Movie: Jai Gangaajal
Direction: Prakash Jha
Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha, Manav Kaul
Music: Salim-Sulaiman
Cinematographer: Sachin Krishn
Editor: Santosh Mandal
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: The film is set in Bankipur (MP), where Babloo Pandey (Manav Kaul) calls the shots. The town is corrupt to a stinking level, drunk with power and corruption. Just then SP Abha Mathur (Priyanka Chopra) gets assigned to that area, where she encounters many challenges to keep the law and order in shape. This film is directed by Prakash Jha.
Why it’s disappointing: The film loses its appeal only due to the repetitive subject offered on dirty politics in MP, which could be called as our wild west. The movie exploits the same venue with added cast.
What to watch out for: In spite of the repetitive storyline, “Jai Gangaajal” manages to steal the show due to the powerful cast. Every character was picked well, who did their job with utmost diligence.
Manav Kaul as Babloo Pandey, makes a good case for the seasoned politician drunk with power, who goes to any lengths in keeping his party in line. He did a great job and was a convincing one.
Ninad Kamat, who plays the brother of Babloo Pandey was seen on screen after a long gap with a role which reminded audience that he’s still out there. He did a commendable job.
The surprise factor was Vega Tamotia, does the name ring a bell? She’s the one who was seen in “Pasanga” and “Saroja”. She did a great job and was outstanding in performance, was surprised to see that she can act and proved that an actor needs the right nudge to bring their talent out and in this Vega shone well.
Murli Sharma is a supporting actor who will never go out of fashion, give any role and he will perform that hands down with ease. An actor who will remain in cinema as far as his breath takes him.
Now let’s get to the central cast, Priyanka Chopra. She’s been turning enough heads that there’s no need for any review nor a comment on her success. In this film as Abha Mathur, she is crisp and solid, churning out sharp dialogues. The uniform agrees with her and she did an outstanding job. It’s true that her lime light was stolen by another member of the cast, but she made a space which will leave a good impact.
Finally the man of the hour, director and debut actor Prakash Jha. He blows you away with his performance and made everyone wonder, is this the same director. He proved that a director can be a great actor too, and his performance was a remarkable one. In fact he stole the lime light from PC and was rising as an actor in every scene of the film. He has a great eye for detail and performed it with niche approach. Prakash Jha was a treat to watch perform and would love to see him in challenging roles.
The cinematography was great by Sachin Krishn and was well edited by Santosh Mandal, who did his best to maintain the grim for 158 minutes. The score by Salim-Sulaiman was a great one.
Verdict: Prakash Jha managed to keep the grim throughout with an engaging screenplay, which makes the audience forget the flaws and enjoy the landmark moments in the film applauding and hooting. Definitely worth a watch for the spectacular performances by Priyanka Chopra & Prakash Jha.
