Maggi Noodle Review: Rajneeti

I wrote a fairly detailed review of the movie but did not post it. Today, I am glad I did not. Trolling the web for other reviews, I found that ALL of them had picked up the Mahabharat and Godfather connections that Rajneeti is heavily inspired by. (One of the more entertaining reviews is by Greatbong.)

Instead, I shall jot down random thoughts that flit through my mind when I think of the movie:

• Prakash Jha, the director, was smart in making the character of Samar Pratap a hybrid of Arjun and Michael Corleone. This is, by far, the most interesting character in the whole movie and portrayed very tellingly by Ranbir Kapoor.
• This is the first time I have seen Ranbir Kapoor and he displays considerable skill. Compared to Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor's "accent" sounds more polished and his scenes with Sarah Thompson demonstrate a better command of Americanized diction and dialog than Roshan, jr. Ironically, while Kites was launched to showcase Hrithink, I think Ranbir is more impressive in spite of a movie ostensibly set in the heartland of India.
• Ajay Devgn (whatever happened to the second "a" in his name?) is wasted. He probably signed the movie when he was told he'd play Karna, arguably the most "wanted" role for an actor in the Mahabharat. In Rajneeti the role is reduced to that of a grumpy sidekick. Ajay wears one expression through the entire movie and does not evoke any sympathy when he dies (What? You didn't think the character would die?) because of how one-dimensional he is.
• Katrina Kaif has the smallest role of all and it is a surprise that she is the focal point of the poster. I guess it looks good, stylistically speaking. For a change, her stilted diction and lack of acting skills are to her advantage and that is the "role" she plays, a thinly veiled take on ...well, you know who.
• The movie was predictable, once the Godfather and Mahabharat connections became apparent. The last gunfight in the movie was over the top and totally unnecessary. Every so often in the movie there is a gory death, much like the Hollywood movies that deem that there be at least one chase sequence every few minutes in order to retain the interest of the audience. I am not that audience, sadly.