Anurag Kashyap to direct The Godfather Remake

Ek aur Godfather...

Anurag Kashyap's adaptation, Gangs of Wasseypur, based on the coal mine mafia, starts shooting next month

Every B-Town filmmaker has cherished a dream to make his own film adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Godfather.
Feroz Khan did it with Dharmatma, Ram Gopal Varma with Sarkar and Prakash Jha with Raajneeti. And now, it's Anurag Kashyap's turn. His film, titled Gangs Of Wasseypur (named after the Dhanbad area in Jharkhand) where the coalmine mafia exercises a stronghold.

Location change
While Ram Gopal Varma and Prakash Jha chose to set their adaptations in the political domain, Kashyap will shift Michael Corleone's parivaar to the coalmines of Dhanbad. Manoj Bajpayee will play a coalmine owner modelled on Marlon Brando's Don Corleone. The film will also star Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Piyush Mishra and a newbie, Raj Yadav. Shabana Azmi is being considered for a major role.
Produced by UTV, the film begins shooting in July.

Shooting elsewhere
Kashyap has been denied permission to shoot in Dhanbad and will shoot in Singhaul, Bihar instead. Gangs Of Wasseypur will be made in two parts as two separate feature films shot concurrently, just like Ram Gopal Varma's Rakta Charitra.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays a role inspired by Al Pacino's Michael Corleone in The Godfather, will pay Dhanbad a secret visit to research on Kashyap's most ambitious project to date. Says the excited actor, "It has been my secret desire to play Al Pacino's role someday. We start shooting July-end. It's a fantasy come true."

LINK

Anurag Kashyap to direct The Godfather Remake

Ek aur Godfather...

Anurag Kashyap's adaptation, Gangs of Wasseypur, based on the coal mine mafia, starts shooting next month

Every B-Town filmmaker has cherished a dream to make his own film adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Godfather.
Feroz Khan did it with Dharmatma, Ram Gopal Varma with Sarkar and Prakash Jha with Raajneeti. And now, it's Anurag Kashyap's turn. His film, titled Gangs Of Wasseypur (named after the Dhanbad area in Jharkhand) where the coalmine mafia exercises a stronghold.

Location change
While Ram Gopal Varma and Prakash Jha chose to set their adaptations in the political domain, Kashyap will shift Michael Corleone's parivaar to the coalmines of Dhanbad. Manoj Bajpayee will play a coalmine owner modelled on Marlon Brando's Don Corleone. The film will also star Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Piyush Mishra and a newbie, Raj Yadav. Shabana Azmi is being considered for a major role.
Produced by UTV, the film begins shooting in July.

Shooting elsewhere
Kashyap has been denied permission to shoot in Dhanbad and will shoot in Singhaul, Bihar instead. Gangs Of Wasseypur will be made in two parts as two separate feature films shot concurrently, just like Ram Gopal Varma's Rakta Charitra.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays a role inspired by Al Pacino's Michael Corleone in The Godfather, will pay Dhanbad a secret visit to research on Kashyap's most ambitious project to date. Says the excited actor, "It has been my secret desire to play Al Pacino's role someday. We start shooting July-end. It's a fantasy come true."

LINK

Sarah Thompson moving to Bollywood

After Barbara Mori in Kites another foreign beauty is all set to try her luck in Bollywood. Sarah Thompson who plays Ranbir Kapoor's American girlfriend in Raajneeti is brushing up her Hindi skills ahead of moving to Mumbai.
"When I started working on Raajneeti I knew no Hindi. That was okay. I had to play a girl who doesn't know any Hindi and all I had to do was mutter a smattering of bad Hindi."
But now Sarah has got herself a Hindi teacher. "I want to make a career in Bollywood. For that I need to know the language. So I got myself a teacher. Ab mujhe Hindi bolne aati hai."
She gushes, "I love India and love Indian films. Mumbai reminds me of New York. The same energy and bustle and now I want to be part of it."
This is Sarah's third visit to India. "I came the first time to India to shoot in Bhopal for Raajneeti and then I came to dub for the film. Now I'm back for the release, and I'm nervous and anxious, yeah! I want to do more Bollywood films, and yes I am shifting to Mumbai."
This time Sarah has come laden with a wish-list of Bollywood directors she wants to work with. "I want to meet Vishal Bhardwaj and Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra. In fact I am meeting Rakeysh Mehra shortly. I saw Rang De Basanti'and I said to myself, 'Why couldn't I have played the British girl in the film?' I've seen Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey twice. He's another Bollywood director I really want to work with."
Sarah admits she had not heard of Prakash Jha when he offered her the role in Raajneeti.
"But when I met him and he narrated the role of Ranbir Kapoor's American girlfriend to me I knew I had to do it. He gave me his Gangaajal and Apaharan to watch. And that's how I was introduced to a totally new facet of Bollywood," she said.
"Before watching Prakashji's films I thought Bollywood meant singing and dancing. Here was a gritty realistic cinema that I certainly wanted to be part of," she added.

Read more from HERE

Sarah Thompson moving to Bollywood

After Barbara Mori in Kites another foreign beauty is all set to try her luck in Bollywood. Sarah Thompson who plays Ranbir Kapoor's American girlfriend in Raajneeti is brushing up her Hindi skills ahead of moving to Mumbai.
"When I started working on Raajneeti I knew no Hindi. That was okay. I had to play a girl who doesn't know any Hindi and all I had to do was mutter a smattering of bad Hindi."
But now Sarah has got herself a Hindi teacher. "I want to make a career in Bollywood. For that I need to know the language. So I got myself a teacher. Ab mujhe Hindi bolne aati hai."
She gushes, "I love India and love Indian films. Mumbai reminds me of New York. The same energy and bustle and now I want to be part of it."
This is Sarah's third visit to India. "I came the first time to India to shoot in Bhopal for Raajneeti and then I came to dub for the film. Now I'm back for the release, and I'm nervous and anxious, yeah! I want to do more Bollywood films, and yes I am shifting to Mumbai."
This time Sarah has come laden with a wish-list of Bollywood directors she wants to work with. "I want to meet Vishal Bhardwaj and Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra. In fact I am meeting Rakeysh Mehra shortly. I saw Rang De Basanti'and I said to myself, 'Why couldn't I have played the British girl in the film?' I've seen Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey twice. He's another Bollywood director I really want to work with."
Sarah admits she had not heard of Prakash Jha when he offered her the role in Raajneeti.
"But when I met him and he narrated the role of Ranbir Kapoor's American girlfriend to me I knew I had to do it. He gave me his Gangaajal and Apaharan to watch. And that's how I was introduced to a totally new facet of Bollywood," she said.
"Before watching Prakashji's films I thought Bollywood meant singing and dancing. Here was a gritty realistic cinema that I certainly wanted to be part of," she added.

Read more from HERE

Rajneeti takes huge opening - biggest of the year!

Reviews are mixed, but the film has worked really well with audiences all over!!

LINK

Rajneeti Super Strong Start Kites Crashes

Saturday 5th June 2010 09.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Rajneeti opened to excellent houses of 85% plus across the country. The film was strong from its first shows at multiplexes and single screens and at many centres in places like CP Berar, CI and Rajasthan it had a phenomenal opening. The multiplex release of Rajneeti was much smaller than recent biggies like Housefull and Kites. Rajneeti should emerge a big winner at the box office.

Kites crashed in week two with around 6.75 crore nett business. The two week business is around 46.50 crore nett and the film will not add much over its remaining run at the theatres. FLOP

LINK

Raajneeti Rocks The Nation

Saturday 5th June 2010 13.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Raajneeti has recorded by far the best opening of year by collecting nearly 10.50 crore nett on its first day. The collections are just extraordinary all over barring a few centres.

The collections are just huge in Mumbai, Delhi/UP, East Punjab, CP Berar, CI and Rajasthan with South being good but lower comparatively. The Raajneeti first day is humungous as it has collected the second highest first day total but with 30% lesser shows at multiplexes than films like Kites and Housefull which were the second and third biggest first day openers respectively before Raajneeti.

The film has simply surpassed all expectations and may be on its way to being the first big smash hit of 2010 in India.

Rajneeti takes huge opening - biggest of the year!

Reviews are mixed, but the film has worked really well with audiences all over!!

LINK

Rajneeti Super Strong Start Kites Crashes

Saturday 5th June 2010 09.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Rajneeti opened to excellent houses of 85% plus across the country. The film was strong from its first shows at multiplexes and single screens and at many centres in places like CP Berar, CI and Rajasthan it had a phenomenal opening. The multiplex release of Rajneeti was much smaller than recent biggies like Housefull and Kites. Rajneeti should emerge a big winner at the box office.

Kites crashed in week two with around 6.75 crore nett business. The two week business is around 46.50 crore nett and the film will not add much over its remaining run at the theatres. FLOP

LINK

Raajneeti Rocks The Nation

Saturday 5th June 2010 13.00 IST
Boxofficeindia.Com Trade Network

Raajneeti has recorded by far the best opening of year by collecting nearly 10.50 crore nett on its first day. The collections are just extraordinary all over barring a few centres.

The collections are just huge in Mumbai, Delhi/UP, East Punjab, CP Berar, CI and Rajasthan with South being good but lower comparatively. The Raajneeti first day is humungous as it has collected the second highest first day total but with 30% lesser shows at multiplexes than films like Kites and Housefull which were the second and third biggest first day openers respectively before Raajneeti.

The film has simply surpassed all expectations and may be on its way to being the first big smash hit of 2010 in India.

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

The Signature Item Song in Rajneeti - Ishq Barse!

The Signature Item Song in Rajneeti - Ishq Barse!

"I see myself as an observer of societal equations" - Prakash Jha

LINK

A week before presenting “Raajneeti” in people's court, Prakash Jha fields some difficult questions on his biggest film till date.

He is a painter who loves political canvas. “This is for you to judge. I see myself as an observer of societal equations,” says Prakash Jha, whose “Raajneeti” is making more news than the country's realpolitik. Jha laughs, “Main khari baat kehta hoon (I say the bitter truth) and people don't like it. They don't realise that it's in their own interest. I have tried to see the development of democracy in the country without getting judgemental.” Is it possible to touch Indian politics without sullying your hands? “I think it is if your intentions are clear. I don't want to bring down anybody. Here I have drawn from the characters of Mahabharat and have put them in a modern setting,” says the man from Bihar who came to Mumbai to be a painter but changed tracks when one day he visited the sets of Bollywood pot boiler “Dharma”.

It is ironical that the world's most robust democracy rarely finds reflection in Hindi cinema. Once in a while there is an ‘Aandhi' and that is about all. “I can't say about others but I have always found politics relevant and topical. Till now I was focusing on Bihar because I know the state well. ‘Raajneeti' has national dimensions.” This brings us to the biggest controversy surrounding the film: The resemblance of Katrina Kaif's character with Sonia Gandhi. “I never said it. It's a concoction of the media.”

But he was the one, who started the promotion of the film by releasing the stills to the media where the similarity between the two is quite apparent. And when the controversy erupted, he changed the promos. “At first I was introducing the characters, now I am giving a glimpse of the story.” Or was the shift because of pressure from the ruling political party? “I am not facing any pressure. Katrina's character doesn't come from abroad as people are conjecturing. She is playing the daughter of an industrialist. It is my interpretation of Draupadi.” Jha is letting out too much to clear the air! Still he is facing Censor's scissors. Is his past haunting him? “I don't think so but yes there were objections. We were given an ‘A' certificate with cuts by the revising committee. We moved to the Tribunal and it has passed it with ‘U/A' with minimum possible cuts. I am satisfied.”

There is talk about certain members furious about a scene depicting the misuse of electronic voting machines. “It has been cleared now with directions to beep out a few words. But I must say some of the people who were in the revision committee had come with an agenda. They don't know that in an attempt to please their leaders they are actually doing harm to their image. Truth wins after all.”

He admits it is his biggest film. “A big investment has gone into the film and I want the film to do well.” One of the offshoots of the new wave, Jha has come a long way. Once known for searing documentaries and films like Damul where a potent thought was not baked on million bucks and didn't require a publicity storm to make a dent in the mind space. Today he is feeling the corporate pressure. “It is a choice I made when I decided to make Mrityudand. I don't say this was the only way out but something I felt was right in the circumstances,” says the multiple National Award winner.

His critics say “Raajneeti” is his way to get back at the political class, after he failed to find a place in the system. He fought two Lok Sabha elections but failed. “I wanted to be in politics to serve the people but unfortunately I couldn't make it but I am not bitter about it. I have friends in all parties. And as I said I am not passing any judgement on the political class. Like all fields, here also we have different kinds of characters…black, white, grey…and when power and money come into play moral dilemmas surface, sometimes greed takes over. The film is a reflection of it.”

In multi-starrers the challenge lies in balancing star egos with the script and when you have mavericks like Naseeruddin Shah and Nana Patekar and stars like Ajay Devgn and Ranbir Kapoor in one film, the task becomes all the more difficult. “It is indeed difficult but when you work for four years on a script, you don't have to pacify your actors. There is no need for compromises. Also I have a rapport with them and they believe me.” But the range is amazing – from Naseer and Nana to Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor. “It is all according to the demand of the script. I had cast Ranbir just after ‘Saawariya' when the media had not dubbed him as an actor to watch out for. Rampal was the first actor I signed because I could see a brash young politician in him.” His best praise is reserved for Katrina Kaif. “I was touched by her perseverance to get into a demanding role. The way she worked on her Hindi was beyond my expectations.”

But why did he choose an actress of foreign origin with broken Hindi when she has to play an Indian character…. “Her Hindi is quite straight.” And the attempt to ask for votes in the name of her slain husband? “That's just a coincidence.” The questions remain and Jha expects us to be patient till the release but he is surely not saying goodbye to controversial truths. Next on his agenda is a film on caste reservation.

"I see myself as an observer of societal equations" - Prakash Jha

LINK

A week before presenting “Raajneeti” in people's court, Prakash Jha fields some difficult questions on his biggest film till date.

He is a painter who loves political canvas. “This is for you to judge. I see myself as an observer of societal equations,” says Prakash Jha, whose “Raajneeti” is making more news than the country's realpolitik. Jha laughs, “Main khari baat kehta hoon (I say the bitter truth) and people don't like it. They don't realise that it's in their own interest. I have tried to see the development of democracy in the country without getting judgemental.” Is it possible to touch Indian politics without sullying your hands? “I think it is if your intentions are clear. I don't want to bring down anybody. Here I have drawn from the characters of Mahabharat and have put them in a modern setting,” says the man from Bihar who came to Mumbai to be a painter but changed tracks when one day he visited the sets of Bollywood pot boiler “Dharma”.

It is ironical that the world's most robust democracy rarely finds reflection in Hindi cinema. Once in a while there is an ‘Aandhi' and that is about all. “I can't say about others but I have always found politics relevant and topical. Till now I was focusing on Bihar because I know the state well. ‘Raajneeti' has national dimensions.” This brings us to the biggest controversy surrounding the film: The resemblance of Katrina Kaif's character with Sonia Gandhi. “I never said it. It's a concoction of the media.”

But he was the one, who started the promotion of the film by releasing the stills to the media where the similarity between the two is quite apparent. And when the controversy erupted, he changed the promos. “At first I was introducing the characters, now I am giving a glimpse of the story.” Or was the shift because of pressure from the ruling political party? “I am not facing any pressure. Katrina's character doesn't come from abroad as people are conjecturing. She is playing the daughter of an industrialist. It is my interpretation of Draupadi.” Jha is letting out too much to clear the air! Still he is facing Censor's scissors. Is his past haunting him? “I don't think so but yes there were objections. We were given an ‘A' certificate with cuts by the revising committee. We moved to the Tribunal and it has passed it with ‘U/A' with minimum possible cuts. I am satisfied.”

There is talk about certain members furious about a scene depicting the misuse of electronic voting machines. “It has been cleared now with directions to beep out a few words. But I must say some of the people who were in the revision committee had come with an agenda. They don't know that in an attempt to please their leaders they are actually doing harm to their image. Truth wins after all.”

He admits it is his biggest film. “A big investment has gone into the film and I want the film to do well.” One of the offshoots of the new wave, Jha has come a long way. Once known for searing documentaries and films like Damul where a potent thought was not baked on million bucks and didn't require a publicity storm to make a dent in the mind space. Today he is feeling the corporate pressure. “It is a choice I made when I decided to make Mrityudand. I don't say this was the only way out but something I felt was right in the circumstances,” says the multiple National Award winner.

His critics say “Raajneeti” is his way to get back at the political class, after he failed to find a place in the system. He fought two Lok Sabha elections but failed. “I wanted to be in politics to serve the people but unfortunately I couldn't make it but I am not bitter about it. I have friends in all parties. And as I said I am not passing any judgement on the political class. Like all fields, here also we have different kinds of characters…black, white, grey…and when power and money come into play moral dilemmas surface, sometimes greed takes over. The film is a reflection of it.”

In multi-starrers the challenge lies in balancing star egos with the script and when you have mavericks like Naseeruddin Shah and Nana Patekar and stars like Ajay Devgn and Ranbir Kapoor in one film, the task becomes all the more difficult. “It is indeed difficult but when you work for four years on a script, you don't have to pacify your actors. There is no need for compromises. Also I have a rapport with them and they believe me.” But the range is amazing – from Naseer and Nana to Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor. “It is all according to the demand of the script. I had cast Ranbir just after ‘Saawariya' when the media had not dubbed him as an actor to watch out for. Rampal was the first actor I signed because I could see a brash young politician in him.” His best praise is reserved for Katrina Kaif. “I was touched by her perseverance to get into a demanding role. The way she worked on her Hindi was beyond my expectations.”

But why did he choose an actress of foreign origin with broken Hindi when she has to play an Indian character…. “Her Hindi is quite straight.” And the attempt to ask for votes in the name of her slain husband? “That's just a coincidence.” The questions remain and Jha expects us to be patient till the release but he is surely not saying goodbye to controversial truths. Next on his agenda is a film on caste reservation.

Sonia Gandhi is not a character in our film - Prakash Jha

LINK

It's a huge star cast that Prakash Jha handles in his forthcoming Raajneeti, and sticky situations are absolutely unavoidable. As the minutes tick away, delaying a press conference he has called for the film's promotion, the director anxiously tries reaching out to his ensemble cast.

An hour later, he is the lone ranger, talking about his latest labour of love.The film, loosely based on the epic Mahabharata, talks about politics and beyond. “I am very happy with the way the film has turned out,” says Jha, adding: “For once, as a filmmaker I can say that there is nothing I have not done that I should have. Be it the special effects, technical aspects, or the scale of the project, I have not spared any effort.” And yes, “All actors have worked with complete dedication,” he says, as part of his cast, including Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Manoj Bajpai and Arjun Rampal, walk in. 

Ugly side of politics

A story about the ugly side of politics, Raajneeti centres around the political Pratap family: the three men — Veerendra (Manoj), Prithvi (Arjun) and Samar (Ranbir), and Prithvi's wife Indu (Katrina). Nana Patekar plays a political mentor (Brij Gopal); Ajay Devgn (Sooraj) is a backward classes' leader, and Naseeruddin Shah is Bhasker Sanyal, a firebrand Leftist leader. “Politics is not a linear thing. Just so, my film is also not only about the politics of the state, but it deals with personal aspirations, greed, loyalty and betrayal,” says Jha. 

Jha and his team started working on the film, reported to have cost Rs. 45 crore, six months prior to shooting it in Bhopal. The cast, if surprising in parts, is also very impressive. Naseeruddin, Nana, Ajay, Manoj and Arjun are all National Award-winning actors, with Nana and Ajay having worked with Jha on his previous projects. The surprises are Arjun, Katrina and Ranbir. The three actors have transformed themselves to fit into what could be their most demanding roles till date. “My actors may maintain that I have mentored them through their roles, but the truth is that they have worked very hard. Take Katrina, for instance. She is not a natural with Hindi, but worked to deliver her dialogues with perfection,” says Jha. 

Asked how close Katrina's character is to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's, and Jha denies any resemblance, even though the draping of the sari and the accent seem inspired. “Please see the film and find out for yourself. Sonia Gandhi is not a character in our film,” he says. 

While Ajay's absence at the press conference is justified as he is shooting for Golmaal 3 in Goa, Nana giving the event a miss raises a few eyebrows, especially following reports of a fallout between the two friends. Ask if Nana gave him grief on the sets of Raajneeti, and Jha laughs it off. “Nana never troubled me. He is like that. We have no problems.” 

Social activist

Jha, who'd rather be referred to as a social activist than a politician (he had contested the 2002 and 2009 elections from Champaran, Bihar, on the ticket of the Lok Janashakti Party), says that he contested because he wanted to help contribute to the betterment of his constituency, and cannot be likened to any of the hardened politicians in his film. “You haven't seen me at the rallies of any party, have you?” he asks. “I don't believe in ideology or politics. I just wanted to be part of the process and be close to the resources, so I would be able to use them for the people. But now, I've no intention to be in active politics,” he adds. 

Despite his turnaround on politics, Jha maintains that the field requires professionalism. “I am very serious about the issue, and am using my film as a platform for discussing the engagement of professionals in politics. I feel that till professional-thinking people join politics, the future is not too bright,” says Jha. 

Jha's intentions may be serious, but he clarifies that he has made a commercial film for all to enjoy. “First of all, I want people to be entertained; then, definitely, I wish to be rewarded and awarded,” he candidly admits. “After that, if there is any change that my film brings about, I'd say it is purely unintentional.”

Sonia Gandhi is not a character in our film - Prakash Jha

LINK

It's a huge star cast that Prakash Jha handles in his forthcoming Raajneeti, and sticky situations are absolutely unavoidable. As the minutes tick away, delaying a press conference he has called for the film's promotion, the director anxiously tries reaching out to his ensemble cast.

An hour later, he is the lone ranger, talking about his latest labour of love.The film, loosely based on the epic Mahabharata, talks about politics and beyond. “I am very happy with the way the film has turned out,” says Jha, adding: “For once, as a filmmaker I can say that there is nothing I have not done that I should have. Be it the special effects, technical aspects, or the scale of the project, I have not spared any effort.” And yes, “All actors have worked with complete dedication,” he says, as part of his cast, including Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Manoj Bajpai and Arjun Rampal, walk in. 

Ugly side of politics

A story about the ugly side of politics, Raajneeti centres around the political Pratap family: the three men — Veerendra (Manoj), Prithvi (Arjun) and Samar (Ranbir), and Prithvi's wife Indu (Katrina). Nana Patekar plays a political mentor (Brij Gopal); Ajay Devgn (Sooraj) is a backward classes' leader, and Naseeruddin Shah is Bhasker Sanyal, a firebrand Leftist leader. “Politics is not a linear thing. Just so, my film is also not only about the politics of the state, but it deals with personal aspirations, greed, loyalty and betrayal,” says Jha. 

Jha and his team started working on the film, reported to have cost Rs. 45 crore, six months prior to shooting it in Bhopal. The cast, if surprising in parts, is also very impressive. Naseeruddin, Nana, Ajay, Manoj and Arjun are all National Award-winning actors, with Nana and Ajay having worked with Jha on his previous projects. The surprises are Arjun, Katrina and Ranbir. The three actors have transformed themselves to fit into what could be their most demanding roles till date. “My actors may maintain that I have mentored them through their roles, but the truth is that they have worked very hard. Take Katrina, for instance. She is not a natural with Hindi, but worked to deliver her dialogues with perfection,” says Jha. 

Asked how close Katrina's character is to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's, and Jha denies any resemblance, even though the draping of the sari and the accent seem inspired. “Please see the film and find out for yourself. Sonia Gandhi is not a character in our film,” he says. 

While Ajay's absence at the press conference is justified as he is shooting for Golmaal 3 in Goa, Nana giving the event a miss raises a few eyebrows, especially following reports of a fallout between the two friends. Ask if Nana gave him grief on the sets of Raajneeti, and Jha laughs it off. “Nana never troubled me. He is like that. We have no problems.” 

Social activist

Jha, who'd rather be referred to as a social activist than a politician (he had contested the 2002 and 2009 elections from Champaran, Bihar, on the ticket of the Lok Janashakti Party), says that he contested because he wanted to help contribute to the betterment of his constituency, and cannot be likened to any of the hardened politicians in his film. “You haven't seen me at the rallies of any party, have you?” he asks. “I don't believe in ideology or politics. I just wanted to be part of the process and be close to the resources, so I would be able to use them for the people. But now, I've no intention to be in active politics,” he adds. 

Despite his turnaround on politics, Jha maintains that the field requires professionalism. “I am very serious about the issue, and am using my film as a platform for discussing the engagement of professionals in politics. I feel that till professional-thinking people join politics, the future is not too bright,” says Jha. 

Jha's intentions may be serious, but he clarifies that he has made a commercial film for all to enjoy. “First of all, I want people to be entertained; then, definitely, I wish to be rewarded and awarded,” he candidly admits. “After that, if there is any change that my film brings about, I'd say it is purely unintentional.”

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

Raajneeti Trailer

Raajneeti Trailer