Prakash K Jha known for his hard-hitting films returns with a multi-starrer Rajneeti, a present day adaptation of the Indian epic Mahabharata. The director who, himself, has fought elections in Bihar in the past, heads this political drama that stars some of the best talents in the industry.
Prithvi Pratap Singh (Arjun Rampal) and Veerendra Pratap Singh (Manoj Bajpayee) are the successors of a powerful political party. Prithvi is eager to take the top spot, but Veerendra turns out to be his biggest opponent. When Prithvi is appointed as the head of the party, Veerendra teams with Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) and the two successfully evict Prithvi from the party.
Enter Samar (Ranbir Kapoor) who has absolutely no political aspirations, but is sucked into the world of politics due to the family political rivalry. Under the guidance of Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), Samar and Prithvi start their own political party and contest the elections against Veerendra. What follows is an extremely compelling political drama, that should not be missed!
Why Rajneeti should not be missed
- In Rajneeti, Brij Gopal plays a role inspired by Lord Krishna who guides Ranbir Kapoor who plays a role derived from the legendary character of Arjuna, Veerendra plays the evil Duryodhana and Ajay Devgan is Karna. The film also has shades of Hollywood classic Godfather and our very own Ram Gopal Varma directed Sarkar. All characters are well fleshed out and what makes Rajneeti interesting is the fact that all characters have grey shades.
- Prakash Jha’s style of narration proves to be extremely effective. The treatment is simple and the film never really gets monotonous.
- The screenplay is tight with plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience hooked, the first half is well-paced and gripping, the dialogues although at times hard to understand are good. The lack of songs works very well for the film.
- The performances are top notch. Two actors stand out – Manoj Bajpai and Ranbir Kapoor (more on the performances below)
A few negatives
- The length – 3 hours – is slightly on the longer side. The pace does slow down considerably in the second half which seems a bit over-stretched.
- The Kunti meets Karna track doesn’t work.
- Katrina’s dialogue delivery and her expressions tends to fade away at the crucial point, the climax! The punch, the tone that was necessary to cast that one last powerful spell fell pheeka. It failed to make the impact it should have and was very much necessary.
- Dialogues, the powerhouse of any political drama, at times felt hackneyed, a little low on the rank and monotonous. It gets cynical and comical at wrong places.
The performances
- Manoj Bajpai is fantastic in a outright negative role, the actor gets everything right – his diction, body language and expressions. An award worthy performance!
- Ranbir Kapoor is extremely effective in Rajneeti, blessed with amazing screen presence the actor proves yet again why he is considered worthy enough to be the next truly bankable star!
- Arjun Rampal is brilliant, one of his best performances ever.
- Nana Patekar is terrific, yet again. He delivers the most difficult of lines with utmost ease.
- Ajay Devgan doesn’t really get a lot of footage, but he does well in most sequences that he is a part of.
- Katrina Kaif does very well in a role without an iota of glamour. Her dialogue delivery is surprisingly good.
- Shruti Seth deserves a special mention, she’s very good. Nasseruddin Shah has a short role and he sleep walks through it. All other supporting actors are good.
Overall, Rajneeti is one of the most compelling films in recent times and Prakash Jha’s best in a long time. The second half though could have been better and much shorter. At the box office, the film is already off to a flying start and over the next two weeks prior to the release of Raavan should do very well with good word of mouth . Business at single screens too is expected to be very good.
Rating:
Well Indicine Team.. I’ve a different opinion for this movie, first of all.. it’s not a bad movie, but not so good for the following reasons:
1) Nothing new in politics.. people r ready to kill each other for the positions, we saw many movies in bollywood specially the car explosion! ( copied from Sarkar Raj!)
2) The cast: that’s the worst in the movie:
a) Ranbir stepped in a wrong pair of shoes this time.. he doesn’t fit in this role.. he was so slow, cold, like icecream! like some zambies acting.. he’s so talented, full of life actor and he was wrong to accept such a role.. Arjun Rampal was good to play that role, and Arjun Rampal too didn’t fit in his role.. they could’ve hired someone else.. Arjun was so good in Rock On and Housefull.
b) Ajay Devgan was old for the role he played
c) katrina: no..and no.. Priyanka Chopra or Preity Zinta were right for this role she played.. actually she could’ve played the role of that western Irish girl, Ranbir’s girlfriend in the movie and her acting wasn’t so good, didn’t touch my heart at all
d) Manoj Bajpai: So bad hairstyle, makeup, Moustache, outfits and sun glasses!! also didn’t like him in this role
e) That girl ( don’t know her name) who played a small role in the movie Fana as Kajol’s friend.. was in a bad role in this movie! the trashy girl with Arjun Rampal!! couldn’t believe what I saw and what she was doing!! they could hire Rakhi Sawant for this role but not her!!!!!
I think the indian audience liked the movie.. that’s what the manger in our cinemas told me.. that they enjoyed watching it.. with me.. I got little bored and didn’t like the cast.
It’s good and interesting for ppl who loves politics movies.
According to BOi
Garam masala is just semi hit
http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=211&catName=MjAwNQ==
but the biggest , most reputed and experienced trade analyst says garam masala is hit .
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/trade/top5/195.html
All this shows credibility of BOI . iam not pointing fingers at you but all i want to say that u have been an interactive and tranparent website but by posting the numbers from a website which is biased towrads actor or gainst any actor should not be used by u . either u take ur own number or u try to get numbers from taran adarsh or else scrap it because this wd be better than glorifying the false numbers of BOI .THIS IS a FEEDBACK FROM MA SIDE.
BTW : nice review for rajneeti
Is baar Nitesh ka bhi comment nahi aaya?
Indicine kia ho gaya hai tum logo ko. I really didnt want it.
at the time of Housefull you were little better but now ?????
again empty.
sad
I saw the film tonight.. but i ended up disappointed…. even tho the performances in the film were amazing.. the film itself is just messy… its executed well but its very dragging/predictable… its not a film for family audience at allll… also i guess i walked in thinking of seeing a patriotic film but it was absolutely disturbing and it actually but india in very bad light.. some may argue saying its reality but in todays time even india wont tolerate a guy killing 100 people then flying away,…. ajay manoj and arjun take the cake for acting…
this movie is good only for its performances… but other than that… average…
2.5/5
@indicine
if you want to be in race for the movie review website,,then remove this log in system as soon as poosible before it kills you completely…
Hiii guys please see my review of the movie at http://i-love-reviews.blogspot.com/
Its my first review guys so please dont bash me
fathiya not aonly the points that u raised make the film a disater but overall the film doesnt leave any impact.. the story is nothing new ..we all know how politics works but here the politicians are shown as if they do nothing but plot aginst each other…!!!! here everyone is trying to outwit rather kill each other .. even in the bitterst of clan wars between anil and mukesh ambani none would be trying to kill each other…!!! this is ridiculous in todays setting .. i would have believed this tory had it bbeen 10 years ago .. but today it seems impossible but yes if you base it in bihar it is quite possible .. but then this movie is so juvenilely made that dieector can conjure anything and everything to happen as he pleases.. the kunti karna act was so predictable that even the dialogues were predictable… whe ranbir comes home the first scene .. the mom so predictably says’ aa gaya tu ghar beta..!!!
simolarly the katrina chase scene in the begining is so many times repeated in our films that i t is irritating now.. the godfather scene was done to death in this film instead of the horse head .. why praksh babu why????????????
why did u copy????????
indicine this film doesn not deserve a single star… how can u give such a high rating?????
actually u too are getting cliched ..come any big film and u give out ratings like chocolates offered to kids… u should have failed this film there instantly.. this iis the worst film of this year.. kites and veer are kids in front of this stupid exercise in film making..
the entire cast wears flase hair moustaches or beard .. and aged with silver paint .. the make up is real bad… its the pits of a movie do not see at ny cost…
After seeing the comments of fathiya and megha one thing is sure it is impossible to satisfy everybody. Rajneeti is a classic movie,,so the persons who dont like the movie have no knoweledge of what quality cinema or they are just like that
if this is quality cinema then u havent seen any cinema at all dear..!!!
please tell us why such blunders were made inthe film …then we will understand the kind of cinema you like dear..!!
@megha
Which movies according you are quality movies,,,,then I can write about the taste and your knoweledge of cinema
sir please do write about wake up sid .. do write about karthik calling .. do write about rock on ..also do write about rocketsingh.. also do care to write about avatar and 2012.. also dont forget to write about prince of persia
this all i can recall from last year besides 3 idiots but reading your cheesy and crowd pleasing review of this film was really no laughing matter it seeems you havent seen shashi kapoor produced kalyug made way back in 80s .. it had similar story based on mahabharat . so tell me whats new??? extreme dilaogue baazi in this film do u like that ..c?? characters like ajay devgn saunter into the meeting and ask for party tickets??? does it happen like this ??? ranbir kappor comes to india loses all his family members and even the one he loved and he is shown to be pawn maker??? i think he failed in his chaals .. he didnt come here to make kat the chief minister >!! the story is bereft of ideas ..frnakly your giving it a good rating says it all….
here are some more of my likes kaminay .. ishqiya…
i think you are not a better critique than komal nohata ..for the first time he has givena an honest review of this film and he has done what is expecred of a critic ..criticized it ..whereas u have done nothing but priased it too the skies ..go out sir talk to people ..take an honest poll and see for urself
@hey megha first of all sorry for replying too late,,will try to reply to your questions….
first of all dont talk about people poll or public response its boxoffice acceptance has showed that people had loved it. I went this sunday again to watch the movie but couldnt het the ticket and I had to watch THE KARATE KID then…
The movies you wrote I liked all of them except 2012(no emotions just special effects) and havent watched prince of persia,,so I conclude that you do have better taste of movies so I ma confused what happened this time….
The scenes you mentioned like ajay asking for party ticket,,I would like to add one too which was ajay disturbing arjun’s sppech during their first encounter,,but dont forget that its cinema and it gives you liberty to show anything and I believe that if anything is showed intelligently then how weird it is we will accept it like you accepted mona’s delivery scene in three idiots and the complete movie AVATAR…
I dont like much of the bollywood movies (follow hollywood) RDB, SHAURYA, MUNNABHAI SERIES, 3 IDIOTS, SWADESH and now RAJNNEETI,,,,like I mentioned I my review these are the kind of movies I felt bad after watching them since I cant have the same fun, excitement again which I had watching them
cinematic liberty at what cost…???? you dont rip off a tale and toss it laround like an omelette ..i think only kat /raNBIR FACTORE IS WORKING FOR THIS FILM … otherwise its a dumb film .. theres nothing that we havent seen befpre in godfather sarkarraj and kalyug of yore .. but there the acting is the pits .. and do read kaml nahatas review .. u will know ow bad a review u posted dear…. so what if 2012 and avatar had great specail effects.. it was a show case of hollywood cinema at its best .. but here in this film every 5 mts later there is a i mt speech which follows a trail of cars and helicopters .. repetition kills the effect … so after getting my taste u must agree that i can smell out good from the basd very easily and i do not appreciate all work immediately just to please the crowd and make people spend money uselessly
going on a sunday will not get you a place even at kake da dhaba dear ..!!!!
also dear politics is as close to reality as it can be cos it makes headlines every day .. so u have to be very close to reality ..u cannot trake cinematic liberties with what goes on in real lives … u cannot jump start a 2000 cc car just to get the acceration up..!!! what i mean is that u cannot butt in like that wherever the call may be… 3 idiots is full of gliches till the end .. but it the writers imagination wcich tkes u all acroos to lend a message .. but rajneeti which is close to our hearts has only fiction to show ..and what happens in indian politics is no fiction…!!!
and rajneeti is not must see again film.. it doesnt have arepeat value
It seems to me that I cant win over you in the war of words,,,,I respect your take on the movie since everyone has its own likes and dislikes. I really liked the points you mentioned like pregnancy in one night, sarah’s saying that arjun is a good guy but like many other critics and aam janta I had liked the movie…may be u had made ur mind to not like the movie,,,,,anyhow will like to see your take on the Raavan
take it from me ..this raava too will be a loser south films dont work up in north and bachchans dont have an overseas base
I have good expectations from the Raavan and will be seeing it on forst day itself
raavan wont work- how cd mani ratnam think of making such a big budgeted movie with abhishek in lead . even stars like SRK n AKKi find it difficult to cover high budgeted movies with star power . i had this intution earlier as well that only rajneeto will work n both raavan n kites will falter, i posted it smewhere on indicine itself.
lets see how raavan performs
abhishek is no star and south indian directors movie rarely work up north …this aish abhi combo doesnt work ..maried couples dont make hits ..it will flop dear please go and see first daY BUT DONT PUT UP A SWEEET REVIEW ..HUM TO MAREN HAIN HI TUM BHI MARO KINDA REVIEW ..GO BY ALL MEANS
hey megha I see your problem,,you make ur mind about about movies without seeing them if they are good or bad and in the end u end up disliking good movies. Abhishek may nt be a super star but u can never judge a movie without seeing them. I respected ur opinion on Rajneeti becoz u had seen it and its ur personal choice to like it or not,,,but bashing a movie without even seeing it doesnt suit a critic like you….So I suggest watching a movie before making an opinion about it….And please dont call the the persons who have liked the movie weird or something like that.. Its all personal choice megha,,infact the movie has attained a BLOCKBUSTER status according to boxofficeindia.com,,in that case to me people like you are weird who have nt liked the movie….
please develop some snob value and deter youself from eating out anywhere and every where ..
do your asseessment before rushing off to a movie you will then value your money
After watching this film I realised that politics is just another family affair. It was wholesale entertainment without any social message….
However, if we want to change the system then we’ve to join the system and not run away like the hero in Rajneeti… As a nation, we are in great need of bright and visionary leaders like http://ow.ly/2OzcB who could lead us on the path to true freedom.
This is unbelievable film of prakash jha.i like it.
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