Raajneeti

Raajneeti

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Prakash Jha
Produced by Prakash Jha
Written by Prakash Jha
(Dialogue)
Screenplay by Anjum Rajabali
Prakash Jha
Story by Prakash Jha
Starring
Music by Wayne Sharpe
Pritam
Aadesh Shrivastava
Shantanu Moitra
Cinematography Sachin Kumar Krishnan
Edited by Santosh Mandal
Production
company
Prakash Jha Productions
Walkwater Media Ltd
Distributed by UTV Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • 4 June 2010 (2010-06-04)
Running time
 170 minutes[1]
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget ₹60 crore (US$8.9 million)[2]
Box office ₹143.11 crore (US$21 million)
(worldwide gross)[3]

Raajneeti (Hindi: राजनीति; Politics), a 2010 Indian political thriller drama film co-written, directed and produced by Prakash Jha, with a screenplay by Anjum Rajabali and Prakash Jha, and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee and Naseeruddin Shah in the lead roles.[4] It was originally produced by Prakash Jha Productions and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures and Walkwater Media. It was shot in Bhopal. The title translates literally as "Politics" and contextually as "Affairs of State."[5] The draws parallels to the epic Mahabharata where shades of Krishna (Nana Patekar), Arjuna (Ranbir Kapoor), Yudhishthira (Arjun Rampal), Duryodhana (Manoj Bajpai), Karna (Ajay Devgan), and Draupadi (Katrina Kaif) can be seen in the characters portrayed.

Raajneeti was released in theatres worldwide on 4 June 2010, after some controversies regarding similarities between real-life people and the characters in the film, as well as issues about the national anthem. Rajneeti was declared SuperHit [6] by Box Office India. A sequel of Rajneeti has been confirmed by Prakash Jha. The movie cast Katrina Kaif as a powerful politician.[7]

Plot

The film begins with a quick flashback into the life of Bharti Rai (Nikhila Trikha), the daughter of chief minister Ramnath Rai (Darshan Jariwala). Influenced by leftist ideology, she rebels against her father and joins the rival party of leftist leader Bhaskar Sanyal (Naseeruddin Shah). Bharti develops an illicit relationship with Bhaskar, who, guilt-ridden over taking advantage of the younger woman, leaves for parts unknown, having unwittingly gotten Bharti pregnant. Upon the child's birth, he is abandoned in a boat by Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), Bharti's foster brother. This leaves her devastated. Bharti later marries Chandra Pratap (Chetan Pandit), the younger brother of Bhanu Pratap (Khan Jahangir Khan). Bhanu leads the Rashtrawadi political party.

The story then shifts to present, where, the state government collapses and Bhanu suffers a stroke. In the hospital, he hands over power to his brother Chandra. Chandra's son, Prithviraj Pratap (Arjun Rampal) tries to take advantage of his father's power and starts to impose his own decisions on the party, which results in a clash with Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpai). Chandra also starts to take side with his son, sidelining Veerendra. When Prithvi rejects the nomination of a local leader, Sooraj Kumar (Ajay Devgan), who is chosen by the common people, Veerendra gives his support to Sooraj. Unknown to all, Sooraj is Bharti's abandoned son, who was found and raised by Pratap's family driver Ram Charittar (Daya Shankar Pandey).

Then comes the younger son of Chandra, Samar Pratap (Ranbir Kapoor) from America and meets his childhood friend and his family friend's daughter Indu Sakseria (Katrina Kaif). Indu loves Samar and thinks he loves her too. When Chandra and Prithvi try to kick Veerendra out of his own father's party, he asks Sooraj for a help. Sooraj ends up assassinating Chandra in his car, while he is returning from the airport after seeing off his younger son, Samar. In an ensuing drama, Prithvi is arrested by police under the influence of Veerendra and put on trial for raping a party worker (Shruti Seth). Samar comes to the rescue and tricks Veerendra into dropping all charges upon his brother, promising that his brother will resign and that he will move with his family to the U.S. However, Samar does not keep his promise and he, with Prithvi, begins rallying public support. After Bhanu officially expels Prithvi, the latter splits from the Rashtrawadi party and contests elections under "Jana Shakti party", a new party with Gopal as his mentor and Samar as the executive. Meanwhile, Samar's American girlfriend Sarah (Sarah Thompson) arrives in India to see the situation. To raise funds for the new party, Samar shrewdly ensures Prithvi's marriage to Indu. Though Indu had always loved Samar, Samar only thought of Indu as a friend and loved Sarah.

Katrina Kaif and Prakash Jha during promotions of Rajneeti.

The circumstances gets murkier with both sides trying every trick to ensure their victory in upcoming elections. Allegations and counter-allegations are made. Subsequently, Samar uncovers that the real murderers of his father are Sooraj and Veerendra, and decides to take revenge. On the other hand, Prithvi executes the former police officer, who had arrested him, and the woman worker at a farmhouse. Veerendra again seeks help from Sooraj and Sooraj makes a plan to assassinate Samar, being aware that Samar was behind all the tricks. Amidst of all the events, Indu realises her love for Prithvi and Prithvi accepts her love in return. Sarah is revealed to be pregnant with Samar's child; Samar promises Sarah that he will go to America with her and leave politics. A car bomb is planted in Samar's car. Prithvi goes to save Samar and Sarah, who were to be dropped off at the airport in that car. He manages to save Samar but is killed while trying to save Sarah in vain. Devastated by the loss of his brother and girlfriend, Samar decides to retaliate. He suggests Indu to take the reins of the party and arranges the election campaign single-handedly.

Meanwhile, Sooraj is revealed to be the first child of Bharti, who implores him to join his younger brother Samar. Sooraj refuses to part ways with Veerendra and asks his mother to leave. Exit polls predict a victory for Indu's party. On the counting day, Samar lures Veerendra and Sooraj to an unused factory by spreading a rumour about electronic voting machines being hacked. They fall in the trap, and Veerendra gets shot by Samar and his men. Sooraj has an open opportunity to shoot Samar, but can't bring himself to do it since he knows Samar is his brother. Sooraj requests Samar to leave him and Veerendra till they reach the hospital, but Veerendra dies on the way. Gopal prompts Samar to shoot Sooraj who questions the morality of the act, but Gopal convinces him to take revenge for the destruction of his family. Samar shoots Sooraj.

The election results are declared, and Indu emerges with majority and is made chief minister. Samar is seen asking forgiveness and is seen attempting reconciliation with Indu. They show Indu accepting Samar's apology and the two reconciling. Explaining his decision to return to America, he reflects that he always wanted to stay away from politics as politics is a game that brings out the "inner devil." Indu is revealed to be pregnant with Prithvi's child, while Samar leaves India to look after Sarah's mother and settle there.

Cast

Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif and Prakash Jha at the pressmeet of Rajneeti, at Lucknow in 2010.

Reception

Critical reception

Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times rated it 3/5 and said, "None of the actors assembled on stage let him (the director) down; right from an unusually inspired Rampal to his powerful, polar opposite Bajpayee".[8] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India rated it 4/5 and said, "The film basically anchors its plot in two classic tales — The Mahabharata and The Godfather — to create an engrossing diatribe on India's political system where democracy may prevail, but not in its purest form."[9] Anupama Chopra of NDTV rated it 3/5 and said "Jha creates a real sense of the machinations and sordid deals that fuel politics but then hobbles it with outlandish twists and some decidedly 'filmy' moments".[10] Rajeev Masand of IBN said, "Raajneeti is thrilling and gripping for the most part, even though it does lose steam in its final act. For the superb acting, and for the exciting dramatic highs, it's a film I recommend you do not miss."[11]

Rachel Saltz of The New York Times said, "[T]he film – full of romance, intrigue and fraternal strife – is too diffuse to score political points. Or to have much impact."[12] Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times found that while it aimed "for something trenchant about thwarted destiny and ugly ambition in modern Indian democracy", it "mostly winds up with a convoluted and tonally awkward Godfather rehash, with nary a character worth rooting for" and that "Kapoor's performance is stony rather than calculating...."[13] Frank Lovece of Film Journal International said, "More pulpy than political, this Godfather-ripoff Hindi electoral drama is a candidate for oblivion in U.S. theatres. ... [I]t all eventually becomes so ridiculous and over-the-top violent that there is nobody, nobody, to root for."[5]

Box office

Rajneeti grossed ₹1,431.1 million (US$21 million) worldwide.[3]

India

Raajneeti recorded an opening of nearly ₹ 10 crore net on its first day.[14] It had the second highest Friday opening in India after 3 Idiots and the highest Friday opening in the first half of the year, surpassing Kites.[15][16][17] It collected ₹ 34 crore at the end of the weekend and set a record for biggest weekend in the first half of the year, surpassing Housefull.[18][19] It showed no major decline in business on Tuesday and collected Rs. 5.85 crore.[20] At the end of the first week, the film collected Rs. 54.75 crore and set a record for biggest week in the first half of the year beating Housefull.[21] Raajneeti sustained well in the second weekend and collected ₹ 16.25 crore.[22] Rajneeti nett grossed ₹929.3 million (US$14 million) in India with a distributor share of ₹487.2 million (US$7.2 million).[23] It was the tenth highest grossing Bollywood film until it was surpassed by Kick starrer Salman Khan.

Rajneeti worldwide Collections breakdown
Territory Nett Collections (After Entertainment tax)
India ₹929.3 million (US$14 million)[23]
Distributor share:
₹487.2 million (US$7.2 million)[23]
Entertainment tax:
₹313.2 million (US$4.7 million)
Overseas
(Outside India)		 US$3 million(₹18.86 crore)[3]
US$1,514,558 (United States)[24]
Worldwide ₹1,431.1 million (US$21 million)[3]

Overseas

Overseas, the film opened to weekend business of $2.25 million.[25] In the U.S., Raajneeti played well for a limited release, noted Ray Subers of BoxOfficeMojo.com, grossing $850,244 on 124 screens its opening weekend, "which was good for first among limited releases and 11th place on the overall weekend chart." He specified that Raajneeti "became the third Bollywood movie this year to lead all limited releases in its first weekend," following My Name is Khan and Kites.[26] In Australia and New Zealand, Raajneeti surpassed the opening weekend record set by 3 Idiots.[27]

Awards and nominations

56th Filmfare Awards

Nominated

17th Annual Star Screen Awards 2011

Won[28]

Nominated

6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards

Won[29]

Nominated[30]

2011 Zee Cine Awards

Won[31]

Nominated[32]

Controversy

Raajneeti was first denied a certificate by the censor board of India for their thought that the lead character played by Katrina Kaif is inspired fully or partially from the Congress Party's chief Sonia Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal's chief Rabri Devi. Director Prakash Jha dismissed this allegation, saying his only inspiration was Mahabharata, an epic from ancient India.[33] References to electronic voting machines and parts of the film suggesting that women have to compromise to get ahead in politics, crude dialogues about the Muslim community and some intimate scenes and excessive violence were removed before giving the film a U/A censor certificate.[34]

Soundtrack

Raajneeti
Soundtrack album by Pritam, Aadesh Shrivastava, Shantanu Moitra, Wayne Sharpe
Released 14 May 2010
Recorded 2009
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Label Sony Music
Producer Prakash Jha

The background score was composed by Wayne Sharpe while the soundtrack was composed by Wayne Sharpe, Pritam, Aadesh Shrivastava and Shantanu Moitra. The lyrics were penned by Irshad Kamil, Gulzar, Sameer and Swanand Kirkire. The soundtrack consists of five original songs and four remixes. It was released on 14 May 2010.

Track list

Track # Song Artist(s) Composer Lyricists Duration
1 "Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si" Mohit Chauhan, Antara Mitra Pritam Irshad Kamil 04:37
2 "Mora Piya" (Male) Aadesh Shrivastava, Shashi, Rosalie Nicholson Aadesh Shrivastava Sameer 05:44
3 "Mora Piya" (Female) Kavita Seth Aadesh Shrivastava Sameer 04:17
4 "Ishq Barse" Pranab Biswas, Hamsika Iyer, Swanand Kirkire Shantanu Moitra Swanand Kirkire 04:36
5 "Dhan Dhan Dharti" Shankar Mahadevan Wayne Sharpe Gulzar 04:41
6 "Ishq Barse Club Mix" (The Bombay Bounce Club Mix) Pronob Biswas, Hamsika Iyer, Swanand Kirkire Shantanu Moitra Swanand Kirkire 03:53
7 "Dhan Dhan Dharti Reprise" (Call of the Soil) Sonu Nigam Wayne Sharpe Gulzar 04:35
8 "Mora Piya Remix” (Male) Aadesh Shrivastava, Sachin Pandit and Shashi Aadesh Shrivastava Sameer 04:32
9 "Mora Piya Remix” (Female) Kavita Seth Aadesh Shrivastava Sameer 04:17

Location

  1. Bhopal
    1. Air Port
    2. Old Bhopal City (Iqbal Maidan, Shahjahanabad etc.)
    3. Lake View
    4. VIP Road
    5. Birla Mandir
    6. Forest Area
    7. National Highway

Sequel

Prakash Jha has begun work on Rajneeti 2 but not strictly as a sequel. Sources originally reported that this second Rajneeti could be inspired by Anna Hazare's 'India Against Corruption' campaign and incorporate Satyagraha within the storyline or that it might be an adaptation of the Tamil film Ko. Jha has applied for remake rights, and is considering Ranbir Kapoor as the protagonist.[35] In July 2012, it was announced that Katrina Kaif would have the role of a prime minister of India and that the project was expected to begin filming in late 2014 for a 2015 release.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "Raajneeti". Film Journal International – Blue Sheets. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  2. ↑ Kotwani, Hiren (4 June 2010). "Can Raajneeti recover its Rs 60 crore investment?". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide". Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  4. ↑ "Raajneeti: Complete cast and crew details". Filmicafe Media Inc. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  5. 1 2 Lovece, Frank. "Film Review: Raajneeti", Film Journal International, 7 June 2010
  6. ↑ http://boxofficeindia.com/Years/years_detail/2010
  7. ↑ "Katrina Kaif is the hero in 'Rajneeti 2'". 26 June 2012.
  8. ↑ Shekhar, Mayank. "Mayank Shekhar's Review: Raajneeti". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Kazmi, Nikhat (3 June 2010). "Raajneeti". The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
  10. ↑ Chopra, Anupama (4 June 2010). "Review: Raajneeti". NDTV. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
  11. ↑ Masand, Rajeev (3 February 2010). "Masand: Raajneeti is thrilling and gripping". India Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
  12. ↑ Saltz, Rachel. "Prakash Jha’s 'Godfather,' Bhopal Version", The New York Times, 4 June 2010
  13. ↑ Abele, Robert. "Movie review: 'Raajneeti'", Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2010
  14. ↑ "Raajneeti Rocks The Nation". BoxofficeIndia.com. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  15. ↑ "Top First Friday Nett Grossers". Box office India. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  16. ↑ "Top Openers Delhi/UP". Box office India. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  17. ↑ "India update: 'Raajneeti' collects Rs. 10.5 cr. on Friday". Bollywood hungama. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  18. ↑ "Raajneeti Has Earth Shattering Weekend". Box office India. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  19. ↑ "Box Office: Raajneeti in power; opening weekend numbers skyrocket in 2010". Business of cinema. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  20. ↑ "Tuesday update: 'Raajneeti' collects 5.85 cr., total 46.1 cr. Nett". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  21. ↑ "Box Office: Raajneeti's opening week collections third highest after 3 Idiots, Ghajini". Business of cinema. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  22. ↑ "Raajneeti Sustains Very Well Over Second Weekend". Box office India. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  23. 1 2 3 http://www.boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=318&catName=MjAxMA==
  24. ↑ "Rajneeti US Figures". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  25. ↑ "Raajneeti Also Scores Overseas". Box office India. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  26. ↑ Subers, Ray. "Arthouse Audit: 'Raajneeti' Continues Bollywood Blitz", BoxOfficeMojo.com, 7 June 2010
  27. ↑ "Australia update: 'Raajneeti' takes bigger start than '3 Idiots'". Bollywood hungama. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  28. ↑ "Winners of 17th Annual Star Screen Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  29. ↑ "Winners of 6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  30. ↑ "Nominations for 6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  31. ↑ "Winners of Zee Cine Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
  32. ↑ "Nominations for Zee Cine Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
  33. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (27 May 2010). "Fact of the matter". The Hindu.
  34. ↑ Sharma, Kartikeya (26 May 2010). "Politics over Rajneeti: Cong plays censor board". India Today. Headlines Today Bureau.
  35. ↑ "Rajneeti 2 not strictly a sequel". India Today. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  36. ↑ "Katrina Kaif to play Prime Minister in Rajneeti 2". Retrieved 26 June 2012.

External links

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