Raajneeti
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPrakash Jha
Written byPrakash Jha
Screenplay by
  • Prakash Jha
  • Anjum Rajabali
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySachin K. Krishn
Edited bySantosh Mandal
Music byScore:
Wayne Sharpe
Songs:
Pritam
Aadesh Shrivastava
Shantanu Moitra
Wayne Sharpe
Production
companies
Prakash Jha Productions
Walkwater Media Ltd
Distributed byUTV Motion Pictures
Release date
  • 4 June 2010 (2010-06-04)
Running time
170 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹45 crore[2]
Box office₹145.50 crore[3]

Raajneeti (transl. Politics) is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language political thriller film co-written, directed and produced by Prakash Jha, with a screenplay by Anjum Rajabali and Prakash Jha. Depicting an archetypal conflict between rival political families and parties, based on Mahabharata, the film starred an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee, Sarah Thompson and Naseeruddin Shah. It was originally produced by Prakash Jha Productions and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures and Walkwater Media.

Raajneeti was shot extensively in Bhopal.[4] The title, which translates literally as "Politics" and contextually as "Affairs of State", was promoted with the tag-line "Politics and Beyond..."[5]

Amid much controversy, Raajneeti released in theatres worldwide on 4 June 2010. The film received positive reviews from critics both in India and internationally, receiving high acclaim for its direction, screenplay and performances of the ensemble cast. It became a major commercial success, grossing over ₹145.5 crore (US$18 million) worldwide, emerging as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2010.

At the 56th Filmfare Awards, Raajneeti received 4 nominations – Best Actor (Kapoor) and Best Supporting Actor (for Rampal, Bajpayee and Patekar).

Indiagames also released a mobile video game based on the film.[6]

Plot

Bharti Rai, the daughter of Ramnath Rai, an eminent politician, is influenced by rival leftist leader Bhaskar Sanyal. She bears an illicit son from Bhaskar, who is abandoned in a boat by Brij Gopal, Bharti's 'rakhi' brother. Bharti is later married to Chandra Pratap, the younger brother of Bhanu Pratap, who leads the Rashtrawadi party.

The minority state government collapses, when Rashtrawadi party withdraws its support. On his birthday gathering, Bhanu Pratap suffers a stroke and hands over power to his younger brother Chandra Pratap. Chandra's elder son, Prithvi Pratap 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 his miffed cousin, Veerendra Pratap. Chandra Pratap begins to sideline Veerendra. For the upcoming mid-term polls, Prithvi rejects the nomination of a kabaddi champion and local leader Sooraj Kumar, who is chosen by the common people. However, Sooraj gets Veerendra's support to join the Central Committee of the party. Unknown to all, Sooraj is Bharti's abandoned son, who was found and brought up by the Pratap family's driver Ram Charittra and his wife. When Sooraj demands a candidacy in the elections, Brij Gopal shrewdly nominates his father Ram Charittra from the same seat. Meanwhile, Chandra Pratap's younger son, Samar Pratap, returns from the United States and meets his childhood friend Indu, who loves him. She proposes to him, but he declines.

In order to regain his power within the party and be the chief-ministerial candidate in the state assembly election, Veerendra, with Sooraj's help, has Chandra Pratap assassinated. In the ensuing drama, Prithvi is arrested. SP Sharma, under Veerendra's influence, presses rape charges against Prithvi. In order to bail him out, Samar promises Veerendra of Prithvi's resignation from the party. However, Samar and Prithvi begin rallying public support. The bed-ridden Bhanu Pratap officially expels Prithvi, who forms the new Jana Shakti party, with Brij Gopal as his mentor and Samar as the executive. To raise funds for the new party from Indu's industrialist father, Samar shrewdly ensures Prithvi's marriage to Indu, against her will. Meanwhile, Samar's American girlfriend Sarah arrives in India to meet him.

The battle gets murkier with both sides trying every trick to ensure their victory. Allegations and counter-allegations are made. Subsequently, Samar blackmails and kills Babulal, an old party associate of Bhanu Pratap, after uncovering from him that Sooraj and Veerendra had murdered his father Chandra Pratap. On the other hand, Prithvi kills SP Sharma and a party worker. Meanwhile, Indu slowly falls in love with Prithvi who has been nice and respectful towards her. Sarah realizes that the two brothers are committing political murders, and decides to return to the US, pregnant. Veerendra and Sooraj plan to assassinate Samar by planting a bomb in his car, but it is Prithvi and Sarah who perish in the explosion. Braj Gopal confronts Ram Charittra for Sooraj's misdeeds, when Sooraj is revealed to be the first child of Bharti.

Devastated by the loss of his brother and girlfriend, Samar decides to retaliate. He suggests Indu take the reins of the party and arranges the election campaign single-handedly. Bharti implores Sooraj to join his younger brother Samar. However, Sooraj refuses to part ways with Veerendra who has always supported him. 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. They fall into the trap, and Veerendra gets shot by Samar and his men. Sooraj gets an opportunity to shoot Samar, but cannot bring himself to do it since he knows Samar is his brother. Sooraj requests Samar to spare him and Veerendra till they reach the hospital, but Veerendra dies on the way. Brij Gopal prompts Samar to shoot Sooraj who questions the morality of the act, but Brij Gopal convinces him to take revenge for the destruction of his family. Samar, not aware of his relationship with Sooraj, shoots him.

The election results are declared. Jan Shakti Party emerges with a majority and Indu becomes the CM. Samar and Indu mend their differences. Indu is pregnant with Prithvi's child, while Samar leaves India to look after Sarah's mother.

Cast

Raajneeti cast at press conference
  • Ajay Devgn as Sooraj Kumar: a local leader, the biological son of Bhaskar Sanyal and Bharti Pratap and the friend of Virendra Pratap. His character is based on that of Karna from Mahabharata.
  • Nana Patekar as Brij Gopal: the god-son of Ramnath Rai, the brother of Bharti Pratap and the mentor of Prithviraj Pratap when he founds the Jana Shakti party. His character is based on Krishna.
  • Ranbir Kapoor as Samar Pratap: the younger son of Chandra Pratap and the Executive of the Jana Shakti party. His character is based on Arjuna.
  • Katrina Kaif as Indu Pratap (née Seksaria): the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, who initially loved Samar, but was married to Prithviraj Pratap. Her character is based on Draupadi.
  • Arjun Rampal as Prithviraj "Prithvi" Pratap: the founder of the Jana Shakti party, the elder son of Chandra Pratap and the brother of Samar Pratap. His character is an amalgamation of Yudhishthira and Bhima.
  • Manoj Bajpayee as Veerendra Pratap: the chief ministerial candidate from the Rashtrawadi party, the son of Bhanu Pratap and the main antagonist. His character is based on Duryodhana.
  • Sarah Thompson as Sarah Jean Collins: the girlfriend of Samar Pratap. Her character is based on Subhadra.
  • Naseeruddin Shah as Bhaskar Sanyal: a leftist leader who opposed the government of Ramnath Rai. His character is based on Lord Surya.
  • Darshan Jariwala as Ramnath Rai: the former Chief Minister, the father of Bharti Pratap and the godfather of Brij Gopal.
  • Chetan Pandit as Chandra Pratap: the younger brother of Bhanu Pratap and the father of Prithviraj Pratap and Samar Pratap, he leads the party for a while after his brother suffers a heart attack. His character is based on Pandu.
  • Shruti Seth as a party worker
  • Nikhila Trikha as Bharti Pratap: the daughter of Ramnath Rai, the 'rakhi' sister of Brij Gopal, the wife of Chandra Pratap and the former associate of Bhaskar Sanyal. Her character is based on Kunti.
  • Vinay Apte as Babulal: His character is partially based on Shakuni.
  • Kiran Karmarkar as Sharma, an SP: His character is partially based on Dushasana. He is seen following orders from Veerendra Pratap and is loyal to him.
  • Dayashankar Pandey as Ram Charittra:. His character is based on Adhiratha, the adoptive father of Karna.
  • Khan Jahangir Khan as Bhanu Pratap: the President of the Rashtrawadi party and the elder brother of Chandra Pratap. His character is based on Dhritarashtra.
  • Ravi Khemu as Rajkumar Sakseria: Indu’s father
  • Barkha Bisht in item number "Ishq Barse"

Reception

Critical reception

Mayank Shekhar of Hindustan Times rated it 3/5 and criticized saying, "There's a reason Mahabharata was a television series. Shyam Benegal could brilliantly adapt it around India’s corporate boardroom, only for his contained minimalism (Kalyug (1981)). What you sense here instead then is an over-dramatic, over-written screenplay: an over-boiled egg." He said that the sub-plots of various characters have an awkward conclusions. He compared Jha's earlier films Gangaajal (2003) and Apaharan (2005) and remarked that they are "finely focused works" in comparison to Raajneeti.[7] 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 (1972) — to create an engrossing diatribe on India's political system where democracy may prevail, but not in its purest form."[8] 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".[9]

Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN rated it 3.5/5 and said, "In the end, Raajneeti is thrilling and gripping for the most part, even though it does lose steam in its final act. And as far as politics goes, it doesn't tell you very much more than you didn't already know." He continued, "For the superb acting, and for the exciting dramatic highs, it's a film I recommend you do not miss."[10] Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave a 1.5 out of 5 star rating explaining that it is "essentially Sarkar Raj (2008) minus Amitabh Bachchan, is a hyperactive drama given to much yelling and little thought. The screenplay is weak, manipulative and every possible kind of lazy, with an omniscient narrator who vanishes after a while, a slew of unbelievably one-note characters, clunky dialogue that often lapses into something from period cinema, and bloody deaths thrown in every few scenes to kickstart the drama in this exhausting 3-hour film."[11]

Rachel Saltz of The New York Times said, "Raajneeti, with its large cast of characters and wealth of subplots, is often a mess, but an interesting one." She also said, "The film – full of romance, intrigue and fraternal strife – is too diffuse to score political points. Or to have much impact."[4] 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...."[12] 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. ... It all eventually becomes so ridiculous and over-the-top violent that there is nobody, nobody, to root for."[5]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 22% of 9 critics' reviews are positive.[13]

Box office

Rajneeti grossed ₹145.5 crore (US$18 million) worldwide and was declared a blockbuster at the box office.[3][14]

India

Raajneeti recorded an opening of nearly ₹ 10 crore net on its first day.[15] 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.[16][17][18] 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.[19][20] It showed no major decline in business on Tuesday and collected Rs. 5.85 crore.[21] 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.[22] Raajneeti sustained well in the second weekend and collected ₹ 16.25 crore.[23] Raajneeti nett grossed ₹929.3 million (US$12 million) in India with a distributor share of ₹487.2 million (US$6.1 million).[24] The film was declared a blockbuster at the box office by Box Office India. It ranked as the tenth highest grossing Bollywood film of all time until it was surpassed by the Salman Khan-starrer Kick (2014).

Overseas

Overseas, the film opened to a 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 film 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 (2009).[27]

Awards and nominations

'56th Filmfare Awards':

Nominated

'12th IIFA Awards':

Won[28]

Nominated[29]

17th Screen Awards:

Won[30]

Nominated[31]

6th Producers Guild Film Awards:

Won[32]

Nominated[33]

2011 Zee Cine Awards:

Won[35]

Nominated[36]

3rd Mirchi Music Awards:

Nominated[37]

  • Male Vocalist of The Year – Aadesh Shrivastava (for "Mora Piya")
  • Upcoming Female Vocalist of The Year – Antara Mitra (for "Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si")
  • Song representing Sufi tradition – "Mora Piya"
  • Best Programmer & Arranger of the Year – Amar Makwana, Mani Iyer and Sandeep Chatterjie (for "Mora Piya")
  • Best Background Score of the Year – Wayne Sharpe

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 by 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.[38] 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.[39]

Soundtrack

Raajneeti
Soundtrack album by
Pritam, Aadesh Shrivastava, Shantanu Moitra, Wayne Sharpe
Released14 May 2010
Recorded2009
GenreFeature film soundtrack
LabelSony Music India
ProducerPrakash Jha

The score was composed by Wayne Sharpe while the soundtrack was composed by Wayne Sharpe, Pritam, Aadesh Shrivastava and Shantanu Moitra. The lyrics were written 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. The songs "Mora Piya" and "Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si" went on to be chartbusters of 2010.

Track list

Track #SongArtist(s)ComposerLyricistsDuration
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 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, Shashi Aadesh Shrivastava Sameer 04:32
9 "Mora Piya Remix” (Female) Kavita Seth 04:17

References

  1. ↑ "Raajneeti". Film Journal International – Blue Sheets. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  2. ↑ "Raajneeti - more Housefull than Kites". The Times of India. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide". Boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  4. 1 2 Saltz, Rachel (3 June 2010). "Prakash Jha's 'Godfather,' Bhopal Version". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 Lovece, Frank. "Film Review: Raajneeti", Film Journal International, 7 June 2010 Archived 27 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Rajneeti". phoneky.com. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Shekhar, Mayank (5 June 2010). "Mayank Shekhar's Review: Raajneeti". Hindustan Times. Mumbai. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Kazmi, Nikhat (3 June 2010). "Raajneeti". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Chopra, Anupama (4 June 2010). "Review: Raajneeti". NDTV. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  10. ↑ Masand, Rajeev (4 June 2010). "Masand: Raajneeti is thrilling and gripping". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  11. ↑ Sen, Raja (4 June 2010). "Politically incorrect". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  12. ↑ Abele, Robert (3 June 2010). "Movie review: 'Raajneeti'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Raajneeti". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Rajneeti – A Blockbuster!". Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  15. ↑ "Raajneeti Rocks The Nation". BoxofficeIndia.com. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  16. ↑ "Top First Friday Nett Grossers". Box office India. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  17. ↑ "Top Openers Delhi/UP". Box office India. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  18. ↑ "India update: 'Raajneeti' collects Rs. 10.5 cr. on Friday". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  19. ↑ "Raajneeti Has Earth Shattering Weekend". Box office India. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  20. ↑ "Box Office: Raajneeti in power; opening weekend numbers skyrocket in 2010". Business of cinema. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  21. ↑ "Tuesday update: 'Raajneeti' collects 5.85 cr., total 46.1 cr. Nett". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  22. ↑ "Box Office: Raajneeti's opening week collections third highest after 3 Idiots, Ghajini". Business of cinema. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  23. ↑ "Raajneeti Sustains Very Well Over Second Weekend". Box office India. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
  24. ↑ "Boxofficeindia.com". Archived from the original on 18 September 2010.
  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. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  28. ↑ "IIFA Awards 2011 Winners: Complete list of winners". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  29. ↑ Hungama, Bollywood (5 April 2011). "Nominations for IIFA Awards 2011 : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  30. ↑ "Winners of 17th Annual Star Screen Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  31. ↑ "17th Star Screen Awards: Nominations screened & selected". The Indian Express. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  32. ↑ "Winners of 6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  33. ↑ "Nominations for 6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  34. ↑ "Nominations for 6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  35. ↑ "Winners of Zee Cine Awards 2011". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  36. ↑ "Nominations: Zee Cine Awards 2011". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  37. ↑ "Nominees – Mirchi Music Award Hindi 2010". 30 January 2011. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  38. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (27 May 2010). "Fact of the matter". The Hindu.
  39. ↑ Sharma, Kartikeya (26 May 2010). "Politics over Rajneeti: Cong plays censor board". India Today. Headlines Today Bureau.
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