subject: Review of the film Rajneeti (Politics) [print this page] Review of the film Rajneeti (Politics) Review of the film Rajneeti (Politics)
p>Rajneeti ( politics) is a film by Prakash Jha one of the more successful film makers from Mumbai. Starring the latest heart throb Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina kaif the movie has somewhat belied the expectations built up before its release.
The inspiration for the story appears to be the Godfather of Marlon Brando fame and its synthesis with the ancient Indian epic the Mahabharata. Jha creates twists and turns as he sets his story of power and politics in the heart land of India. Prakash would perhaps make us all believe that Indian politics is nothing but a game for big families and the mafia. This by itself is the big draw back of the movie. Yes, there is corruption and time serving in Indian politics, but as yet organized crime is not the de facto ruler. This movie would have perhaps been better if he had changed the setting of his movie to a mafia don and his family.
The second point against the movie is its inordinate length. Three hours is a pretty long time and at the end the viewer is exhausted. Jha would have done his film a lot of good if he had pruned or edited it by another 45 minutes. But then with a gigantic cast that included Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgun, Ranbir and Manoj Bajpai he perhaps felt hemmed in.
The direction is good and the stars have done justice to their roles. In particular the role of Ajay Devgun and his take from the story of Karan in the Mahabharata is quite engrossing. Nana Patekar however is a let down. Better was expected from this veteran actor. Katrina has no worthwhile role and an attempt to portray Sonia Gandhi is too naive. But the man who catches your eye is veteran actor Nasiruddin Shah. He gives a cameo performance and one come away wishing he had been given a bigger role. Arjun Rampal as the elder son is passable.
But all the accolades must go to the son of veteran actor Rishi Kapoor-Ranbir kapoor. He has certainly come of age and he deserves our felicitations. A word of praise for Manoj Bajpai would also be in order. His take from the character of Duryodhun from the Mahabharta is fantastic. But all said and done the promos of the film had promised a lot but the end result is not all that flattering. May be Prakash will learn from this movie and make another movie that is closer to reality. Thus Rajneeti fails to make waves in the ocean. Coming from Prakash Jha one expected something much better.
