Audience Member
Day: Sunday
Date: 13 March 2016
Time: 9.30 pm
With: Maa
On: HDTV
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
mirza m
Until a few years back, director Prakash Jha was one of the most formidable & proficient filmmakers in Bollywood. His award winning films such as Mrityudand, Gangaajal, Apaharan & Raajneeti are considered as among the best genre film till date. The hard hitting reality of societies norms & the politics surrounding them were always a delight to watch. But alas like most film makers, his tried & tested formula ran its course in other words predictability flew in, which were quite evident from films such Aarakshan, Chakravyuh & Satyagraha. So does the film maker bounce back with his latest offering? Well not really. Just to make it clear this film despite its title has nothing to do with 2003's Gangaajal, apart from the fact that both the films had the same director, both the movies deal with cops and both have something to do with police department against vigilante justice, in the former it was vigilante cops, here it is a whole neighborhood which resorts to vigilante justice. The story follows Abha Mathur (Priyanka Chopra), who arrives as the New SP of Bankipur, a neighborhood and residential area in Patna in the Indian state of Bihar, on the recommendation of a minister (Kiran Karmarkar) with whom her family has good relations. Abha is no file-pushing stooge. She is the type who chases criminals on the streets with the enthusiasm of a rookie constable. The hardest-working SP in the country soon finds herself embroiled in the machinations of the local MLA Dabloo (Manav Kaul) and Babloo Pandey (Ninad Kamat), who are trying to steamroll the town's residents into giving up their agricultural land for a power project. Her every move is anticipated and checkmated by BN Singh (Prakash Jha), the circle inspector is on the payroll of Dabloo and gives them ample protection from the law. The pretty police officer can do little more than purse her lips in frustration and wait for another chance to swing her wooden stick. Abha has to control the law and order in Bankipur where the people and the politicians/goons are with an internal war with one another and the police are forced to become mere spectators. The premise is awesome, but is completely drained out because of a weak screenplay, which goes wandering in the oft repeated scenes of honest police offer, corrupt police officer, politicians etc., in the first half, and even when the twist happens, the movie again seems like been there down that routine of the same cop versus corrupt politician saga. But the real catch is, basing it on the publicity material of this Prakash Jha film, Priyanka Chopra's face adorns every poster of the film, but the real hero and the one who gets the most screen time is Jha himself. Yes, this 149-minute saga is not about Abha Mathur's clean-up of the rot that infects the city. Rather, it's about the turning of the worm. While Chopra's Abha Mathur has a predictable story arc, staying idealistic and miss goody-two-shoes till the end, Jha's character undergoes a transformation, from a corrupt officer openly subverting the law to a crazed vigilante who isn't opposed to public lynching and murder to avenge those he once counted as friends. Jha's films have always had the theme of the oppressor and the oppressed, including more recent attempts at mainstream film-making such as "Aarakshan" and "Satyagraha". In "Jai Gangaajal", Jha re purposes his 2003 film "Gangaajal", centering around an honest cop out to set the world right. Inequality in society, breakdown of law and order, the story of one man's redemption - these are all stories Jha has told before. This time, he doesn't bother to come up with a new way of story-telling. This is hardly surprising. Jha has been making movies about Bihar for decades and he can shade in his small-town environments and characters in a way that most Bollywood directors aren't able to. Amid all the kidnappings, murders and land grabs that one expects from a Bihar crime film, there are intriguing little touches that stand out, like the way people say "suicide" when they mean death by hanging (this might be the first film which has someone talk about "murder by suicide"). Direction wise Prakash Jha chooses his favorite genre of "political drama" but loses the balances tripping down the rabbit hole. Fans who adored Jha's "Gangaajal" will be disappointed as this quasi sequel is not as remarkable as the previous film. For all its high-minded moralizing, the film plays out like a 1980s vigilante movie. Abha's near-abstract insistence on following the rules - a more uncharitable assessment would be to doubt her intelligence at grasping the reality of the situation - barely fits with the portrayal of a criminal justice system that has completely corroded. Priyanka Chopra's distracting glamorous looks find mention but once in the movie, although she is by far the most attractive creature in the small-town outpost. The actor brings her customary efficiency and dedication to the role. Despite being miscast, she works hard. She has her fair share of action scenes to prove her physical prowess. Prakash Jha gets the most meatiest part and does an excellent job. It is Prakash Jha as Bholenath actually carries the film on his shoulders, as a corrupt cop turned vigilante supporter, the role has many shades. Vega Tamotia is excellent as the unrelenting girl showing defiance even after being aware of the fate which awaits her. She performs ably and holds her own against Prakash Jha and Priyanka Chopra. Ninad Kamat & Manav Kaul do a good job. Rahul Bhat is wasted. On the whole, 'Jai Gangaajal' despite being a sincere attempt to portray the stinking truth of Indian politics, it falls short in comparison to its predecessor.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Priyanka Chopra delivers a fine performance. Looking forward to seeing her in the TV series `Quantico` this week.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This seems like a self promotion film for director Prakash Jha who seems to have forgotten how to edit all together! The film is too long for its predictable and overdone storyline vastly similar to the original Gangaajal. But due credit to Priyanka, Jha himself and other actors for some good performances.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/21/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Jai Gangaajal is exactly what I excepted the film would be after viewing the films trailer. Its a film that doesn't break any new ground, its has the typical been there, done that story, its almost a remake of the 2003 Gangaajal (its prequel but the films story doesn't continue) , it follows the same template of being a cop drama where there is some type of oppression against the "aam admi"and the public take things in there own hands. Some topical issues of farmers committing suicide etc are highlighted in the film which makes Jai Gangaajal a very relatable, film about today times( there still is a 90s bollywood cop drama hangover feeling though). There is enough hard hitting massy dialogues, and action to keep one engaged. Also the film springs a surprise in the acting department.But is JG worth your hard earned cash, well lets analyze.
Story wise Bankepur is just another town in Central India that is plagued with corruption, land grabbing, rape and farmer suicides. Amidst all this is Bhole Nath Singh , a cop who has made an empire by selling his conscience and duties towards the people. He is the right hand of Bablu Pandey who is running for elections and his younger brother Dablu.While BN Singh is quite happy being a servant of corruption than being a public servant, his outlook changes when Abha Mathur takes over as the DSP.She means business and is all set to bring law and order in a town that has forgotten it.ÃÂ Will she be able to bring peace to a town that is being ravaged by its own politicians?
Acting wise the newcomer/veteran director ( director of this film) Prakash Jha, is a revelation in the film. I never knew PJ could be such a spectacular actor, the way he transforms from bad guy to good guy in the film is really surprising, his act is so nuanced for a first time actor( he is in his 60s). Watchout for the scene when he beats up Dablu, and channels his inner Amitabh Bachchan from Zanjeer. Priyanka Chopra gives a very realistic, and subtle performance. She makes one believe she is a real cop. Its another job well done for the amazing actress. She needed to mellow down on the makeup for a cop role though. Manav Kaul is at ease as the typical villainous politician. Ninad Kamat is loud, and over acts at times but is passable as the MLA's land grabbing brother.
Honestly I have been a huge fan of Prakash Jha, and his brand of cinema. Raajneeti, Apharan etc are some of my all time favourite hindi films, and honestly till date I have never disliked any of films, so I had decent expectations with Jai Gangaajal. But I must say this is his weakest film, but thats not saying much because JG is far from being a bad film, its a decent watch still. JG will appeal to the mass audiences more than the class audiences because the film has a rustic vibe, and the massy dialogues in the film are made to appeal to the back benchers who love to whistle and clap on such scenes. The film does hold ones attention, and the films topical issues like farmers committing suicide due to poverty, rape, and land grabbing make for grim riveting, realisticish watch. The true India, the India which excludes the privileged elite metropolitan area(Bombay,Delhi, Bangalore, etc) is shown well in the film. The common man just has no power, no money, no anything pretty much and that is shown well in the film. JG is a good mix of, realistic cinema, plus the added spice of masala dialogues and action. The films highlight is when the public takes things into there own hands and do public made up suicides. And when Prakash Jha turns good and wreck havocs( when the kid takes revenge for his sister). However JG is way over the top at times, for example people die so easily without any repercussions, and people grab land like there M&M's, the cops and Indian democratic system is not that impotent as shown in the film. The films story also is very routine, and Prakash himself has rehashed this kind of story before (in Gangaajaal). The film has no novelty. The films music is average, the background score is okay, and the production values are okay, they suit the rustic vibe of the film but there could have been more real locations rather than sets.
Overall Jai Gangaajal is not a must watch, but its a one time watch for sure. The great performances, the enjoyable political story, and punchy dialogues make for a good watch.People going in excepting a Priyanka Chopra show all the way will in for some of disappointment/surprise its a Prakash Jha film all the way acting and directing.
3.25/5*
66% C+
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/13/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Old wine in new bottle...PC might be rocking the world right now but Prakash Jha and Manav Kaul are the real stars here...!
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
Full Review
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