Raajneeti

A simplified view of politics, perhaps, but this film captures well the ruthlessness of politicians.

Crime in politics is the subject of Raajneeti. Since the politicians in the film are modelled on characters from The Godfather, we can surmise that the term ‘manifesto’ in a political programme originates from the word ‘mafioso’. At any rate, Samar (Kapoor) is Michael, Prithvi (Rampal) is Sonny,  Brij (Patekar) is Tom Hagen and Samar’s girlfriend (Sarah Thompson Kane) is Kay. All credit to the screenplay writers for research and adaptation.

The film is a fairly entertaining crime thriller, but a complete oversimplification of state politics and the electoral process. We are to assume that political strategy, in this fictional state in the Hindi belt, consists largely of bumping off rival leadership. From the enthusiastic reaction of the audience, the rapid rate at which politicians are shot and blown up in Raajneeti brings good cheer, but we speak of reality here.

The criminalisation of politics is an issue, certainly, but the elimination of half the cast by the time the votes are counted doesn’t leave too many left in office, which is when the real opportunity for crime against people who put them there is presented. Clearly, the film draws from director Prakash Jha’s  first-hand experience of standing for elections, but since he never got to office, he can’t tell us about that.

Yet, Jha has rich experience in filmmaking, and though the movie is half an hour too long, it is well paced and absorbing, mainly because we have never seen or heard before the extraordinary levels of ruthlessness in the instinct for self-preservation that politicians demonstrate. The movie vividly illustrates the adage about politics being ‘the last resort of the scoundrel’.

The acting  is not perfect, particularly in scenes of the marriage between big business and politics. Kaif is involved here and she just cannot pull it off, leaving the only dynastic Italian expat allusion in the film to Vito Andolini from Corleone.

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Ajit Duara