RAAJNEETI (2010)

Another lackadaisical and lackluster affair of this year’s another keenly awaited film and this time it comes from a director who gave us compelling political films like ‘Gangaajal’ and ‘Apharan’. A good director doesn’t need huge star cast as pillars but requires strength in script and this is what seriously lacking in the film. Completely against its title, it seems more like a personal vendetta film of a political family. Where’s the room for wicked conspiracy, political tactics and bitter reality seen from insider’s eye like his earlier films??? Prakash Jha has made a ‘desi ragda’ with squash of ‘The Godfather’ plus ‘Mahabharata’ and there’s nothing new or creative what we expect from a maker like him. This time he left creativity on the shoulders of his cast and went too commercial and so lost his grip and touch.

Amid all cast only Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpayee and Devgan impressed me, the rest is utter wastage. The flaw not lies in their acting capabilities but in characterization which is too flat and single dimensional. Can’t Bajpayee be more cunning and tactical than this? Can’t Ajay has some more flashes of his act than remaining the shadow of his master? I hate Ranbeer and Katrina Kaif track…it’s the biggest headache to tolerate in entire film. It’s this plot which seems stuffed one and off the hook hindrance in the film, public is laughing it loud when Katrina is shuffling between two brothers. She’s the weakest link of the film. Ranbir is so dead pan and Jha has made him the lead cast! Carrying flat expressions of serious attitude on face doesn’t make anybody Michael Corleone!!! Whether Jha accept it or not but he has used Katrina to portray Sonia and still she’s the weakest women character ever portrayed by Jha in his career. Is it the same Jha who showed us makeup less Madhuri Dixit acted brilliantly in ‘Mrityadand’. And what a great waste of towering actor like Naseerudin Shah!!!

Sparks of acting is here and there in Bajpayee (after long time!), Patekar, Devgan and to certain extent Rampal too but I missed the direction which is far more lucrative reason for me to watch this film. Somewhere I read that killing many of the characters to end their parts is the sign of weak direction and Jha has severely butchered many characters here like routine bollywood vengeance film.

Average and too predictable cinema falling on many expectations.

Ratings- 5.5/10