Rajneeti - a good watch

Saw Rajneeti today. I am not a big movie fan and am especially skeptical about watching those multi starrers that release with a big hype. However, the link to Mahabharat and the Indian political scene made it irresistible for me to watch the movie. And am glad i did.

Very rarely do you see such good and imaginative screenplay. Prakash Jha has definitely done a good job in marrying the story of Mahabharatha to the Indian political context without overdoing it a bit at any point.

Yet another surprise is the way such a big star cast has been managed. Be it Nana Patekar as the mentor (Krishna), Ajay Devgan as the ambitious Sooraj waiting for an opportunity to raise from rags (Karna), Ranbir Kapoor as the apolitical heir caught in the web of dirty politics (Arjun), Manoj Bajpai as the ambitious Veer (Duryodhan), Arjun Rampal as the impatient Prithvi (cant equate him to a character in Mahabharat - this is probably where Prakash Jha has really scored. He hasnt tried to force fit anything), everyone fits the bill.

Its not like the movie is without any negatives. Katrina Kaif's character could have been better etched out - starts off as an independent and self confident woman, but ends succumbing to family pressures. And Sarah's character probably didnt require the kind of detailed screenspace it got. Maybe the director wanted to give 33% reservation atleast in screenspace :)

Go for it without any expectations - you will love it.