The Film: Gangaajal
Starring: Ajay Devgan & Gracy Singh
Director: Prakash Jha
Producer: Prakash Jha Productions
RATING: 6/10
Entertainment One and Prakash Jha Productions. Gangaajal (UA) is a very real film about the disgraceful state of lawlessness in Bihar. An honest police officer, Amit Kumar (Ajay Devgan), is posted in Tejpur, a township of Bihar. His task of imposing law and order in the area under his jurisdiction is rendered difficult, almost impossible, not only because goonda raj prevails there but also because most of his juniors as well as his seniors are corrupt to the core. What.s worse, the inhabitants of Tejpur are so terrified of the local goons that they have come to accept lawlessness and goondaism as a way of life.
How Amit Kumar wins the confidence of the people while setting the villains right forms the crux of the story. His path, however, is not easy because all his noble intentions are often negated by the machinations of the wily villains. When Amit Kumar is finally driven against the wall by a system which supports the goons, he sees a ray of hope in the form of an awakened public. Tejpur experiences a mini revolution started off by a handful of honest police officers who take law into their hands and blind the goondas who.ve held the town to ransom for far too long.
The film takes a leaf out of the Bhagalpur blindings case in which some police officers, wary of the corrupt system, had blinded the wrong-doers. It weaves an entire story around the incident and that story becomes one of great hope! Although the drama is tense throughout, what makes the film enjoyable are Prakash Jha.s humane touches. The incidents and believable characters strike a chord in the viewer.s heart and he connects with them. That is the film.s victory.
Jha.s story and screenplay deserve distinction marks. For, in spite of taking a grim subject that could.ve easily ended up making the film look like an art film, he has turned out a truly commercial fare. The fiery dialogue only add to the tension and, therefore, the entertainment. The liberal use of four-letter words (surprisingly, not only have the swear-words been passed but the film itself has been granted a .UA. certificate despite the gruesome violence and four-letter words) would have the masses lapping it all up with gusto. Of course, the violence and foul language would keep a good chunk of the ladies audience away. The film, therefore, is not one with universal appeal.
Ajay Devgan does a marvellous job as the principled police officer. Not once going overboard, the guy plays the role to such perfection that it appears as if he was born to play it. Easily an award-winning performance, it can also be counted as Ajay.s best to-date. Not just his acting but also his gait, his look and his expressions are absolutely fantastic. Gracy Singh gets limited scope but acts with conviction.
Mohan Agashe leaves a mark as the scheming and corrupt police chief. Mukesh Tiwari is another actor who can count on this performance for an award. The actor is so restrained that you can.t help but applaud his acting. Akhilendra Mishra is also first-rate. His posture and style of walking are enough to hate his villainous character. Mohan Joshi does an admirable job as Sadhu Yadav. Yashpal Sharma, as his son Sunder Yadav, is also excellent. Ayub Khan deserved a better deal. He acts with finesse. Anoop Soni also should.ve been exploited more. He stands his own and acts naturally. Chetan Pandit leaves a mark. Dayashankar Pandey.s is an extremely inspired performance. His scenes in the
second half would melt many a heart. Brij Gopal does a splendid job. Anita Kanwal is wonderful. Master Yash Pathak is cute and confident. Vishnu Sharma and others lend extraordinary support.
Like Prakash Jha.s scripting, his direction is also superb. Jha remains honest to his serious script and comes out a winner. Several of his scenes will draw cheers from the male audiences. It must be mentioned, however, that those very scenes could be found repulsive by the womenfolk. Although there.s just one song (a nautanki number which will be appreciated by front-benchers) in the film, lack of music doesn.t really jar. Background score is effective. Action (Jai Singh) scenes are terrific. Arvind K..s camerawork is splendid. Editing, especially in the first half, is remarkable. Sets (Sukant Panigrahi) are beautiful. Climax, however, is not as satisfying as the rest of the film and should.ve been more fulfilling.
On the whole, an excellently scripted and made Gangaajal has appeal for the masses but precious little for the ladies. Considering its good start and reasonable price on the one hand and the serious topic it tackles on the other, Gangaajal will keep all its distributors smiling. Business in U.P., Bihar and Maharashtra will be excellent and the film could even prove class .A. in these circuits. Business in Overseas, however, will be very ordinary as so much raw violence will not be liked by the audience there.
