Madhur Bhandarkar has done it once again. The national award winning director through his latest film 'Jail' does exactly what was expected from him, as he hits out with tough, hard-hitting and stimulating dialogues in every sequence that he narrates one after the other. His thorough research about the jail system in India and the treatment mooted out to the inmates till they are proved guilty by the court, clearly goes on to show his sincere effort . He has almost recreated the prison with all those realistic characters performing jail inmates. ‘Jail’ tells very effectively the story of Parag Dixit (Neil) a Manager in a corporate house, who is falsely implicated in a drug case.
Parag’s room mate who is the real culprit is badly injured in cross firing, when the car of Parag in which he travels is intercepted by police. Parag can’t be proved innocent, as his room mate goes into coma. The lawyer engaged by his mother( Nauni Parihar) and girlfriend Manasi( Mugdha Godse) goes on demanding his fees every hearing. The judge of the lower court announces judicial custody and that’s how Parag lands in Jail, while the hearings go on. The director goes on to show the interaction of Parag with various people comprising of a butcher (Manoj Bajpayee) with a strange past, a lower middle class youth (Rahul Singh) who has committed a murder of a person who is trying to tease his wife , a gangster’s middleman (Aarya Babbar) and a youngster from a big family, whose car mows down half a dozen people.
Bhandarkar successfully narrates the tale of Parag through the voice over of Manoj Bajpayee, who is a mute witness to the happenings in Jail, yet he tries to persuade Parag to desist from bad company and not to avoid favours from them. Tthe director sets the realism showing some of the facts as to how more people brought into jail during monsoon . He clearly hints at the modus operandi stating through the dialogue by one of the inmates. There are many more facts he brings to light about the chain of underworld effectively working to identify the would be contract killers and get them released with the help of their links.
Instead of paying more attention on the third degree treatment by police, homosexuality and bullying among the inmates , the director pays more attention on the lapses in the system. There are many scenes where he really succeeds in revealing certain facts not known to the audience. The film looks realistic due to perfect setting and selection of artistes. Neil comes out with a superb performance in the role of Parag. On many occasions he has made use of sheer body language. Manoj Bajpayee has limited role, but he shines through the same. Aarya Babbar, who couldn’t succeed much in his earlier films, finds his best performance in this film. He is perfectly suited in that role offered to him. Rahul Singh, plays the role of Ghani with ease. Mugdha Godse and Nauni Parihar have done justice to their limited roles with their expressive faces. Last but not the least, Atul Kulkarni in that last court scene makes his presence felt. ‘Jail’ is a well crafted film with technical areas well balanced and hence goes on to deliver a convincing message to the society through its effective screenplay .
At the same time, the legal procedures and also the behavioural pattern of the inmates tend to get repetitive after a point and that's when you start feeling restless. Nonetheless, the post-interval has some interesting twists-n-turns, like the convicts' escape from the police van; prior to that Neil and Manoj exchanging stares before Neil perches himself in the van; Neil getting thrown in a dark cell, spending the next few days in solitary confinement; a convict using the garbage van as the means to escape; another convict realising that his wife is now a cop's mistress. Also, the climax is touching and moves you.
Madhur hits the right note yet again. Madhur, Manoj Tyagi and Anuradha Tiwari's script involves you in most parts. Raghuvir Shekhawat's dialogues are true to life. There's no scope for music in a film like JAIL, but the three songs are smartly integrated in the storyline. Kalpesh Bhandarkar's cinematography is top notch. Special mention must be made of Nitin Chandrakant Desai's prison set, where the film is entirely shot.
Not only does Neil Nitin Mukesh deliver his finest performance to date, but the performance would easily rank amongst the finest this year. He conveys the pathos and helplessness that this character demands with amazing understanding. He deserves all praise for his extra-ordinary portrayal.
Manoj Bajpayee pitches in a memorable performance. In fact, the supremely talented actor is in form after a long, long time. He's subdued all through, which only goes to prove that he knows the craft so well. Mugdha Godse underplays her part beautifully. Also, she carries the non-glam look well.
Aarya Babbar is fantastic. This film should make people sit and notice this young actor. Chetan Pandit is first-rate. Rahul Singh is excellent, especially in the sequence when he confronts his wife. The actor who plays the part of Joe D'Souza is effective.
On the whole, JAIL is a well-made film from an expert storyteller. At the box-office, the film will appeal to those with an appetite for hard-hitting, realistic fares, but its clash with AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI will affect its business to an extent.
No comments:
Post a Comment