Ok maybe not an apt title for this article but i felt i needed to write something about RAAJNEETI. There was a lot said and written about the movie even before it was released, with the only national party in the country slapping a one week ban and what not. But i was sure i would enjoy the movie simply because it was made by one of my favorite directors - Prakash Jha. Prakash has the uncanny knack of delivering high octane movies with gripping performances by his leading stars. Apharan and Gangajal standout as the master pieces based on the hindi heartland politics of the country and needless to say i love them. So the movie was released to much fan fare and people were disappointed to some extent on what had been portrayed. Maybe they expected something else or maybe the plot was all to predictable for them and yes their opinions were heard and carried forward to many others.
People saw the similarity between the movie and the epic Mahabharata and labeled the movie as a spin-off, opinions though harsh but yet accepted. There was appreciation for the performances and meatier roles for Ajay and Nana was what everyone called for. But i stayed away from commenting and following all this news as i was sure that i would love the movie. And god damn i did. It was a stupendous movie with great effort put in by everyone. Yes there were some similarities, yes it might have been too predictable at times. Yes it went overboard in the end but people lets not forget it was not that this wasn't told to us earlier. Much like when RGV said he made Sarkar as an ode to the Godfather, Prakash Jha also came out and said how he had adapted the Mahabharata to the modern political scene.
So it was all there before us. And i have to admit, it was a great movie. Prakash once again delivers a great movie with edge of the seat action. Agreed having known Mahabharata it felt like being cheated but one must understand that it is a totally different ball game to make the actors follow the directors' lead. To bring out the kind of performances especially from Arjun Rampal would have taken a lot. Lets face it Arjun has never been good at acting but he shines through in the movie. Goes to show what skills Prakash Jha has. I loved the movie and am happy that i didn't listen to the naysayers and maintained my belief. This i believe is something i should do more often, believing in what i feel is right.
When Vishal Bhardwaj made Kaminey, many critics slammed the movie stating it wasn't that good. But having received a similar criticism for Omkara and then knowing how good a movie it really was, I was sure Kaminey too would be good and i was not let down. Vishal did justice to the script and the actors supported him. He did give us a good film with good music. What more can you ask for? So one thing i would follow from now on is go and watch a movie without thinking too much about what others are saying. I know that there are some movies you can definitely miss based on opinions just because they are too bad to begin with. But the movies that are good always make the right noises before they are released and they have the right stars in them. Thats what one should really look for and i'm sure you will never feel let down.
The biggest plus point with Raajneeti though is that even though the story might seem clichéd to few, it still doesn't ask you to fore go logic to move through the movie. This is one point that helps you ease through as the movie progresses. Hence, all in all a wonderful movie and a great time spent and a really happy critic!!!!!!!!!!
