Rajneeti

SPOILER ALERT

Rajneeti is a much awaited movie on the Hindi movie circuit. Big starcast - Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina (not much of an actress usually) and Arjun Rampal (not much of a star, but he is like the male equivalent of eye candy...) were assembled for what was hyped to be a big movie.

The movie is long, but it does not feel so. Prakash Jha attempts to do a Indian political version of the Great Indian Novel (GIN) and almost succeeds. The script is populist especially in the second half. Hardly any songs (atleast in the theatre I went to, they hastily cut a song which had just begun!).

The movie tells the story of a political dynasty and shows how the new generation takes over under a violent transition. The pace is excellent for such a long movie but one wonders whether the director attempted too much. The plot is extremely predictable and Manoj Bajpai and Nana Patekar shine. Katrina actually manages to speak Hindi*. The music by Wayne Sharp is not very noticeable but does not intrude/distract either. So I guess it is fine. There is not much need for it. There are some moments which remind one of Godfather in addition to the GIN - the car explosions and the new woman in the family spotting acts by goons which work with the family etc. Remember Pacino as Michael defending his family to Kay? Prakash Jha even makes a cameo.

Worth a watch despite the below.

The woman who plays Ranbir's mother has really poor make up and it is obvious she is a much younger woman. Shah is wasted and does not appear beyond the 1st reel or so. Some of the dialogue is unnecessary especially when Ajay Devgn finds out about his birth. Complete LCD kind of movie.

* much better than most of her contemporaries (of which I would like to single out Genelia D Souza for slurred speech!). But her Hindi does catch up when she shrieks Khyon once! :)