Last week, a day before Raajneeti was to be released, the sibling called up sounding excited. “Anu, I am going to watch Raajneeti later tonight. A friend has got tickets to the preview show!” Post the movie she told me, “Ranbir is very good in the movie. Watch it soon!”
It was an ordinary day yesterday when I sat down to book tickets. I got mixed up with the dates, and booked tickets for the wrong date. PVR ensured I did go – the tickets were non-refundable.
Raajneeti is based on two great stories – the Mahabharata, and the Godfather. If you are a fan of even one of them, you will try to draw parallels to the original. It is not a bad thing to indulge in – the movie is quite long, and gives ample time to get distracted.
The characters are based on Mahabharata, the setting is in Madhya Pradesh, and some scenes are inspired from the Godfather. The sibling felt that the Mahabharata angle should not have existed – it serves little purpose according to her. To me, this is the reason why I would watch the movie again, if at all.
I particularly liked the performances by Ranbir Kapoor (he plays Samar Pratap, with traces of Arjun and Michael Corleone) and Nana Patekar (he plays Brij Gopal, clearly a tribute to Krishna).
Samar’s character is ruthless, and one can see that right from the time he deals with Indu (played by Katrina Kaif). He does not hesitate in making use of her as a pawn in the chessboard of politics, for he does not love her. However, there is tenderness in him when he deals with his American girlfriend Sarah (played by Sarah Thompson) who, incidentally, has seen violence in Ireland. After her death and the elections, he moves back to the US and takes care of Sarah’s mother. I felt no sympathy for his character – this is when I realized that Kapoor has come up with a powerhouse performance.
Arjun Rampal surprised me with his portrayal of Prithvi Pratap, the elder brother of Samar Pratap. I was mentally preparing myself to write him off as too good looking to be playing a hardcore politician and thus not fitting the role, but he gave me a pleasant shock by mouthing foul words like a pro and portraying the impulsiveness of his character rather well.
Post the movie, the following questions lingered on my mind.
What happens to the character played by Shruti Seth? What was on Jha’s mind when he developed this role?
Karna is a noble character. Is this the reason Jha chose the tired-looking Ajay Devgn to play the role?
Did I miss this song in the movie?
Commercial success is enjoyable, isn’t it?
It was an ordinary day yesterday when I sat down to book tickets. I got mixed up with the dates, and booked tickets for the wrong date. PVR ensured I did go – the tickets were non-refundable.
Raajneeti is based on two great stories – the Mahabharata, and the Godfather. If you are a fan of even one of them, you will try to draw parallels to the original. It is not a bad thing to indulge in – the movie is quite long, and gives ample time to get distracted.
The characters are based on Mahabharata, the setting is in Madhya Pradesh, and some scenes are inspired from the Godfather. The sibling felt that the Mahabharata angle should not have existed – it serves little purpose according to her. To me, this is the reason why I would watch the movie again, if at all.
I particularly liked the performances by Ranbir Kapoor (he plays Samar Pratap, with traces of Arjun and Michael Corleone) and Nana Patekar (he plays Brij Gopal, clearly a tribute to Krishna).
Samar’s character is ruthless, and one can see that right from the time he deals with Indu (played by Katrina Kaif). He does not hesitate in making use of her as a pawn in the chessboard of politics, for he does not love her. However, there is tenderness in him when he deals with his American girlfriend Sarah (played by Sarah Thompson) who, incidentally, has seen violence in Ireland. After her death and the elections, he moves back to the US and takes care of Sarah’s mother. I felt no sympathy for his character – this is when I realized that Kapoor has come up with a powerhouse performance.
Arjun Rampal surprised me with his portrayal of Prithvi Pratap, the elder brother of Samar Pratap. I was mentally preparing myself to write him off as too good looking to be playing a hardcore politician and thus not fitting the role, but he gave me a pleasant shock by mouthing foul words like a pro and portraying the impulsiveness of his character rather well.
Post the movie, the following questions lingered on my mind.
What happens to the character played by Shruti Seth? What was on Jha’s mind when he developed this role?
Karna is a noble character. Is this the reason Jha chose the tired-looking Ajay Devgn to play the role?
Did I miss this song in the movie?
Commercial success is enjoyable, isn’t it?
