I've
never
really
followed
politics.
But
I
am
truly
fascinated
by
'Mahabharata'.
Lord
Krishna,
Arjun,
Karan,
Bheema,
Duryodhan...
are
legendary
and
the
clash
between
Pandavas
and
Kauravas
is
equally
unforgettable.
Prakash
Jha's
Raajneeti
talks
of
warring
cousins,
dynastic
rule
and
electoral
politics
of
the
Hindi
heartland,
besides
the
vicious
and
horrifying
games
some
people
play
to
attain
power.
To
me,
Raajneeti
is
a
human
drama,
a
complex
game
that
people
indulge
in
to
achieve
power
and
how
this
greed
envelopes
them
and
transforms
them
into
ruthless
and
conniving
humans.
I
admit,
it
takes
time
for
the
story
to
sink
in,
but
slowly
and
steadily,
you
get
sucked
into
a
world
that's
dark,
dangerous
and
demonish.
The
attire
may
be
white,
but
the
deeds
are
grey
or
black.
Raajneeti
is
not
only
'Mahabharata',
but
also
'Godfather'.
Despite
knowing
'Mahabharata'
or
'Godfather',
one
is
not
able
to
presume
what
games
the
present-day
Pandavas
and
Kauravas
would
play
in
Raajneeti.
In
fact,
the
story
alters
constantly,
unravelling
in
a
serpentine
manner
and
speed...
so
much
so
that
you
don't
know
what's
gonna
happen
next.
It
keeps
you
awed
at
the
constant
turn
of
events.
Clearly,
unpredictability
is
the
biggest
strength
of
Raajneeti.
Yet,
let
me
clarify,
this
is
not
a
documentary,
tetchy
or
preachy
film.
This
one
not
only
entertains,
but
also
enlightens.
The
flipside?
None,
actually.
The
naysayers
may
point
out
that
the
subject
material
is
'heavy',
'serious'
and
'dry',
but
you
ought
to
know
that
when
you
adapt
'Mahabharata'
in
the
current
milieu
(present-day
politics),
you
can't
expect
'item
songs'
and
'slapdash
humour
and
mimicry',
for
God's
sake.
These
naysayers
may
also
state
that
the
running
time
(almost
3
hours)
is
a
no-no
in
today's
times,
but
let's
not
forget
that
even
3
hours
is
too
short
a
duration
for
a
good
film
and
vice-versa,
even
an
hour
is
too
lengthy
for
a
terrible
film.
Raajneeti
is
a
genuinely
good
product,
so
you
definitely
don't
mind
its
length.
But
one
thing
is
for
sure:
Raajneeti
doesn't
cater
to
an
audience
that
keeps
its
brains
at
home
while
watching
a
film.
You
need
to
be
alert
while
watching
this
one.
Final
word?
Prakash
Jha,
the
persona,
is
known
for
qualitative
cinema
and
Raajneeti,
his
new
offering,
stands
tall
on
the
list.
Cinema
is
all
about
narrating
interesting
stories
on
celluloid
and
for
that
very
reason,
Raajneeti
deserves
distinction
marks.
Of
course,
the
massive
star
cast
and
the
sparkling
performances
are
the
icing
on
the
cake.
I
strongly
advocate
this
film.
Do
yourself
a
favour:
Watch
Raajneeti.
Bhaskar
Sanyal
(Nasseruddin
Shah),
the
fire-brand
leftist
leader,
is
feared
for
his
single-handed
ability
to
challenge
the
most
powerful
of
leaders.
Until
one
private
mistake
of
his
hurtled
him
into
a
self-imposed
exile.
Cut
to
the
present
day.
Prithvi
(Arjun
Rampal)
is
the
heir
to
a
powerful
political
legacy
and
impatient
to
seize
the
top
position.
But
his
cousin,
Veerendra
(Manoj
Bajpayee),
proves
his
biggest
political
opponent.
He's
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.
Cornered
by
family
and
political
colleagues,
Veerendra
plays
a
new
game:
He
picks
up
Sooraj
(Ajay
Devgn),
a
youngster
with
anger
in
his
heart
and
leadership
on
his
mind.
Sooraj
doesn't
know
the
secret
behind
his
identity,
which,
of
course,
is
revealed
much,
much
later.
Prithvi's
brother
Samar
(Ranbir
Kapoor)
is
an
'outsider',
with
no
political
aspirations,
but
he
gets
sucked
into
the
battle-ravaged
arena
of
family
rivalry.
Only
to
turn
into
a
master
of
the
craft
of
political
warfare.
Indu
(Katrina
Kaif),
daughter
of
a
wealthy
industrialist,
is
also
caught
in
this
web.
Last
but
not
the
least,
there's
Brij
Gopal
(Nana
Patekar),
who
plays
the
role
of
mentor
and
guide
to
Prithvi
and
Samar
as
the
battle
gets
bloodier
by
the
day.
It
requires
courage
to
assemble
a
mammoth,
ensemble
cast,
pick
a
story
that
does
justice
to
each
character
and
give
the
film
the
feel
of
an
epic.
Also,
you
ought
to
have
comprehensive
knowledge
of
the
subject
material
-
politics,
in
this
case.
And
for
all
these
and
more
Prakash
Jha
deserves
all
the
praise
possible.
He
knows
the
territory
like
the
back
of
his
hand,
having
observed
the
political
culture
very
closely.
Like
I
said
at
the
outset,
every
character
in
Raajneeti
is
grey
or
black,
not
squeaky
clean
at
all.
At
an
edited
length
of
almost
3
hours,
Raajneeti
keeps
the
viewers
glued
to
the
goings-on
for
start
to
end.
Anjum
Rajabali
and
Prakash
Jha's
screenplay
brings
to
the
fore
the
ugly
face
of
democracy
most
realistically
and
convincingly.
The
constant
twists-n-turns
in
the
story,
the
characters
who
change
colours
faster
than
chameleons
and
the
blood-bath
they
indulge
in
are
the
highpoints
of
this
film.
In
fact,
there
are
sequences
that
merit
brownie
points,
but
it
wouldn't
be
ethical
to
reveal
them
here
since
that
would
rob
the
fun
while
watching
the
film.
If
the
screenplay
is
watertight,
the
dialogue
are
equally
remarkable.
Every
line
is
soaked
in
acid
and
only
enhances
the
impact
of
several
sequences.
There's
no
scope
for
music
in
the
film
and
the
songs,
including
the
hugely
popular
'Mora
Piya',
are
interspersed
briefly
in
the
narrative.
Cinematography
is
top
notch.
Raajneeti
is
not
an
easy
film
to
shoot,
given
the
fact
that
there
are
more
than
3
or
4
actors
in
every
frame,
besides
a
massive
crowd
of
course.
To
slot
Raajneeti
as
a
multi-starrer
film
would
be
erroneous.
It's
a
multi-actor
film
and
every
actor
delivers
a
sparkling
performance.
The
film
has
some
of
the
biggest
names
in
the
business,
but
the
ones
who
stand
out
are
Ranbir
Kapoor,
Arjun
Rampal
and
Manoj
Bajpayee.
Ranbir
surprises
you
with
every
film.
Here's
an
actor
who
can
give
the
best
in
the
business
sleepless
nights.
Arjun
is
a
revelation
and
what
a
terrific
performance
he
pitches
in.
He's
like
an
untamed
lion.
Manoj
delivers
his
career-best
performance.
He
plays
the
evil
part
superbly.
Ajay
Devgn
is
sidelined
in
the
second
hour,
but
you
need
to
give
it
to
the
actor
for
accepting
and
enacting
his
part
with
complete
conviction.
Nana
Patekar
is
brilliant.
He
utters
the
most
acidic
lines
with
a
smile,
which
only
an
actor
of
calibre
could've
achieved.
Actually,
you
can't
imagine
anyone
else
in
this
role.
Katrina
Kaif
is
first-rate.
The
sincerity
and
earnestness
shows
in
every
sequence.
She
sheds
her
glam
doll
image
and
transforms
into
an
actor
with
this
film.
Nasseruddin
Shah,
in
a
brief
role,
does
well.
Sarah
is
good.
The
film
has
a
number
of
talented
names
in
supporting
roles
and
each
remain
etched
in
your
memory,
especially
Dayashanker
Pandey,
Chetan
Pandit,
Darshan
Jariwala,
Shruti
Seth,
Kiran
Karmarkar
and
Vinay
Apte.
Nikhila
Trikha,
as
Arjun
and
Ranbir's
mother,
is
admirable.
On
the
whole,
Raajneeti
makes
a
sweeping
impact.
A
truly
admirable
effort,
this
brilliant
film
is
not
to
be
missed.
Producer
-
Prakash
Jha
Director
-
Prakash
Jha
Cast
-
Nana
Patekar,
Ajay
Devgn,
Ranbir
Kapoor,
Katrina
Kaif,
Manoj
Bajpai,
Arjun
Rampal,
Nasseruddin
Shah