Aarakshan Movie Review

Aarakshan - Seems like two different films

Ascurtains come down for the film, you end up wondering whether 'Aarakshan' was indeed about reservation. Or was it about caste system? Or was it about capitation fees? Or was it about coaching centres blooming across the country? Or was it about commercialisation of education? Or was it eventually about the saga of 'kisme kitna hai dum'? Now it's sad to have such questions cropping up since as a subject and genre, this was just the kind of territory that one expects Prakash Jha to excel in film after film.

A film that does make a pro-reservation statement though in a subtle rather than overtly explicit manner, 'Aarakshan' - at least in the beginning - turns out to be the kind of drama that one had always expected from it. Amitabh Bachchan sticking to his principles, his decisions leading to his rift with not just his students like Saif Ali Khan and Prateik but also his own daughter (Deepika Padukone), his junior turned rival (Manoj Bajpai) surpassing him to gain hold over the top post, the troubles that he faces post that - all of this makes for an arresting viewing.

Still, the very first.15 minutes seem to be scattered all over the places and though 'Raajneeti' too had a similar start where character introduction took it's own time, it was far more entertaining for sure. Here in case of 'Aarakshan', there are two songs that arrive almost back to back that threaten to kill the momentum that was finally building up. Just when one tends to get a tad impatient, the Supreme Court announcement around added quota for OBC perks up the drama in a big way. For the first time in the movie, one sees vintage Prakash Jha at work as several powerhouse scenes come one after another, hence leading to enhanced entertainment. Especially notable are the scenes between Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpai that stay on to be the best of the lot.

However in this entire drama just when one would have expected Saif Ali Khan to contribute more, he disappears from the scene hence resulting in a vacuum. Also the moment focus shifts from 'reservation' to 'coaching centres', not just the drama fizzle down but the sheer seriousness of the entire movie watching experience also doesn't hold similar weight as the first half.

Last 20 odd minutes take the film further downhill and though the idea is to get a sense of euphoria on screen, that doesn't quite happen. Amidst all of this, the man who stands tall is, as expected, Amitabh Bachchan. He is tremendous in his performance, especially when he is an all powerful man while occupying the chair of authority. Of course his body language turns feeble once he is deprived of his powers, which means he isn't allowed similar heavy duty dialogue baazi as heard earlier. The man who gives 'karaara jawaab' at quite afew junctures is Manoj Bajpai who justifies Jha's decision of pitting him against Bachchan.

On the other hand Saif Ali Khan remains largely unutilised which is such a pity. His disappearance during the middle portions of the film and a rather passive presence in the second half makes it an unsatisfactory experience for a viewer. Comparatively Deepika Padukone is there throughout the film and though she does hold up well in each of her scenes, she is primarily required to play Bachchan's support system for most part of her screen time. Prateik proves once again (after 'Dum Maaro Dum') that he needs to do a lot more before one can justify all the hype around him since 'Dhobi Ghat' days.

So eventually did I really watch he same film which had reservation as its central theme? Well, at least it started on that note though I have no clue what really led to an absolute shift in storyline as the film moved into the second half. It is apparent that though Prakash Jha had a good idea in hand, somewhere down the line there has been a certain change in thought process that led to two entirely different films pre and post the interval point.

Rating: **1/2 

Prakash Jha - Aarakshan will release on Aug 12, as per schedule

Prakash Jha has cleared the doubts over the release of his much awaited 'Aakarshan'. The producer director is confident that the movie will release worldwide as schedule on August 12'.

Prakash Jha clarifies, "Prakash Jha Productions is the sole rights-holder of Aarakshan. All rights and authority regarding the business of Aarakshan are vested with Prakash Jha Productions. The cheque-bouncing issue is between Mr. Feroze A. Nadiadwala and Mr. Sushil Gupta. It has nothing to do with Aarakshan. Mr. Nadiadwala is sorting it out. Aarakshan will release worldwide on August 12th, as per schedule."

Prakash Jha's 'Aarakshan' has been in the controversy galore. Recently, the Madras High Court has brought down a stay on the movie's release. The stay was brought into effect by a financier Madhu Gupta and CG Photo Ltd owing to unpaid dues by Aarakshan's producer. The loan amount is alleged to be nearly 3.75 crores.

But now with Prakash Jha's clarification, the release seems to have got a green signal.

Bollywood gets reserved as politicians remain backward

Prakash Jha Aarakshan again sparks the debate. Should censor board throw its scissors and call the political leaders to certify films from now on. Is India heading towards appointing censor board for every state and political party for every film? Is Censor Board a bunch of morons who don't know their jobs and the government a helpless spectator? How long Bollywood will remain a soft target. How long will a politician bully a producer? It's strange but true, India - the world's biggest democracy is also the nation that produces the highest number of films but still we as an audience and as a filmmaker are reserved for their choice of films. It's the same story but with different actors for Bollywood, but this time it's more dramatic. Prakash Jha the latest casualty to the backward and rigid stubborn thinking of our politicians saw his office in Mumbai attacked by political activists who wished to obstruct the release of his film 'Aarakshan', based on caste-based reservations in the Indian education system. The movie 'Aarakshan' (Reservation) has gathered enough steam with political leaders warning of protests if the film's stand is found to be in conflict with the Constitutional provisions. Many pro reservation leaders like Chhagan Bhujbal, Lalu Prasad, Sharad Yadav, Mayawati, Gopinath Munde, Ramdas Athavale, and many to follow have asked Prakash Jha to schedule a preview for concerned leaders calling for a clarification from the makers of 'Aarakshan', directed by Prakash Jha. All this is nothing but a befitting example of the level of freedom of expression available for any film maker in Bollywood. Agreed that freedom of expression does not allow anyone to degrade any community but a benchmark for political correctness is the need of the hour. Sadly, the quota of expression is getting reserved film after film in Bollywood. 'Aarakshan' is a work of fiction and talks of reservation from both points as every coin as its two sides but the idiot flag bearers of caste and community have objections as they fear the film might show those points which they have hidden from their voters. The same voter who has the intellect to bring them to power but when it comes to watching films, the leader takes charge of the person's entertainment programs for the weekend. How democratic is that. The government doesn�t have anything in concrete to stop this arm twisting tactics and the Bollywood has to suffer. The argument over the filmmakers creating this furor is not digestible as nobody will risk corers for a publicity gimmick which in the end results in the movie being pulled down from theatres. The film industry has always been made a soft target by the politicians for their political mileage, be it the trimming of Barber from 'Billu', the weird argument over the beard in 'Sing Is Kinng', 'Love Aaj Kal', 'Dil Bole Hadippa' reference of Bombay instead of Mumbai in 'Wake Up Sid' or the hue and cry over the so called offensive lyrics of 'Aaja Nachle'. It must be recalled that a couple of year back in Punjab a film on inter-caste love 'Baghi'  was pulled out from the theatres due to a dialogue which was found to be objectionable by one section of the Sikhs. Poor Sukhminder Dhanjal the maker of the film has to fall prey to the pseudocasteist flag bearers and pulled his film out from the theatres. But later on it was a slap on the face of those politicians because the film won the National Award for the Best Punjabi film in '2005', the film starred Om Puri and Girja Shanker in the main lead. Bollywood legend Ashok Kumar who rose to stardom with 'Achyut Kanya' (1936), the film was based Niranjan Pal's story, 'The Level Crossing'. 'Achyut Kanya' charted the tragic love story of a Brahmin youth and an untouchable girl. Blind to the boundaries demarcated by caste and class. The film was a biting comment on the pernicious caste system and the religious fundamentalism it spewed. It struck an instant chord, packing in house full shows since its grand premiere at Mumbai's Roxy theatre, and smashing existing box-office records of that time. It was 1936. There was not a single protest in those years, and today an entertaining film starring the superstar of the millennium Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Prateik Babbar and Manoj Bajpai in lead which tries to speak on the issue from both the angles has to face the ire of the leaders of the political parties who claim to be supporters of the down trodden and live a life that has all the comforts available from money. Before ending there's one more irony which needs to be underlined. In 1913, when the pioneering personal cinematography of Dada Saheb Phalke - the architect of Indian cinema gave magical movement to Indian mythology, India was still a British colony. And now after 98 years, Bollywood finds itself under Politicians colony.