RAAJNEETI: dirty politics Rocks

For a country so rooted in our mythology Raajneeti might be an intriguing film. What Prakash Jha has done is, he has taken the Mahabharata and turned it around on its head cleverly. The setting is India’s political scenario and the allusion to the mythological characters is neat and never overdone.

There is Krishna and there is Arjuna. We have a dalit Karna and a Duryodhan who is as conniving and resentful as we know him.
And then there is drama. It oozes out of the screenplay, spills over into the screen. The tempo is high, there isn’t a moment’s respite. Everything is happening all at once and you need to pay keen attention to keep abreast of all the political mumbo jumbo strewn around. This was a film that could have gone horribly wrong. And thankfully it has come out wonderfully right. The film is an indian adadptation of MAHABHARATA ,as i said it earlier, with a salt of GODFATHER inclusion.

The pace is near perfect. The screenplay is forceful and the story as we may have mentioned before is as old as the hills. The metaphors are subtle and never aggressive. If you are going to look for every subplot in the Mahabharata to be present here, you are looking at the wrong film. The film uses the epic as a fine bed to slather on its many layers. The core is right here-of power, politics, hatred, manipulation, conspiracy, war and ultimately victory. But at what cost?

Raajneeti is a film that draws you in and keeps you engrossed. This is political seduction at its best. The characters though derived are original. You have an Arjuna (Ranbir Kapoor) who is all set to get a PHD and whose thesis is based on the ‘sub textual emotional violence in 19th century Victorian poetry.’ He goes from wanting that PHD to wanting revenge. Ranbir is light on his feet with this role. He shows no signs of having tried too hard and yet he leaves a strong impression. Arjun Rampal pitches in a surprisingly nuanced performance. And are politicians really allowed to look that good? His chemistry with the film as such and his co-stars is amazing. Nana Patekar seems to have eased through what could be one of the most restrained roles of his career. His presence is strong yet never obtrusive. Manoj Bajpai is fabulous. Katrina’s casting is a little mystifying as the role doesn’t require a girl with an accent but to give her credit, she tries her best. And towards the end of the film, she gets into the ‘neta’ persona beautifully be it her walk or her body language. Ajay Devgn as Suraj brings in his trademark intensity. But the Karna angle of the film is weakest. This is the character you should ideally feel sympathy for. And sadly you don’t. The character is not etched as finely as you would imagine. Even the face off between Suraj and his biological mother is tepid and uninspiring. This is the only weak link in the film. The climax too leaves you wanting a little bit. It seems a little hurried and clumsy and Suraj’s death lacks the required melodrama.

That said, Prakash Jha is a deft juggler. He has so many balls up in the air all at once and he maneuvers them all with enviable skill and dexterity. This is a film designed to impress. And it does so successfully for most parts. Raajneeti is a war cry you can't ignore.

3 stars
JAI CINEMA