A political soap opera spinning out of control!. Review on Raajneeti

Plot:

We all knew even before it released that "Rajneethi" was based on the Mahabharatha (which is a story that can bear re-telling many times without one ever losing interest!) . So when Rajneethi the movie begins with an obvious modern day Kunthi standing on the banks of the Ganges, reminiscing about her affair with a revolutionary (Naseeruddin Shah in a 5 minute role), having a baby and then giving it up to the river...you know this indeed is the Mahabharatha! All good so far. The baby is adopted and grows up to a Dalit leader Suraj (Ajay Devgn), while Kunthi (I dont remember her on screen name!) goes onto marry into a political family and produce legitimate children with the names of Prithvi (Arjun Rampal) and Samar (Ranbir Kapoor). They of couse have an envious, malicious cousin Veerendra (Manoj Bajpai). Then there is the childhood friend aka Draupadi - Indu Pratap (Katrina), who is in love with Samar, and the Krishna like seer/uncle Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar).

Anyway, there are a few deaths and strokes to start this family on their way to a collision course. Lots of events unfold at a rapid pace, keeping the viewer engrossed. A few hours into the movie you realise that none of the characters are really good and they are all out to get each other in the name of politics. How the story ends...well, in principle like the mahabharatha does..except there is no real "good winning over evil" here. It is the stronger force(which is not good) that wins...aka the defnition of "Rajneethi" as Prakash Jha (the director) sees it!

My Take:

The power of the Mahabharatha is an archetypal story that everyone can identify with, very strong characterisations, and the ultimate moral leson that good wins over evil. Rajneethi, the movie, only adapts the story to a certain extent, but messes up the characterisations and obviously the ending. Maybe the directors intention was to point out that there is no morality in politics. But really, arent we a bit tired of that cynical reflection? If there is morality in humanity, how can there be no good in politicians, who are human after all?

Other than the morality qualm, the other issue I had is with the characterisations. Only events unfolding on screen reminded you that these characters are from the mahabharatha. There was no time spent on fleshing out the characters and giving the audience the chance to identify with them. What happens by the second hour of the movie is that you dont really care who lives or dies. You figure out they are ALL bad. So whats the point?

With regards to the acting, cant really pick a fault with any of the actors. It is hard to play one dimensional characters and they all suffer the burden of that. Nana Patekar was the one actor who stood out in my mind, atleast for the the first hour where there is some enigma to his portrayal of Krishna/Brij Gopal..a very restrained, clever portrayal...until he starts grinning in the second half and wielding a gun..then he too becomes just a caricature of the "evil politician"! Ranbir Kapoor has just one expression throughout the movie..and I know he has an expressive face otherwise! If any of the actors win a National Award for this movie, I say it would be a big travesty. Not because they were bad as actors per se, but because their characters had to DO bad things with no justification!

Positives in the movie...The background score by Wayne Sharpe was excellent. The first hour of the movie was engrossing, only because of the parallel to the Mahabharatha and because of the introduction of the diverse cast. The movie was not boring as the events unfold rapidly, if somewhat senselessly! For that, I give the movie 2.5 out of 5, and recommend it.

Would you remember "Rajneethi" down the years...absolutely NOT. It is entertaining in parts, but ultimately forgettable. For an enduring experience of the epic, you can watch the television series Mahabharatha, or watch Kalyug (1981), Shyam Benegal's infinitely superior adaptation of politicking within a family.