Caught Between Three Walls – Teen Deewarein

I saw Teen Deewarein recently and was mesmerized by this film. At first I got the feeling that I had seen all of this before and I hate that. A little bit of analysis told me that I had seen all that in Bas Ek Pal which came out 3 years later. Nagesh Kukunoor’s masterpiece inspired a lesser ripoff which still managed to keep me engaged.. but that is another topic. Back to Teen Deewarein..

Smita Patil's death anniversary

Here are a few films of hers I love - time to celebrate what we did get to see, while we mourn what we lost:

What a woman wants! Shyam Benegal’s Bhumika

Loosely based on the life of the Marathi stage and screen actress Hansa Wadkar, Shyam Benegal’s Bhumika (1977) deals with a woman’s search for identity and fulfillment. Usha grows up in a near destitute family of performers.

The beginning of Kalyug - Raajneeti!

Prakash Jha's films are political, usually on explosive subjects, and rooted in the hinterland. His return to movie making after several years still had Ajay Devgan (except somewhere along the way Ajay dropped an "a" to become Devgn), the film was still on a political subject, and non-metro in focus. Despite by Bihari roots, I am not a huge fan of the earlier Jha films, so I did not have many expectations from Raajneeti.

It was amply clear that Rajneeti would have many elements of the epic Mahabharata once the son born out of wedlock (Karn) was abandoned to be picked up and adopted by a lower-caste couple. However, this is not an exact re-telling of the epic in a modern setting, though much is retained. The battle for political power between two brothers and their progeny is at the heart of this tale, replete with the older getting handicapped, the banishment of the progeny of the younger brother, and the siding of the bastard with the enemies of his half-brothers! But also mixed in is a tale of political intrigue, machinations, explosions, and assassinations. Some parallels to the Godfather are apparent, as is the most obvious parallel to the Gandhi family! Here we have two brothers instead of 5, and the older dies a violent death in a blast. Then his wife picks up the reins of power after his death. Raajneeti is a taut thriller with a relentless pace through the first half, that takes an abrupt turn into a game of political chess with checks after checks in the second half. The pace does slacken and the tale gets a little more outlandish in the latter third of the film, but not enough to let the interest flag.

There are enough deaths and attempted deaths to hint at utter lawlessness in the state that is the arena for this story. But the storyteller's prerogative directs that he tell the story in his own way, creating a reality that he draws us into, while not necessarily creating a "REAL" reality. After all a paralyzed party president would not wield power for months after his incapacitation, nor would elected politicians expect their seat to be inherited. The best way to enjoy Raajneeti is to simply let go of preconceived notions, put aside all thoughts of the Mahabharata and the Indian constitutions and plunge headlong into the story being spun by Mr. Jha and co-writer Anjum Rajabali. This is Raajneeti after all, where women are mere pawns in the game, and where men fight lawfully and illegally, with fists and guns and bombs, and sometimes simply with a quiet statement that pulls the carpet out from under the opponent's feet.

The characters are all shades except white, and the game is a simple one - to win at all costs. The seemingly innocent are not, and most of the conniving is behind the scenes by three of the quietest characters in the film - Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgn and Ranbir Kapoor. The firebrands are Manoj Bajpai and Arjun Rampal, yet they are constantly manipulated by the quiet ones. The women are place holders until we see the alliance between Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal) and Indu (Katrina Kaif), and the setting up of a successor in Indu. However, Jha does present us women with political ambitions. Thus Bharati (Nikhila Tirkha) is a leftist activist influenced by Naseeruddin Shah, Shruti Seth wants the Satara ka ticket, and Indu (Katrina) promises Samar (Ranbir Kapoor) that she will be a minister before he returns. The only woman with no political ambitions is Sarah (Sarah Jane Thompson), the white girlfriend of Samar Pratap. We barely get a glimpse of the woman who tends to her paralyzed husband (as Gandhari did), so she does not quite count. It is also interesting that every woman, except the "knowing and using" Shruti, ends up pregnant. However, it is only the Naseer Nikhila episode that follows a rain drenched 70s "roop tera mastana" type track, the other two are couples who have been in or have begun a committed relationship. But except for Shruti, they are more idealist and pure of heart; the blackness that envelops the menfolk, spares the women. The men start out with a conventional Kaurav badness (Veerendra Pratap - Manoj Bajpai) and Pandav goodness (Prithvi and Samar - Arjun Rampal, and Ranbir Kapoor). But while Manoj Bajpai stays in his role of all for power, and end justifying the means, the brothers rapidly turn to darker and darker shades of gray as the film progresses. Nana Patekar is an adviser and well wisher of the Pandav branch. He is a Vidur like character, as he advises the paralyzed leader to give up his powers to his younger brother, much as Vidur negotiated the transfer of power from Dhritarashtra to Pandu. But later Nana also takes on the role of Krishna and becomes an adviser to the sons Prithvi and Samar as the political battle for succession ensues. The transformation of Samar Pratap seems to happen in the span of a few minutes, but Jha uses the subtlest hints from the youngest member of his cast effectively to show the dying and then dead father, the punch to the face from a policeman, and the arrest of his elder brother. This is enough to awake the inner demons and start Samar off in a game to outmanoeuvre Veerendra Pratap and get his brother Prithvi into power. His intentions are read (and approved) by his uncle, and together they start the game of chess with Veerendra Pratap and Sooraj (the abandoned illegitimate son).

The acting by the male cast is top notch. Leading the pack we have Nana Patekar in a subtle and effective role that subdues his histrionic ability and instead brings out the most nuanced performance from him in a long time. Next comes the performance from Manoj Bajpai. He excels as the conniving and selfish Veerendra Pratap. He wants power and will not wait for it. The anger, the fits of the sullens, and the drunken episodes are all exceptionally well done. Ranbir Kapoor is going from strength to strength and here as the academic who turns into a violent schemer, he is subtle, and with the barest quiver in his cheeks or flicker of an eyelid he conveys a lot. It is not easy to shine in a cast like the one in Raajneeti, but Ranbir manages to do exactly that. Ajay Devgn does not have a big role on screen, though many of the events in the film are set into motion by him in moments not portrayed on screen. I wonder if large chunks of his role ended up on the editing table. He is intense and intense and has very few other emotions. There are two standout moments - one of extreme indecision when he cannot shoot Samar as he now knows the man is his half brother, and the other of shock and disbelief when Samar shoots him. Arjun Rampal does well as the suave Prithvi who wants to be a politician, and one can only blame Jha for turning him into a psychopath in the ending moments of the film. There is no indication in his character graph that he would take such a turn. The women do not amount to much nor do they have much of a role to talk about. The mother, Nikhila Tirkha, is just not a good actress, so her moments on screen drag the film down a bit. Shruti Seth plays the slutty party worker appropriately. Samar's girlfriend Sarah is ok, but her talking is almost like she is teaching an ESL class, enunciating each word carefully. Last but not least, Katrina Kaif is no doubt a big draw in the film, but she is also a big letdown until the final moments. Her lips are inflating at an alarming rate and soon she will not be able to talk at all. The dubbed parts are poor with little sync between lip movements (when the silicone permits movement) and what we hear, and when she does speak it hardly wows as it is supposed to.

Mr. Jha shows mastery over the crowd scenes to the point where one can feel the crush of bodies and smell the dust. This gives the large political canvas a reality that is not usually seen in such films. Enough is shown of the families, their milieu and their interactions to make the lives of these people real and not a cardboard facade. The action sequences are taut and provide thrills enough to keep the audience engaged for the almost 3 hour run time. The end of the Mahabharata signified the beginning of Kalyug, and Rajneeti shows the ugly side of politics in this Kalyug. The characters seem beyond redemption and hopeless. Then in one stroke we have the rise to power of the most idealistic among the group, a woman who wants to distinguish between good and evil, and whose hands have no blood on them. This lifts the film out of bleakness and into a realm of hope.

While thoroughly engaging, this is by no means a flawless film. The casting of Katrina Kaif is incongruous in the mix of mostly excellent actors. The mother is totally miscast....

Read more HERE

The beginning of Kalyug - Raajneeti!

Prakash Jha's films are political, usually on explosive subjects, and rooted in the hinterland. His return to movie making after several years still had Ajay Devgan (except somewhere along the way Ajay dropped an "a" to become Devgn), the film was still on a political subject, and non-metro in focus. Despite by Bihari roots, I am not a huge fan of the earlier Jha films, so I did not have many expectations from Raajneeti.

It was amply clear that Rajneeti would have many elements of the epic Mahabharata once the son born out of wedlock (Karn) was abandoned to be picked up and adopted by a lower-caste couple. However, this is not an exact re-telling of the epic in a modern setting, though much is retained. The battle for political power between two brothers and their progeny is at the heart of this tale, replete with the older getting handicapped, the banishment of the progeny of the younger brother, and the siding of the bastard with the enemies of his half-brothers! But also mixed in is a tale of political intrigue, machinations, explosions, and assassinations. Some parallels to the Godfather are apparent, as is the most obvious parallel to the Gandhi family! Here we have two brothers instead of 5, and the older dies a violent death in a blast. Then his wife picks up the reins of power after his death. Raajneeti is a taut thriller with a relentless pace through the first half, that takes an abrupt turn into a game of political chess with checks after checks in the second half. The pace does slacken and the tale gets a little more outlandish in the latter third of the film, but not enough to let the interest flag.

There are enough deaths and attempted deaths to hint at utter lawlessness in the state that is the arena for this story. But the storyteller's prerogative directs that he tell the story in his own way, creating a reality that he draws us into, while not necessarily creating a "REAL" reality. After all a paralyzed party president would not wield power for months after his incapacitation, nor would elected politicians expect their seat to be inherited. The best way to enjoy Raajneeti is to simply let go of preconceived notions, put aside all thoughts of the Mahabharata and the Indian constitutions and plunge headlong into the story being spun by Mr. Jha and co-writer Anjum Rajabali. This is Raajneeti after all, where women are mere pawns in the game, and where men fight lawfully and illegally, with fists and guns and bombs, and sometimes simply with a quiet statement that pulls the carpet out from under the opponent's feet.

The characters are all shades except white, and the game is a simple one - to win at all costs. The seemingly innocent are not, and most of the conniving is behind the scenes by three of the quietest characters in the film - Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgn and Ranbir Kapoor. The firebrands are Manoj Bajpai and Arjun Rampal, yet they are constantly manipulated by the quiet ones. The women are place holders until we see the alliance between Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal) and Indu (Katrina Kaif), and the setting up of a successor in Indu. However, Jha does present us women with political ambitions. Thus Bharati (Nikhila Tirkha) is a leftist activist influenced by Naseeruddin Shah, Shruti Seth wants the Satara ka ticket, and Indu (Katrina) promises Samar (Ranbir Kapoor) that she will be a minister before he returns. The only woman with no political ambitions is Sarah (Sarah Jane Thompson), the white girlfriend of Samar Pratap. We barely get a glimpse of the woman who tends to her paralyzed husband (as Gandhari did), so she does not quite count. It is also interesting that every woman, except the "knowing and using" Shruti, ends up pregnant. However, it is only the Naseer Nikhila episode that follows a rain drenched 70s "roop tera mastana" type track, the other two are couples who have been in or have begun a committed relationship. But except for Shruti, they are more idealist and pure of heart; the blackness that envelops the menfolk, spares the women. The men start out with a conventional Kaurav badness (Veerendra Pratap - Manoj Bajpai) and Pandav goodness (Prithvi and Samar - Arjun Rampal, and Ranbir Kapoor). But while Manoj Bajpai stays in his role of all for power, and end justifying the means, the brothers rapidly turn to darker and darker shades of gray as the film progresses. Nana Patekar is an adviser and well wisher of the Pandav branch. He is a Vidur like character, as he advises the paralyzed leader to give up his powers to his younger brother, much as Vidur negotiated the transfer of power from Dhritarashtra to Pandu. But later Nana also takes on the role of Krishna and becomes an adviser to the sons Prithvi and Samar as the political battle for succession ensues. The transformation of Samar Pratap seems to happen in the span of a few minutes, but Jha uses the subtlest hints from the youngest member of his cast effectively to show the dying and then dead father, the punch to the face from a policeman, and the arrest of his elder brother. This is enough to awake the inner demons and start Samar off in a game to outmanoeuvre Veerendra Pratap and get his brother Prithvi into power. His intentions are read (and approved) by his uncle, and together they start the game of chess with Veerendra Pratap and Sooraj (the abandoned illegitimate son).

The acting by the male cast is top notch. Leading the pack we have Nana Patekar in a subtle and effective role that subdues his histrionic ability and instead brings out the most nuanced performance from him in a long time. Next comes the performance from Manoj Bajpai. He excels as the conniving and selfish Veerendra Pratap. He wants power and will not wait for it. The anger, the fits of the sullens, and the drunken episodes are all exceptionally well done. Ranbir Kapoor is going from strength to strength and here as the academic who turns into a violent schemer, he is subtle, and with the barest quiver in his cheeks or flicker of an eyelid he conveys a lot. It is not easy to shine in a cast like the one in Raajneeti, but Ranbir manages to do exactly that. Ajay Devgn does not have a big role on screen, though many of the events in the film are set into motion by him in moments not portrayed on screen. I wonder if large chunks of his role ended up on the editing table. He is intense and intense and has very few other emotions. There are two standout moments - one of extreme indecision when he cannot shoot Samar as he now knows the man is his half brother, and the other of shock and disbelief when Samar shoots him. Arjun Rampal does well as the suave Prithvi who wants to be a politician, and one can only blame Jha for turning him into a psychopath in the ending moments of the film. There is no indication in his character graph that he would take such a turn. The women do not amount to much nor do they have much of a role to talk about. The mother, Nikhila Tirkha, is just not a good actress, so her moments on screen drag the film down a bit. Shruti Seth plays the slutty party worker appropriately. Samar's girlfriend Sarah is ok, but her talking is almost like she is teaching an ESL class, enunciating each word carefully. Last but not least, Katrina Kaif is no doubt a big draw in the film, but she is also a big letdown until the final moments. Her lips are inflating at an alarming rate and soon she will not be able to talk at all. The dubbed parts are poor with little sync between lip movements (when the silicone permits movement) and what we hear, and when she does speak it hardly wows as it is supposed to.

Mr. Jha shows mastery over the crowd scenes to the point where one can feel the crush of bodies and smell the dust. This gives the large political canvas a reality that is not usually seen in such films. Enough is shown of the families, their milieu and their interactions to make the lives of these people real and not a cardboard facade. The action sequences are taut and provide thrills enough to keep the audience engaged for the almost 3 hour run time. The end of the Mahabharata signified the beginning of Kalyug, and Rajneeti shows the ugly side of politics in this Kalyug. The characters seem beyond redemption and hopeless. Then in one stroke we have the rise to power of the most idealistic among the group, a woman who wants to distinguish between good and evil, and whose hands have no blood on them. This lifts the film out of bleakness and into a realm of hope.

While thoroughly engaging, this is by no means a flawless film. The casting of Katrina Kaif is incongruous in the mix of mostly excellent actors. The mother is totally miscast....

Read more HERE

Raajneeti – Disappointing

One of the most awaited films this year, due mostly to the director and the stellar star cast, Raajneeti carried a lot of expectations on its shoulders. But here we are let down first and foremost by the director himself. Prakash Jha deals with too many characters in this film and in the end it turned out to be a disadvantage for him and the film. I felt a few characters should have been developed more. Ranbir Kapoor’s and Manoj Bajpai’s character were among the very well written ones. Ajay Devgn’s character too had “dome” motive in the start, but in the second half even his actions were not well justified. Katrina Kaif was hardly even there in the first half.

The major problem of Raajneeti is the scripting; Jha gave more preference to how to bring in Mahabharata in the film than to concentrating on the current politics, which should have been the main plot. The elements and characters of Mahabharata should have been add-ons. He was concentrating more on the character of Dhrithrashtra who was a less important character in Mahabharata, at least if we are only using elements of Mahabharata in a different story to tell. And Raajneeti wasn’t staying so true to Mahabharata that it should have characters like Dhrithrashtra when there are only 2 Pandavas and Dhrithrashtra has only one son.

The film turns into an unintentional comedy because of all these extra doses of Mahabharata going on and a few more scenes of poor writing. Katrina Kaif saying “I love you” to Arjun Rampal and when Ranbir/Arjun’s mother tries to tell Ajay Devgn that she is his real mother are laughable moments. And in a film which is supposed to connect with the youth, who uses words like ‘jaisth’ (meaning eldest) in the dialogs - “Tum mere jaisth putra ho.”

It also turns illogical sometimes, when you see a mother going to meet someone when she has just lost her son and hasn’t even performed the antim sanskar. The film really misses the word EMOTION. Everyone here including brother, sister, mother, father was more interested in politics than their personal relationship. It is true in politics, people are more concerned about winning and losing, but even a mother? I can’t take that. Katrina Kaif was married to Arjun Rampal because he was standing up for the post of chief minister. I don’t see why a father of a girl will sell her daughter to a person and give over 50 crores rupees as dowry; especially when her daughter is Katrina Kaif. And Katrina Kaif did not turn the match down, which again was unjustified. The script really needed more effort and even though the duration of the film was around 170 mins, it still was incomplete. Although after seeing how the things going in the film and emotional moments turning into hilarious scenes, I was happy it was left incomplete. It would have been difficult to take more.

Read more from HERE

Raajneeti – Disappointing

One of the most awaited films this year, due mostly to the director and the stellar star cast, Raajneeti carried a lot of expectations on its shoulders. But here we are let down first and foremost by the director himself. Prakash Jha deals with too many characters in this film and in the end it turned out to be a disadvantage for him and the film. I felt a few characters should have been developed more. Ranbir Kapoor’s and Manoj Bajpai’s character were among the very well written ones. Ajay Devgn’s character too had “dome” motive in the start, but in the second half even his actions were not well justified. Katrina Kaif was hardly even there in the first half.

The major problem of Raajneeti is the scripting; Jha gave more preference to how to bring in Mahabharata in the film than to concentrating on the current politics, which should have been the main plot. The elements and characters of Mahabharata should have been add-ons. He was concentrating more on the character of Dhrithrashtra who was a less important character in Mahabharata, at least if we are only using elements of Mahabharata in a different story to tell. And Raajneeti wasn’t staying so true to Mahabharata that it should have characters like Dhrithrashtra when there are only 2 Pandavas and Dhrithrashtra has only one son.

The film turns into an unintentional comedy because of all these extra doses of Mahabharata going on and a few more scenes of poor writing. Katrina Kaif saying “I love you” to Arjun Rampal and when Ranbir/Arjun’s mother tries to tell Ajay Devgn that she is his real mother are laughable moments. And in a film which is supposed to connect with the youth, who uses words like ‘jaisth’ (meaning eldest) in the dialogs - “Tum mere jaisth putra ho.”

It also turns illogical sometimes, when you see a mother going to meet someone when she has just lost her son and hasn’t even performed the antim sanskar. The film really misses the word EMOTION. Everyone here including brother, sister, mother, father was more interested in politics than their personal relationship. It is true in politics, people are more concerned about winning and losing, but even a mother? I can’t take that. Katrina Kaif was married to Arjun Rampal because he was standing up for the post of chief minister. I don’t see why a father of a girl will sell her daughter to a person and give over 50 crores rupees as dowry; especially when her daughter is Katrina Kaif. And Katrina Kaif did not turn the match down, which again was unjustified. The script really needed more effort and even though the duration of the film was around 170 mins, it still was incomplete. Although after seeing how the things going in the film and emotional moments turning into hilarious scenes, I was happy it was left incomplete. It would have been difficult to take more.

Read more from HERE

Om Puri remembers Amrish Puri - OLD FILMFARE MAGAZINE SCANS

ISSUE - MARCH 2005. Page no. - 118-119

Om Puri remembers Amrish Puri - OLD FILMFARE MAGAZINE SCANS

ISSUE - MARCH 2005. Page no. - 118-119

Raajneeti Preview And Stills

Coming up on June 4th is Prakash Jha's epic film Raajneeti. Epic in scope and in story, the film required the director to assemble an all star cast of some of the finest actors in Hindi cinema including: Manoj Bajpai, Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Devgan, Nana Patekar, Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor.

Synopsis: Raajneeti is a story about Indian politics. About Indian democracy. About Indian elections. Above all, it is the story of a few people who control the destiny of millions. It is the story of their unstoppable ambition, and their bitter and violent battle to achieve it. This is the story of people who understand power - and know how to wield it at will.

It is the story of Bhasker Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah), the fire-brand leftist leader, as feared for his single-handed ability to challenge the most powerful of leaders as he was respected for his political integrity. Until one private mistake of his hurtled him into a self-imposed exile and spawned a secret consequence that shook the destiny of the political future of the state.

And of Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) who rose from the backward classes - with anger in his heart and leadership on his mind. And yet, his destiny could never overcome the tragedy of his birth, trapping him in a terrible dilemma where his loyalty to his friend threatens to destroy his own family.

Of Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), who shunned every political ambition even as he continued to mentor and guide the younger generation of leaders while the battle got bloodier by the day.

It is the story of Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal), heir to a powerful political legacy and impatient to seize the top position. A man with a heart of gold but who is all brawn. A man whose uncontrollable passions bring his family to the brink of political extinction.

And of Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai), whose lunge at the throne was thwarted even as he was within striking distance of it. A man who believes he was born to rule, and who will now stop at absolutely nothing to claw his way back to the top.

Of Indu Sakseria (Katrina Kaif), the princess - beautiful, passionate, arrogant. She had only one all-consuming love. Little did she know that her personal happiness was dependent on the changing electoral fortunes of her love, and that even a slight shift in the faultlines of political negotiation would cause a devastating earthquake in her personal life. And yet, this spirited never-say-die diva rose from the ashes of her tragedy to challenge every contender, over-turning the political future of the state.

Of Sarah Jean Collins (Sarah Thompson), who came from one of the bloodiest and most violent places on earth. Who escaped from there, bruised, hurt, and fell in love with a soul-mate who shared a similar legacy. And her abhorrence for it. And yet, when he was sucked into his destiny, this innocent bewildered girl's private world was thrown asunder.

And, it is the story of Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor), the ultimate outsider. The apolitical conscientious objector, who got reluctantly sucked into the battle-ravaged arena of family rivalry. Only to turn into a master of the craft of political warfare. It is the story of the woman that he loved, and the one that loved and lost him. It is the story of his determined and fierce fight to protect his family. Of the bloodiest of final battles in a war alien to his character.It is the story of a man's descent into the moral hell that is Indian politics.

It is the story of a fiercely fought election campaign, where money-power and corruption are the accepted norms, and where treachery and manipulation are routinely used weapons. As the personal drama of these conflict-ridden characters unfolds against this gritty backdrop, love and friendship become mere baits, and relationships get sacrificed at the altar of political alignments. The darkness that rises from their souls threatens to envelope all that they hold precious. Until eventually, in the crescendo of increasing violence, the line between good and evil blurs, making it impossible to distinguish heroes from villains.

Raajneeti is the story of Indian democracy. And its ugly underside. It is about politics. And beyond.

Samar Pratap: "The outsider, who overturned every rule of the game"

Sooraj Kumar: "The underdog, whose game-plan stunned the rulers"

Prithviraj Pratap: "The challenger, who staked his life for power"

Bhaksar Sanyal: The revoltionary, who mysteriously disappered"

Brij Gopal: "The mentor, who fought the battle without weapons"

Veerenda Pratap: "The inheritor, who believed power was his birthright"

Sarah Jean Collins: "The innocent, who asked for nothing and lost everything"

Indu Pratap: "The diva, who was forced into the battlefield"

LINK

Raajneeti Preview And Stills

Coming up on June 4th is Prakash Jha's epic film Raajneeti. Epic in scope and in story, the film required the director to assemble an all star cast of some of the finest actors in Hindi cinema including: Manoj Bajpai, Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Devgan, Nana Patekar, Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor.

Synopsis: Raajneeti is a story about Indian politics. About Indian democracy. About Indian elections. Above all, it is the story of a few people who control the destiny of millions. It is the story of their unstoppable ambition, and their bitter and violent battle to achieve it. This is the story of people who understand power - and know how to wield it at will.

It is the story of Bhasker Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah), the fire-brand leftist leader, as feared for his single-handed ability to challenge the most powerful of leaders as he was respected for his political integrity. Until one private mistake of his hurtled him into a self-imposed exile and spawned a secret consequence that shook the destiny of the political future of the state.

And of Sooraj (Ajay Devgan) who rose from the backward classes - with anger in his heart and leadership on his mind. And yet, his destiny could never overcome the tragedy of his birth, trapping him in a terrible dilemma where his loyalty to his friend threatens to destroy his own family.

Of Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), who shunned every political ambition even as he continued to mentor and guide the younger generation of leaders while the battle got bloodier by the day.

It is the story of Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal), heir to a powerful political legacy and impatient to seize the top position. A man with a heart of gold but who is all brawn. A man whose uncontrollable passions bring his family to the brink of political extinction.

And of Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai), whose lunge at the throne was thwarted even as he was within striking distance of it. A man who believes he was born to rule, and who will now stop at absolutely nothing to claw his way back to the top.

Of Indu Sakseria (Katrina Kaif), the princess - beautiful, passionate, arrogant. She had only one all-consuming love. Little did she know that her personal happiness was dependent on the changing electoral fortunes of her love, and that even a slight shift in the faultlines of political negotiation would cause a devastating earthquake in her personal life. And yet, this spirited never-say-die diva rose from the ashes of her tragedy to challenge every contender, over-turning the political future of the state.

Of Sarah Jean Collins (Sarah Thompson), who came from one of the bloodiest and most violent places on earth. Who escaped from there, bruised, hurt, and fell in love with a soul-mate who shared a similar legacy. And her abhorrence for it. And yet, when he was sucked into his destiny, this innocent bewildered girl's private world was thrown asunder.

And, it is the story of Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor), the ultimate outsider. The apolitical conscientious objector, who got reluctantly sucked into the battle-ravaged arena of family rivalry. Only to turn into a master of the craft of political warfare. It is the story of the woman that he loved, and the one that loved and lost him. It is the story of his determined and fierce fight to protect his family. Of the bloodiest of final battles in a war alien to his character.It is the story of a man's descent into the moral hell that is Indian politics.

It is the story of a fiercely fought election campaign, where money-power and corruption are the accepted norms, and where treachery and manipulation are routinely used weapons. As the personal drama of these conflict-ridden characters unfolds against this gritty backdrop, love and friendship become mere baits, and relationships get sacrificed at the altar of political alignments. The darkness that rises from their souls threatens to envelope all that they hold precious. Until eventually, in the crescendo of increasing violence, the line between good and evil blurs, making it impossible to distinguish heroes from villains.

Raajneeti is the story of Indian democracy. And its ugly underside. It is about politics. And beyond.

Samar Pratap: "The outsider, who overturned every rule of the game"

Sooraj Kumar: "The underdog, whose game-plan stunned the rulers"

Prithviraj Pratap: "The challenger, who staked his life for power"

Bhaksar Sanyal: The revoltionary, who mysteriously disappered"

Brij Gopal: "The mentor, who fought the battle without weapons"

Veerenda Pratap: "The inheritor, who believed power was his birthright"

Sarah Jean Collins: "The innocent, who asked for nothing and lost everything"

Indu Pratap: "The diva, who was forced into the battlefield"

LINK

Naseeruddin Shah: Actors have huge egos

"When I first dreamt of becoming a movie star," says one of India's least starry but most respected actors, "I wanted to be a Gary Cooper, I wanted to be rich and famous, living in palaces and wearing dark glasses and white suits."

He looks around, curls his lip slightly. "I didn't want to be an arty type of guy trudging up hills and through streams!"

Coming from Naseeruddin Shah, these are words that need a garnishing of salt. We're at a location shooting for a low-budget film in the hill town of Vagamon in Kerala, where traipsing up and down rough mountain roads is very much part of the deal. So are long periods of waiting while heavy equipment is lugged around.

Many scenes feature animals that tend not to be considerate of the best-laid shooting schedules of humans. Besides, the long Rastafarian braids that Shah has had stitched on to his own hair are heavy and uncomfortable in the heat, and he's stuck with them till the month-long shoot is over.

The actor's mood ebbs and flows. One minute he's the picture of joviality, talking about how he finds it stimulating to work with less experienced directors; the next he's feeling depressed about the haphazardness of the shot division.

He maintains that the long climbs don't tire him out -- "I welcome it, one doesn't get to walk in Mumbai" -- but the fatigue shows at times. "I'm the world champion of thumb-twiddling now," he says glumly, at the end of a long day that began badly because of a miscommunication (he was up and ready by 7.30 am though he was only required four hours later).

And yet, here he is, far from those notional palaces and white suits, working on a non-Bollywood project made with a paltry Rs 40 lakh.

When writer-director Anup Kurian -- whose first feature, the gentle Manasarovar, won praise on the festival circuit a few years ago without ever reaching a large audience -- approached him for The Hunt, Shah agreed immediately.

In a sense, it was a continuation of what he was doing 30 years ago, as the leading light of Hindi cinema's 'parallel star system', encouraging small movies, saying yes to resource-strapped directors who came to him with offbeat scripts.

Now in his sixtieth year, Naseeruddin Shah has been a thoroughly honourable performer, working in both non-mainstream and mainstream cinema for over three decades.

He has excelled in stark dramas made by Shyam Benegal and Mrinal Sen, and he has been just as convincing -- given the token suspension of disbelief -- in masala-movie setpieces such as the Tirchi Topiwale song in Tridev.

Even when he started working three shifts a day in assembly-line commercial films (which he did to line his bank balance, he freely admits, making the finger-flicking gesture that is somehow permanently associated with the word rokda in Bollywood), he found the time for 'small' movies. Such as this one.

Read more from HERE

Naseeruddin Shah: Actors have huge egos

"When I first dreamt of becoming a movie star," says one of India's least starry but most respected actors, "I wanted to be a Gary Cooper, I wanted to be rich and famous, living in palaces and wearing dark glasses and white suits."

He looks around, curls his lip slightly. "I didn't want to be an arty type of guy trudging up hills and through streams!"

Coming from Naseeruddin Shah, these are words that need a garnishing of salt. We're at a location shooting for a low-budget film in the hill town of Vagamon in Kerala, where traipsing up and down rough mountain roads is very much part of the deal. So are long periods of waiting while heavy equipment is lugged around.

Many scenes feature animals that tend not to be considerate of the best-laid shooting schedules of humans. Besides, the long Rastafarian braids that Shah has had stitched on to his own hair are heavy and uncomfortable in the heat, and he's stuck with them till the month-long shoot is over.

The actor's mood ebbs and flows. One minute he's the picture of joviality, talking about how he finds it stimulating to work with less experienced directors; the next he's feeling depressed about the haphazardness of the shot division.

He maintains that the long climbs don't tire him out -- "I welcome it, one doesn't get to walk in Mumbai" -- but the fatigue shows at times. "I'm the world champion of thumb-twiddling now," he says glumly, at the end of a long day that began badly because of a miscommunication (he was up and ready by 7.30 am though he was only required four hours later).

And yet, here he is, far from those notional palaces and white suits, working on a non-Bollywood project made with a paltry Rs 40 lakh.

When writer-director Anup Kurian -- whose first feature, the gentle Manasarovar, won praise on the festival circuit a few years ago without ever reaching a large audience -- approached him for The Hunt, Shah agreed immediately.

In a sense, it was a continuation of what he was doing 30 years ago, as the leading light of Hindi cinema's 'parallel star system', encouraging small movies, saying yes to resource-strapped directors who came to him with offbeat scripts.

Now in his sixtieth year, Naseeruddin Shah has been a thoroughly honourable performer, working in both non-mainstream and mainstream cinema for over three decades.

He has excelled in stark dramas made by Shyam Benegal and Mrinal Sen, and he has been just as convincing -- given the token suspension of disbelief -- in masala-movie setpieces such as the Tirchi Topiwale song in Tridev.

Even when he started working three shifts a day in assembly-line commercial films (which he did to line his bank balance, he freely admits, making the finger-flicking gesture that is somehow permanently associated with the word rokda in Bollywood), he found the time for 'small' movies. Such as this one.

Read more from HERE

Prakash Jha spices up Rajneeti with new scenes

Director Prakash Jha is hell bent on making his forthcoming film a complete entertainer. He recently did a certain amount of spicing up by shooting some scenes with the lead pair Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.
On Monday Ranbir and Katrina did some additional shooting for Raajneeti at Mona Shourie's Future Studios long after their dates for the film had dried up.
"We did some patchwork shooting on Monday, close-ups, etc. Yes. It's for the betterment of the end-product. We all want Rasjneeti to be a big success. Katrina and Ranbir have surrendered themselves completely to the project and will do whatever is required," Jha told IANS.
And the hit jodi is more than willing to shoot extra days to ensure the product gets them maximum attention. Ranbir, just back from Las Vegas rushed to the shooting. Closeups and continuity shots were shot with the duo.

Read more from HERE

Prakash Jha spices up Rajneeti with new scenes

Director Prakash Jha is hell bent on making his forthcoming film a complete entertainer. He recently did a certain amount of spicing up by shooting some scenes with the lead pair Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.
On Monday Ranbir and Katrina did some additional shooting for Raajneeti at Mona Shourie's Future Studios long after their dates for the film had dried up.
"We did some patchwork shooting on Monday, close-ups, etc. Yes. It's for the betterment of the end-product. We all want Rasjneeti to be a big success. Katrina and Ranbir have surrendered themselves completely to the project and will do whatever is required," Jha told IANS.
And the hit jodi is more than willing to shoot extra days to ensure the product gets them maximum attention. Ranbir, just back from Las Vegas rushed to the shooting. Closeups and continuity shots were shot with the duo.

Read more from HERE

Ishqiya - A fun watch

Like other Vishal Bhardwaj films, Ishqiya too is a very bold film. No surprise, as it is directed by Abhishek Chaubey who used to assist Vishal Bhardwaj in his earlier films. Set in the rural areas of UP, near the border of UP- Nepal, it hardly shows any good thing about UP. Instead UP is shown as a state where most of the criminal and terrorist activities take place like manufacturing guns and selling them.

The narrative of the film is based on multiple story lines coming together in the end. We see two thieves played by Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi trying to escape their boss after stealing money. They take asylum in Vidya Balan’s home, she is a widow after her husband died in a fire explosion in their house. Both Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi fall in love with Vidya Balan. But their boss finds them and to add to their problems, the money too is stolen. Vidya Balan then proposes a plan where they can steal money from a rich person by kidnapping him. And both of them are left with no option but to accept the plan because of their problem and love for Vidya Balan. Once they agree to the plan, the entire thing showed prior to it becomes a MacGuffin. What is a MacGuffin? –

A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is “a plot element that catches the viewers’ attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction.”
Sometimes, the specific nature of the MacGuffin is not important to the plot such that anything that serves as a motivation serves its purpose. The MacGuffin can sometimes be ambiguous, completely undefined, generic or left open to interpretation.
The MacGuffin is common in films, especially thrillers. Commonly, though not always, the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and later declines in importance as the struggles and motivations of characters play out. Sometimes the MacGuffin is even forgotten by the end of the film.

It is very much similar to Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock where a girl steals money and tries to run away from the boss, but that is hardly something to do with the basic plot of the film. Similarly in Ishqiya, the two thieves running with the money has hardly anything to do with basic plot.

The problem in Ishqiya is that the plot of the film was very paper thin and is based on one word – ‘TWIST’. The entire film is constructed around that very word. Of course, I can’t reveal the twist here as it would spoil the film for those who haven’t seen it yet. Although a few smart things, like the old woman with a fire torch and every room having a cylinder, that are very significant in the end were added in the film, but overall the plot wasn’t very well handled and I felt the director should have made more effort in developing the plot if twist was the word Abhishek Chaubey had in his mind.

Set in a rural background like Omkara, Ishqiya is yet another very bold film from Vishal Bharadwaj’s camp. Though it isn’t directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, Abhishek Chaubey ensures that just like Vishal Bharadwaj, even Ishqiya doesn’t make any compromise in the language or the scenes to make it a family watch commercial film. However, this time unlike Omkara, the cusswords are added to the film for the purpose of comedy rather than them actually suiting the film and the situations. In Omkara, the abusive words sounded apt according to the situations, but here in Ishqiya, we see them just to add the shock value to the film. It was slightly disappointing to see that happen. But the film had some genuinely good funny moments apart from the abusive humor which they relied on a lot.

Read more from HERE