Raajneeti - A tragedy at the end of it all

There are some stories that are so timeless that they can be retold endlessly. You can set these stories in any time and any place, but these tales based on intrinsic human insights and interactions still endure. And the Mahabharata is one such.

I'm sure there are hundreds of adaptations of the great epic and Raajneeti is the latest to join the list. I am always a sucker for adaptations. I thoroughly enjoy the creativity that goes into the retelling of individual plot points and interpretations of characters in a totally different time and place. And considering the stellar cast and the proven director, I was really looking forward for this movie. So I saw it alone on the first day against all odds.

Was it really worth the trouble?

A difficult question to answer. The movie begins well and the plot unfolds beautifully. Though it is predictable because you know what it is based on, you still want to go through it to figure out just how exactly is each twist and turn going to be handled. Most of it is good. But it could have been a lot better.

As anyone can guess by the promo material, the story is set in the political scenario of the cow-belt region of India. And the crux of the story is about the power struggle between cousins for gaining party leadership and subsequently winning the elections. What begins as a simple rivalry soon escalates into a bloody war where morals and ethics are completely cast aside, and revenge and victory become the only driving forces. As is inevitable, it only leads to disaster.

That's about the story. But however good the story itself is, it is ultimately delivered only by the director, through the actors. And here is where the grey areas of the movie come into play. There are certain scenes which are crafted fabulously - notably the one where Samar Pratap (Ranbir) transforms on seeing his father dying in front of him and drinks a glass of water. And there are others which are laughable in how ludicrously they have been delivered - like when Bharti Pratap (Nikhila Trikha), the mother meets Suraj (Ajay Devgan), her abandoned son (Kunti and Karna respectively) to tell him the truth of his birth.

The same is true about the casting. Arjun Rampal in the role of Prithvi Pratap the modern day Yudhisthir gets some unintended titters from the audience thanks to his deliveries in certain scenes but has also managed to look sensitive, charming and full of human weaknesses in others. Ajay Devgan cast in the character of Karna too has given similar mixed performances.

I wish the editing of the film was a lot better than what it is. Even to a lay movie-watcher like me, some of the jerky scene transitions were too jarring. I also wish that the art direction would have been a little more realistic. The sets of party offices and election mandaps are a little too cliched and end up caricature-like. But most of all, I wish the screenplay was a little tighter. There seemed to be a lot of promise when the movie began and progressed, but it got too convoluted and out of control towards the end. The climax, especially stuck out like a sore thumb and seemed pretty unrealistic.

Two actors deserve a special mention. The first is of course Nana Patekar. There are some roles which are written for him and he can fit into them like a glove - Parinda, Prahaar, Ab Tak Chhappan. In Raajneeti too, he has done enormous justice to the character of Brijgopal (Krishna), the mentor and guide to the family and to Samar personally.

The second is Ranbir himself. The hero of the film in the midst of so many huge actors and characters. He is simply fabulous and is without doubt the next legend in Hindi cinema. Controlled and expressive without any overt histrionics - its almost predictable that he will shine in any role he will take on.

Katrina is superb. For once, her accent is justified by her character. Naseeruddin Shah should have had a bigger role. Manoj Bajpai looks like he is desperately trying to make a comeback and ends up overdoing it. Nikhila Trikha is awful. And the rest are average.

All in all, the movie is worth a watch, but only if you meet certain criteria. These are:
1. You should be enough of a movie-buff to want to watch the adaptation of Mahabharata sprinkled with some parts of The Godfather in it - only for the sake of seeing how it has been done.
2. You should have been brought up on a steady diet of Amar Chitra Kathas from childhood to be able to understand and appreciate the intricacies of the storyline and be able to draw the parallels with Mahabharata.
3. You should have the patience to endure the chaste north-Indian Hindi dialect that has been liberally used in the movie, which could make it difficult to follow.
4. You should be a die-hard fan of Ranbir Kapoor. Actually you can scratch that one - you will turn into one at the end of the movie anyway.

And here, I can't help but plug one of my most favourite Hindi movies ever - Kalyug, directed by Shyam Benegal. If at the end of watching Raajneeti, you too like me are disappointed, just rent or buy this DVD and enjoy Mahabharata retold in the modern day without any flaws whatsoever. And reinforce your faith in the power of an adapted storyline.