Thoughts on Rajneeti, the Prakash Jha film

I just saw the Prakash Jha trying to be epic Rajneeti. I quite enjoyed the film, mostly because it was a busy script. And didn't let one dwell on the mostly pedestrian direction and painful characterization.

I shall put my neck out and hazard a guess about Prakash Jha. I have never met Mr. Jha himself, or have never read any interviews and all the impression I have of him stems from the last three films of his that I have seen, the knowledge that he is from Bihar, and his recent political and business aspirations in Bihar.

Mr. Jha, has the quite common "Look I am a bihari" complex that most intellectual Biharis suffer with. I would know, I have carried one for quite a while myself. It is the one response that most aforementioned intellectual biharis use to deal with while hearing of armchair scepticism of the problems in the world. It is supposed to encapsulate the words "See, I understand your words, but you have no idea where I have come from. You have no idea of the problems in the world, the twistedness of problems in the world. So let me enlighten you. This is how things happen in Bihar. And this is where I have come from. ". It is the chip on the shoulder. The survivor complex. A sort of self pat on the back. 

(I was right, read the reason for making Rajneeti later. Also here.)

I understand it. But there are limitations while limiting your view to that complex. It involves the mandatory larger picture view.  Make humanization very difficult. It makes characterization very difficult. You are not supposed to think of individual things or people. That would make life and comprehension very difficult. Must take the larger view.

All three of Prakash Jha films I am talking about, Gangajal, Apaharan, and Rajneeti all three try to work on the shock tactics. Everytime they move coz of the busy script, and the audience has only two possible options. Confess that you didn't get it and it was not an enjoyable movie watching experience because of the excesses shown (always an option available). Or that well, it was an enjoyable film. So much was shown. So much hard work is evident. And the fact is that all of it is real. It happens in real life. And well, it was a busy script.

Because well disowning it is cheap. All of this IS real. It happens all the time. Just that the way Prakash Jha puts his actors up as a montage in the story, he NEVER makes an impact. Let me rephrase that. He never makes an emotional impact. Till now, as with most indians, his stories have been working on the exotic value.(Bihar is to India what India is to the world, an old adage you hear a lot.)

With Rajneeti, Mr. Jha has taken on an ambitious and tough route. He has tried to do the Vishal Bharadwaj film. And he has picked up a tome which perhaps is more famous than any of the Bard's compositions. The Godfather. Yes, liberal sprinklings of the Mahabharata too, to sort of tie up your plot into a politicial masala. And all of this, a sort of Gonzo pot of his own electoral experiences. With a pakdo to jaano attitude.

So what am I saying? As a movie for a viewer, it entertains, as any half decent yarn about the godfather script would. And this is an entertaining one, holding back on the usual bollywood cliches, and succumbing to the other few. Would I remember it later? No.

I had got the impression from the reviews read here and there that the film was crap and the performances were quite good. I found it to be quite the opposite. Katrina Kaif is an embarrassment. Ranbir Kapoor is not quite it yet. Ajay Devgan is bored. Manoj Vajpayee follows the director's instructions (presumably) to the T, and makes a caricature of the character. Arjun Rampal does his best, but this isn't Rock On. Yes, Nana Patekar enjoyed himself much with this. As did Naseer with the best kiss in the film at the start of the film. 

They are something like the current Indian T20 team. Individually have a couple of match winning performances each from the IPL outfits, but aren't quite a team yet.

I mean, I judge a Godfather film (and I mention Godfather the book, not Godfather the films. I have few quibbles with the later) by how good these following things are taken care of.

1. Who plays Sunny Corleone? Hot headed, very male, large dick (there's an entire yarn to that in the book), very very cocky (no I am not repeating myself), the elder bro. I have never seen this particular point ever being nailed as well as it is in the book.
2. The horse in the bed sequence. Aaah. AAaah. AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
3. The hospital scene.
4. The taking care of the cop by Michael scene.
5. Luca Brasi

All of these were properly screwed in the film. A Vishal Bharadwaj film this is not. The cleverest part of the film is the script, of how tied up it is with the Mahabharata and Godfather and the Congress party and various other possible connections. But just like Gangajal, and Apaharan before this, the film fails in an emotional impact.

But IMHO Prakash Jha is not a good director. No he is not. He doesn't do justice to the subjects he picks up. Ends up making a very B grade setting around very real uncomfortable truths. He is mighty sensitive to things, yes, he is courageous, oh yes, I would be up and shake his hands for sure. But as a director, I think he is not quite into that league where he affects his viewers.

Go watch the film though. It entertains. And it makes you think. Which is more than what can be said of much contemporary Bollywood cinema.

More reading: A Mint Interview with the director Prakash Jha.