tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post7388281472307261165..comments2024-03-27T14:57:37.031+05:30Comments on Jabberwock: Andar ka shaitan: an essay on Prakash Jha's RaajneetiJabberwockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-5586713796440138232013-09-10T23:14:56.533+05:302013-09-10T23:14:56.533+05:30So you think only Vidur is the only unblemished ch...So you think only Vidur is the only unblemished character in the Epic? I thought Bheeshma came close, and to an extent, Yudhisthira as well. But I have to admit an ardent admirer (you could say devotee or fan) of Vidura :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04321102826131570114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-89004837768634869492011-07-12T19:12:59.048+05:302011-07-12T19:12:59.048+05:30Jai - Rajneeti was perhaps the worst hindi film I&...Jai - Rajneeti was perhaps the worst hindi film I've seen of late. The reasons are many. Bad Casting. Ranbir Kapur cant show the kind of intensity required of his character. Ajay Devgan's fake intensity if painful to watch. The scene where Ranbir Kapur tells the party that he will take over is so badly done that I wonder what made Prakash Jha keep it in the final cut. The scene you mentioned between Ajay and his real mother is the worst scene in terms of writing and acting both. That actress just coudlnt mouth those words. On the top of it, cliched scenes like Ranbir wearing a scarf and running towards the gate of his house. The film had no realism. Do our politicians stay in the kind of houses shown in the film? Yeah we know they stay in bungalows but it was very clear that it was a set and its so very artificial. And lets not compare it to Kalyug. I mean we are comparing a man like Benegal who would use 10 words to say what an average director would take 100 with a man like Prakash Jha who would take 100 words to say something which an average director would take 10.Pessimist Foolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06057153008708242962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-35541419668262483962010-07-13T04:10:05.981+05:302010-07-13T04:10:05.981+05:30Hi Jai - it was good reading your review. And once...Hi Jai - it was good reading your review. And once again, I share most of your observations about the movie. I liked the movie for the most part but was seriously put off by the scenes that have been lifted from the Godfather. There isnt even a mention of the Godfather in the credits - so that reflects quite poorly on the director. Bit of a shame really. He could have at least made the effort to rework the scenes a little bit instead of doing a direct cut-and-paste job. <br /><br />My other problem was with the body count. If one election results in these many deaths, this one state that should pray it doesnt hold elections too often!! I also see this as ripe for a couple of sequels - the first based off a bye-election and the next off a re-election! :-)Pranavnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-13452361686792081302010-07-03T20:09:39.920+05:302010-07-03T20:09:39.920+05:30I loved the flick. After a long time, I got to see...I loved the flick. After a long time, I got to see a commecial Hindi film which had a story which went somewhere with actors who acted. Kudos on your article. Very well writtenKitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14754147307671510630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-33310594230880083002010-07-02T23:01:14.241+05:302010-07-02T23:01:14.241+05:30J'wock: I recommend it very highly.
It also fe...J'wock: I recommend it very highly.<br />It also features arguably Laughton's finest performance despite affecting a Southern American accent!!<br /><br />I've been exploring a lot of Preminger lately. <i>The Cardinal</i> is another exceptional film with a very nuanced, thoughtful take on the Catholic church. <i>Bunny Lake is Missing</i> is also quite great. Works very well as a companion piece to <i>Psycho</i>.<br /><br />It's astonishing that a mainstream director back in the 50s could make such incredibly nuanced movies that are so mindful of the audience's intelligence and maturity.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-41982274581988230762010-07-02T21:17:20.405+05:302010-07-02T21:17:20.405+05:30Shwet: the last sentence was a riff on what I said...Shwet: the last sentence was a riff on what I said in the first paragraph, about the film not really being about <i>raajneeti</i> at all. That's why I put in the "perhaps unintentionally" at the end.<br /><br />Shrikanth: still haven't seen <i>Advise and Consent</i>. Have wanted to for a long time. It has such a great cast, and a director whom I find very interesting, even in his flawed work.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-73973926189130529822010-07-02T20:53:07.567+05:302010-07-02T20:53:07.567+05:30I disagree with the last statement , the film in i...I disagree with the last statement , the film in itself had little to do with politics and turned to be hugely disappointing in the end.<br /><br />Rajneeti would have done better by being a simplistic gangster movie than an elaborate thesis on politics. The truth is it could become neither. No politician worth his salt would risk killing his opponents after winning the polls. The whole premise smacked of frivolity and buffonery of the highest order.<br /><br />The script was laughably weak but more so was the ineptness of the director in credibly merging the storyline of Mahabharata in the whole scheme. Although your review is brilliantly written ; perhaps the best I have read on Rajneeti , I somehow feel that this movie was a dishonest attempt by a director known to make better movies.Shwet Awasthihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04707072898697709519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-85972903735905920752010-07-02T18:12:13.774+05:302010-07-02T18:12:13.774+05:30I meant Advise and ConsentI meant <i>Advise <b>and</b> Consent</i>shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-14933824569682360762010-07-02T18:10:33.987+05:302010-07-02T18:10:33.987+05:30Haven't seen this.
One of my complaints agains...Haven't seen this.<br />One of my complaints against Indian films concerning politics is that they typically provide a view from without instead of a self-appraisal from within.<br /><br />Politicians are, without exception, portrayed as a venal lot with malleable principles. That may be true, but what makes them so is seldom explored. Is this film an exception?<br /><br />My favourite political film of all time is Otto Preminger's <i>Advise Consent</i> that examines Red-baiting in the 50s. It's a movie that truly empathises with politicians and examines how statesmen with honourable intentions have to resort to chicanery to pursue their agendas.shrikanthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03898755392584822638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-65247790391076818672010-07-02T17:04:28.073+05:302010-07-02T17:04:28.073+05:30Priyanka: I wasn't talking about the story or ...Priyanka: I wasn't talking about the story or the way it rehashes the Mahabharata and the Godfather - I was talking about the dialogue written by Jha and Anjum Rajabali, which I thought was strong and literate in places (though definitely not in the "jesth putra" scene).Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-81215613315736326032010-07-02T15:19:42.995+05:302010-07-02T15:19:42.995+05:30Incisive script? You've got to be kidding. The...Incisive script? You've got to be kidding. The worst rehash ever of two compelling tales, compounded by pretty mediocre performances.Priyankanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-4007678107445488692010-07-02T11:55:37.102+05:302010-07-02T11:55:37.102+05:30are you planning to watch (the atrociously spelled...<i>are you planning to watch (the atrociously spelled) I Hate Luv Storys?</i><br /><br />Gargi: highly doubtful, unless someone pays me to write a 3000-word essay on it!<br /><br />thequark: yes, interpretations of personal Dharma vary from individual to individual in the Mahabharata - that's one of the things that makes it such a complex text (especially for the reader who isn't constrained to see Krishna as an all-knowing Godhead).Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-5579260760438369492010-06-30T23:11:14.071+05:302010-06-30T23:11:14.071+05:30Oh dear, I read Anonymous' comment and went al...Oh dear, I read Anonymous' comment and went all ‘WTF is a marmot?’ Glad I’ve clarified that now.<br /> <br />Not sure about tailoring the scripts but I think Katrina is definitely not the star of the film, considering she appears in a handful of scenes compared to Ranbir Kapoor. The publicity team pulled a fast one on the public by showing her in the Sonia Gandhi avatar in the trailer, giving the impression that it forms the crux of the story.<br /><br />I’ve taken a liking to Ranbir because I caught Bachna Ae Haseeno on TV and liked that one as well.<br />Btw, are you planning to watch (the atrociously spelled) I Hate Luv Storys?Gargihttp://gargimehra.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-40037102935882197302010-06-30T22:31:07.821+05:302010-06-30T22:31:07.821+05:30"how little actions, not always malicious to ..."how little actions, not always malicious to begin with, can assemble a cataclysmic tragedy."<br /><br />Brilliant. Very well said , while re-reading Mahabharat I almost saw how many decisions even pretty early on in the story lead up to something later in the epic.<br /><br />Kalyug is superb movie, as an interpretation of Mahabharat and an independent work of art itself. I read it after reading your blog. Thanks.<br /><br />However most attempts at reinterpreting or depicting the epic fail to capture an aspect different than family infight. This aspect is difference of Dharma between Bheeshm and Krishna. The former had to abide to the spoken word and that was his Dharma where as latter would break all promises, conventions, societal norms, taboos for Dharma which is benefit of the people. It this change of notion of Dharma which Krishna bought, pity that he was lifted to godhead and imposed with people's own ideals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-23823359852148241682010-06-30T18:10:58.436+05:302010-06-30T18:10:58.436+05:30Aditya: good points. There's so much fusing of...Aditya: good points. There's so much fusing of different characters that there can be any number of interpretations.<br /><br />Personally I was also thrown off by the fact that when I was doing a one-to-one mapping of the characters (which is a mistake), it seemed like the Bheeshma figure was the (politically) impotent "nanaji" played by Darshan Jariwala.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-83271745901973304242010-06-30T17:58:41.432+05:302010-06-30T17:58:41.432+05:30First, I think one of the major issues anyone ough...First, I think one of the major issues anyone ought to have with the film is the staggering number of dialogues starting with "Rajneeti mein.." !!<br /><br />Also, it's interesting that you mention the Vidura-Shakuni amalgam model for Nana's character Brij Gopal, because Jha has taken extra care (perhaps the most for any character) to insert what you call "connect-the-dot" moments for him every now and then (the Geeta-samvaad at the end with Ranbir, or the trick he plays to thwart the advnacing steps of Karna (Devgan)when he senses he could be a rival to the family's clout).... Having said that, don't you think Brij Gopal actually shows more traits in common with a Bheeshma, more than the morally clean-chit Vidura? (In "Yuganta" a book you reviewed earlier, Bheeshma's honesty and somewhat stubborn and dogmatic allegiance to his own word of honour, so to speak, has been sorely criticized as a thinly-disguised form of egotism and an "idealistic" tyranny of sorts)Aditya Mani Jhahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13288886815027491282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-61411056015538722302010-06-30T13:08:02.477+05:302010-06-30T13:08:02.477+05:30Anon: alas, no - perhaps they could have worked on...Anon: alas, no - perhaps they could have worked one into the "steamy" shower scene between Ranbir and Sarah Thompson. It could only have made the scene better!Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-16504011615460445352010-06-30T12:06:16.859+05:302010-06-30T12:06:16.859+05:30But does this movie have a marmot?But does this movie have a marmot?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-70112823318237019692010-06-30T08:12:55.336+05:302010-06-30T08:12:55.336+05:30Sidved: Dude! Your comment reminds me that while t...Sidved: Dude! Your comment reminds me that while those German nihilists in <i>The Big Lebowski</i> wielded cricket bats, the Arjun Rampal character in this film uses a baseball bat (as a substitute for Bheema's mace). There's something nicely cross-cultural about that.<br /><br />Nigam: it's stated at various times by a variety of characters including Bheeshma, Vidura and Drona, and perhaps most tellingly Balarama at the end of the war. Kamala Subramanian's translation of the Mahabharata has a particularly interesting passage where she treats Duryodhana as a high-minded Shakespearean hero with one tragic, all-consuming flaw (his envy/hate for his cousins).<br /><br />Gargi, Rohit: I wonder though how much of the script had to be altered to accommodate the perception of Ranbir and Katrina as the "stars" of the film. I mean, that last scene between them seemed like such a hurried tying up of loose ends.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-12968675874447022832010-06-30T08:09:23.145+05:302010-06-30T08:09:23.145+05:30Sumana: thanks!
Rachna: I didn't actually thi...Sumana: thanks!<br /><br />Rachna: I didn't actually think it was such a good film overall (the second half was too unfocused for my liking), but the thing about having a large space like this to write about a movie is that one doesn't have to bother with schoolmaster-like evaluations (proclaiming whether it was "good" or "bad", or doling out marks or stars). I find it much more rewarding to discuss the film (or an aspect of it) at length rather than pass summary judgement. Wish more spaces like this were available in Indian mainstream publications.Jabberwockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10210195396120573794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-56614778544164345032010-06-30T02:57:33.786+05:302010-06-30T02:57:33.786+05:30Nice review. Just wondering: do you have a link to...Nice review. Just wondering: do you have a link to the part of the Mahabharata where it is stated that Duryodhana was a just ruler? Thats an interesting aspect of the epic of which I was unaware until I read your piece.Nigamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10611946794216121900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-86440634342324050282010-06-30T02:34:22.627+05:302010-06-30T02:34:22.627+05:30"Walter Sobchak: Nihilists! F**k me. I mean, ..."Walter Sobchak: Nihilists! F**k me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos."<br /><br />Sorry for bringing down the level of commentary around here.. but this had to be said after your last line.Sidvednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-88036153850520475642010-06-29T23:32:49.463+05:302010-06-29T23:32:49.463+05:30A great movie review. Only if our high-profile med...A great movie review. Only if our high-profile media reviewers went beyond the obvious like you have. Wish Prakash Jha and the cast can read your review. I found Nana's character to be the central character of the story. Katrina being the poster girl is obvious given her strong commercial success.<br />Would love to have twitter and facebook sharing buttons. Anyways, I have shared.Rohit Mishrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14000041076823003884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-57577548103763577582010-06-29T23:30:15.157+05:302010-06-29T23:30:15.157+05:30I went in with such low expectations that I landed...I went in with such low expectations that I landed up quite enjoying it! Plus it was the one film where my toddler stayed in her seat the whole time and didn’t whine to be taken out.<br /><br />I find I quite like Ranbir Kapoor. For any other actor I would question the sudden about-turn from a Victorian-poetry-expert to a Michael Corleone-type person, but I think he pulled it off well.Gargihttp://gargimehra.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8204542.post-18888395128449112162010-06-29T23:00:44.950+05:302010-06-29T23:00:44.950+05:30Agreed! Despite the abyssmal acting of the women- ...Agreed! Despite the abyssmal acting of the women- e.g. Kunti and Katrina- the movie was really good. <br />Especially the subtle powerplays- like when Nana Patekar makes Devgun's father the candidate. That was my favorite scene: super clever!<br />Not to mention the Ranbir Kapoor playing chess- silly, but metaphoric!!Rachnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237516640673368951noreply@blogger.com