite man maintains his typical intensity in a solid act while Arjun Rampal delivers the most shocking performance which is also his finest yet. Watch him as he speaks to his brother on his cell phone with bloody hands and you will witness the intense actor in him. Sarah Kane in a brief role seemed quite seasoned already along with Nikhila Trikha (Kunti). Katrina Kaif has proved her worth with Raajneeti. Jha instilled confidence in Katrina's mediocre dialog delivery and nurtured her to reach her epitome in the public speech she makes in front of thousands. She now sheds the tag of the cute, beautiful new comer and surpasses many of her peers showing her versatility in just the past year. Speaking of which, the new force to be reckoned with is certainly Ranbir Kapoor. From being the lover boy, funny man, awakened man and salesman, he proves his mettle as the underdog who earns respect through actions. Whether he is playing chess on his BB or watching his game plan unfold on the screen or calming an infuriated, impulsive brother, Ranbir shows his composure and caliber while making his presence felt in the midst of accomplished senior artists. The musical score also has an ensemble cast here. With Pritam, Aadesh Shrivastava, Shantanu Moitra and Wayne Sharpe, the music is brilliant. The pop-classical Ishq Barse, the melodious Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si, the uplifting theme song - Dhan dhan Dharti by Shankar and Wayne Sharpe and Aadesh Shrivastava & Shashi's outstanding Mora Piya are all excellent, even with their well remixed versions (Mora Piya 'trance' mix!). But Jha mercilessly edits the songs from the movie, only to keep a bare minimum when the screenplay could exhale. Prakash Jha seemed to draw inspirations from The Mahabharat, 'The Godfather', 'Kalyug' as well as the 'Sarkars' and in his distinctive way, gave us an engaging, witty, hard hitting, intense drama that is a depiction of a democracy that works, but at a price. With real people, about 10,000 of them, Jha shot in locales that serve as the battlefield with superb cinematography by Sachin Krishn. His well researched and gripping script is the soul of this multi-starrer and his vision to bring the greatest epic to life just adds to the viewer's intrigue and awe element. One might even need repeated viewings in order to grasp some deeper dialogs. Minor dramatizations apart, Jha's work is commendable simply because very few have succeeded with the scale and grandeur of Raajneeti and while critics can dissect all they want, this IS the most definitive and convincing version of The Mahabharat and the ugly face of democracy.
This time Jha doesn't quite get it right.
This one could have been an epic, but instead it is another Bollywood potboiler which fails to break any new ground. Coming from Prakash Jha whose body of work is legendary to say the least, this comes close to being a disappointment. PERFORMANCEWISE- one has little to complain about, as each actor has tried to give the best to their characterizations. Ranbir Kapoor once again proves he is a star in the making. his restrained but measured performance as the calculative mastermind is awesome! It is probably the best in the movie. Manoj Bajpai and Ajay Devgan excel in their respective roles. Nana as the SHRI KRISHNA(his character is in fact called Brij Gopal!) in this Mahabharat lends a controlled dignity to his character. Katrina seems to be getting better with each movie, here too she gives a commendable performance. Arjun Rampal ,charismatic though he is, does not quite get into the skin of the character or maybe it was not well written! (I would really like to see him in more good movies). DIRECTION-WISE- taut direction from Jha. Not quite as gripping as Gangajal but much better than Apaharan. The sheer number of people Jha brings into his canvas at the rallies and speeches is awe inspiring!! gives a lot of authenticity to the whole drama.The script lets him down towards the end, and it actually becomes a waste of potentially explosive ingredients. PLOTWISE- well by now everybody who had any interest in this movie knows that it is a take on the Mahabharata with bits of the Godfather thrown in! True but not entirely! For the story may have a lot of resemblance to both but impact-wise doesn't come anywhere close to either! In fact sometimes the script seems to be very illogical, what with women getting pregnant as and when the script demanded! the plot was too derivative... maybe it would have made an impact if this movie was made as a crime thriller rather than a political one!! No one can relate to such improbable depictions like political assassinations as shown in the movie which were carried out by the high profile political leaders themselves( the climax shootout!!?I guess Ranbir's character learnt how to shoot a gun while in the U.K. getting his Ph.D!!) The writing is not at all shoddy, it is even brilliant at places, but some mediocre plot twists give the movie a front gallery crowd pleasing feel, particularly the climax!!And I don't think this movie addressed any political issue nor did it show any reference to any actual events it mirrored.SO to say the topicality of the movie is not relevant to our country in anyway... it is rather a depiction of personal vendetta!! So I think they should not have taken the liberty of using Vande Mataram as the theme music at the climactic speech by Katrina(à la Mrs Sonia Gandhi??)Give us a break!. 4 stars from one each for the four stellar performances and two for the overall effort!! I would rate it 6/10****** TECHNICAL FLAWS IN THE SCRIPT- being a doctor myself, i couldn't help but laugh at some very goofy mistakes- the CPR resuscitation scene at the Hospital ICU is so wrong,the chest compressions ,the defibrillator placement everything was so inaccurate. They even stop it at one point for the convenience of taking Nana's and the patient's close-up shot!The doctor replies to the press' query as to whether the person in question is paralysed after an episode of heart attack, by saying they're waiting for his ECG report!!! well an ECG is the first thing you do in a case of heart attack and not wait for its report overnight!! moreover it is done for seeing the heart's condition and not the brain!!(paralysis is much more common in stroke which is not heart attack BTW maybe they got confused between a heart attack and a stroke!!) they could have consulted a doctor!! unforgivable for an A-list director