Madhur
Bhandarkar
is
synonymous
with
thought-provoking,
hard-hitting
films.
Right
from
Chandni
Bar
to
Fashion,
the
expert
storyteller
has
made
movies
that
hold
tremendous
shock-value.
In
turn,
Madhur
has
cultivated
a
rich
fan-base
for
his
films.
With
Jail,
Madhur
not
only
makes
you
visit
a
prison,
but
also
makes
you
peep
into
the
psyche
of
a
prisoner.
In
the
recent
past,
Sriram
Raghavan's
Ek
Hasina
Thi
[2004;
Saif
Ali
Khan,
Urmila
Matondkar]
and
Nazim
Rizvi's
Undertrial
[2007;
Rajpal
Yadav]
narrated
the
travails
and
anguish
of
innocents
who
were
falsely
implicated
in
a
case.
Besides,
Nagesh
Kukunoor's
Teen
Deewarein
[2003;
Naseeruddin
Shah,
Jackie
Shroff,
Nagesh
Kukunoor]
too
narrated
the
story
of
three
convicts.
But
Jail
is
different
from
the
above-named
films.
Besides
watching
a
thought-provoking
story
on
celluloid,
one
has
also
come
to
expect
incredible
performances
in
a
Madhur
Bhandarkar
movie.
And
Jail
too
is
embellished
with
superb
performances
from
its
key
actors.
Jail
transports
you
to
a
hitherto
unknown
world
that
most
of
us
haven't
seen
and
if
this
is
its
USP,
it's
also
something
that
might
go
against
it.
Irrespective
of
how
strong
its
merits
are,
a
section
of
moviegoers
[read
families/kids],
who
generally
tilt
towards
feel-good/sunshine/entertainment-filled
cinema,
might
skip
this
film
due
to
its
dry
[and
at
times
depressing]
theme.
In
a
nutshell,
Jail
mirrors
a
reality
in
true
Madhur
Bhandarkar
style.
It's
hard-hitting,
it's
compelling,
it's
thought-provoking.
The
efficient
storyteller
has
the
courage
to
speak
a
new
language
in
every
film
and
for
that
very
reason,
Jail
should
be
on
your
agenda.
Parag
Dixit
[Neil
Nitin
Mukesh]
is
living
a
dream
life
--
a
great
job
and
a
loving
girlfriend
[Mugdha
Godse].
However,
things
take
an
ugly
turn
when,
after
a
series
of
unfortunate
events,
he
suddenly
wakes
up
in
Jail.
Parag
is
perplexed.
The
only
salvation
he
finds
is
in
Nawab
[Manoj
Bajpai],
a
convict,
who
believes
that
Parag
is
innocent.
Soon,
Parag
is
left
with
a
choice,
to
either
live
a
life
with
hordes
of
broken
hearts
and
shattered
souls
amidst
the
prison
walls
or
hope
to
see
freedom
some
day.
Jail
involves
you
from
the
very
start.
The
inmates,
their
crimes,
their
individual
stories…
you
get
drawn
into
a
world
that's
very
real.
So
real
that
you
feel
it's
happening
right
in
front
of
your
eyes.
Madhur
has
a
knack
of
narrating
stories
and
he
narrates
the
story
of
Parag
Dixit
with
razor-edge
sharpness.
Besides,
Jail
also
enlightens
you
of
the
legal
process,
which
also
acts
as
an
eye-opener.
At
the
same
time,
the
legal
procedures
and
also
the
behavioural
pattern
of
the
inmates
tend
to
get
repetitive
after
a
point
and
that's
when
you
start
feeling
restless.
Nonetheless,
the
post-interval
has
some
interesting
twists-n-turns,
like
the
convicts'
escape
from
the
police
van;
prior
to
that
Neil
and
Manoj
exchanging
stares
before
Neil
perches
himself
in
the
van;
Neil
getting
thrown
in
a
dark
cell,
spending
the
next
few
days
in
solitary
confinement;
a
convict
using
the
garbage
van
as
the
means
to
escape;
another
convict
realising
that
his
wife
is
now
a
cop's
mistress.
Also,
the
climax
is
touching
and
moves
you.
Madhur
hits
the
right
note
yet
again.
Madhur,
Manoj
Tyagi
and
Anuradha
Tiwari's
script
involves
you
in
most
parts.
Raghuvir
Shekhawat's
dialogues
are
true
to
life.
There's
no
scope
for
music
in
a
film
like
Jail,
but
the
three
songs
are
smartly
integrated
in
the
storyline.
Kalpesh
Bhandarkar's
cinematography
is
top
notch.
Special
mention
must
be
made
of
Nitin
Chandrakant
Desai's
prison
set,
where
the
film
is
entirely
shot.
Not
only
does
Neil
Nitin
Mukesh
deliver
his
finest
performance
to
date,
but
the
performance
would
easily
rank
amongst
the
finest
this
year.
He
conveys
the
pathos
and
helplessness
that
this
character
demands
with
amazing
understanding.
He
deserves
all
praise
for
his
extra-ordinary
portrayal.
Manoj
Bajpai
pitches
in
a
memorable
performance.
In
fact,
the
supremely
talented
actor
is
in
form
after
a
long,
long
time.
He's
subdued
all
through,
which
only
goes
to
prove
that
he
knows
the
craft
so
well.
Mugdha
Godse
underplays
her
part
beautifully.
Also,
she
carries
the
non-glam
look
well.
Aarya
Babbar
is
fantastic.
This
film
should
make
people
sit
and
notice
this
young
actor.
Chetan
Pandit
is
first-rate.
Rahul
Singh
is
excellent,
especially
in
the
sequence
when
he
confronts
his
wife.
The
actor
who
plays
the
part
of
Joe
D'Souza
is
effective.
On
the
whole,
Jail
is
a
well-made
film
from
an
expert
storyteller.
At
the
box-office,
the
film
will
appeal
to
those
with
an
appetite
for
hard-hitting,
realistic
fares,
but
its
clash
with
Ajab
Prem
Ki
Ghazab
Kahani
will
affect
its
business
to
an
extent.