Raajneeti
is
a
story
about
Indian
politics.
About
Indian
democracy.
About
Indian
elections.
Above
all,
it
is
a
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
Bhaskar
Sanyal
(Naseruddin
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
Devgn)
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
faultiness
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
of
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
soul
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.
Directed
by
-
Prakash
Jha
Starring
-
Nana
Patekar,
Ajay
Devgn,
Ranbir
Kapoor,
Katrina
Kaif,
Manoj
Bajpai,
Arjun
Rampal,
Naseruddin
Shah
...
Story first published: Friday, March 5, 2010, 14:38 [IST]