1. Madhur Bhandarkar, Mani Ratnam and Prakash Jha movies are basically sub types of a certain genre of Hindi movies which doesn’t have an umbrella term to be specific. While Madhur’s movies are based on certain urban lifestyle, where upper class exists, so that they can be stripped naked and whiplashed in front of the world, and his one screen theater ticket buyers can feel the boost of a psychological and ethical victory, Mani sir’s movies have never dealt with any subject that’s not today’s and hardly holds any strong connection with the youth. Looking by the core of ‘Raavan’, which was basically an epical misguided adventure of finding the roots of Naxalism in ‘Ramayana’, Prakash Jha is steadily heading the Mani Ratnam’s style. I doubted in ‘Rajneeti’; ‘Arakshan’ makes my belief stronger that Prakash Jha is long way away from his ‘Mrityudand’,’ Apaharan’ and ‘Gangajal’ root.
2. Arakshan’s naming is poor. Yes the movie is not about reservation. I can feel for the director, as I know except Mr.Kashyap there is not a single soul out there in that industry who has the guts to speak about such sensitive issues freely, which could cause riot in streets, chaos among the apes of parliament and more over your film might not release. This movie is about Prabhakar Anand [Amitabh Bachhan], a principal of an eminent educational institute. He is a good-hearted and intelligent soul who lives his life by certain principles and dangerously naïve about the rules of outside world. His face has several by-lanes of years and hair is dyed in sliver color, but he is still the Bachhan of seventies. He lives in a bubble that kept this crude world at bay. But then there are other clone bubbles like Deepak [Saif] who has harnessed his skills and studied under Prabhakar, but did not keep the world as a neglected chapter. When these bubbles collide for the first time, you know some things gotta give. That’s why, Prabhakar need not be a person from educational system; he could be a good hearted banker, a good hearted lawyer or a good hearted cricket coach. The movie is all about living a life of truth and honesty. But that’s not what we expected from the title? Did we?
3. The contradiction of the characters in this movie holds a strong ground. Poorbi [Deepika] does not know whom to support; her boy friend Deepak or her Dad in crisis? Prabhakar does not know where to head, be resolute to his principles or to move on with his Job, which gives him financial security. Deepak does not know what to choose his Job or his life? The best of the contradiction comes when Prabhakar’s wife says to her husband “Main ek maa hoon, Bharat maa to nahin”. But all these dilemmas are kept in private. To Outside world Prabhakar’s wife is like a rock and will never take any one granted against her husband, may it be her own child.
4. Deepak enters into an interview and looks surprisingly young. Perhaps not young enough to suggest he is a pass out from college (Bhopal, 2008) and seeking a Job. But then in the trade off you get what you like the most; the old strong Saif Ali khan of Omkara, who knows how to bring power into performance. When constantly questioned about his mother and asked how he could match in with people from higher classes of society, he retorts back that his good breeding is prominent in the fact that he has not yet smashed the paper-weight on the jury board’s head.
5. Its would really rude to say from Deepika’s point of view, but I had to salute Prakash Jha for finding an unbelievable way of hiding her, which her earlier directors never thought of. Whenever the dialogue is long for Deepika, the camera pans at the listeners rather the teller. A lady who has by-hearted her lines like a school child and fearing to belt them out in front of the camera, should inevitably struggle in putting proper facial expressions. Prakash Jha invented a different way to tackle mediocrity.
6. There are at least five or six mini climaxes in the movies which are funny and illogical to say the least. There’s no detailing about Sushant’s character played by Prateek Babbar. All we know is that he is a rich man’s child, comes from a higher class family and drives a Pajero. His return to righteousness is hardly detailed, and what ridicules more is the sudden change of heart of the widow and her sons. I want to see that police officer of DSP, who can be ready to shoot on a mob of students on one call of a minister. If its students, it does not work like that way in India. ‘Arakshan’ is not based on China! Prakash Jha’s inability to flesh out these characters in hurry of dragging the curtain down and creating enough space to put Hema Malini in front of Big B before that, makes the movie a painful watch in last 30 minutes.
7. I don’t need to type a single word about Mr.Bachhan and Manoj Bajpai. They can play these roles in sleep.
8. The path of honesty, many a times darts back at you. What an awesome scene that was when Prabhakar Anand was paused by the banker guy who is no more eligible to answer Mr.Anand’s questions, because it is that recommendation of Mondal commission which has let the banker down, and that’s what Mr.Anand endorsed naively on paper. Backed by a mute pause and realizing his cocooned existence Mr.Anand returns to what he does best and dives into the world of Bernoulli’s Principle.
9. The school students looked too keen to study. I am not sure about their large existence in India.
10. Prakash Jha is following a Woody Allen, Quentin Tarantino, Subhas Ghai legacy of coming in to the picture for one scene. Do you remember that person in sunglass sitting on the backdrop, when Deepika in blue Sareers meets Saif in a Park? Oh! There was a good metaphor also. The bank that was awaiting others to give the loan for so long has a name as ‘Apex’ bank on top and Hindi naming of ‘Apeksh’ at front. ‘Apeksh’,’Apeksha’; I think you got it! And did you see Deepika reciveing Saif’s call from US and the number that comes on Deepika’s mobile starts with +91. Did not know he was using international roaming
Arakshan is a movie that reminds of late 70’s style to uplift the values and principles. But as the title suggests something else, audience will feel disgusted and too many flaws in the screen play will make it all the more worse.
