Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 2.3/5 stars
It's been thirteen long years since the release of Prakash Jha's classic crime drama, the cop film Gangaajal. That's about where the similarities between the Ajay Devgn and Priyanka Chopra-starrer end. Jai Gangaajal is neither a direct sequel of its predecessor nor does it pack as many gut-wrenching punches as the first film did. Does Priyanka make an impact as a cop charged with handling an entire jurisdiction? She certainly does. Does Prakash Jha make a convincing debut as an actor? Or boy, you bet he does. Does the film live up to the lofty standards of the 2003 classic and Prakash Jha's direction in general? Umm not so much.
Like most of Jha's films, this one too is based in the hinterlands of Bihar where some unscrupulous politician types are oppressing and hacking some helpless villager types. Unlike most of his films, the atrocities suffered by the villagers come across as coerced for the sake of shock value rather than something that takes the plot forward. Amidst all this is one of the region's main cops, B.N. Singh (Prakash Jha), who does have the guts and shrewdness of an astute policeman to set things right, but would rather pander to the miscreants for a share in the pie.
Thrust into this volatile scenario is Abha Mathur (Priyanka) the district's first ever female S.P. She's as ballsy as she's sharp, and is in no mood of letting the most powerful of evildoers get away even with an inch of unlawful behavior. This incenses the land's main thug, Babloo Pandey (Manav Kaul) and his brother, Dabloo (Ninad Kamat), resulting in several heated confrontation between the three thereafter. How Mathur deals with these offenders; whether she is able to restore some semblance of law and order to the land; do the villagers finally get justice; and does Singh finally have a change of heart forms the rest of the film's narrative.
While the above elements may seem like a step in the right direction to take Gangaajal's legacy forward – beside being something Jha is known to handle adeptly – the problems begins when Jha and his writers try to cram too many issues in the screenplay. Everything from land- grabbing to farmer suicides to political alliances and more has been touched upon without elaborating on any single point. The outcome is a tad messy film that disappoints when so much more was expected form the combination of Jha and Chopra.
Priyanaka, who's on a roll with her Hollywood projects, proves yet again why she's our most convincing actress in action scenes and while delivering tough dialogues. Sadly, the script doesn't allow her to shine enough. Kaul and Kamat are effectively menacing as the villainous sibling and Jha impresses every step of the way. If only, the proceedings on screen unfolded as evenly as their performances.
Alas, Jai Gangaajal will go down as a film with some good punch- lines, few emotional moments, believable raw action, and nothing much else.
Rating: 2.3/5 stars
It's been thirteen long years since the release of Prakash Jha's classic crime drama, the cop film Gangaajal. That's about where the similarities between the Ajay Devgn and Priyanka Chopra-starrer end. Jai Gangaajal is neither a direct sequel of its predecessor nor does it pack as many gut-wrenching punches as the first film did. Does Priyanka make an impact as a cop charged with handling an entire jurisdiction? She certainly does. Does Prakash Jha make a convincing debut as an actor? Or boy, you bet he does. Does the film live up to the lofty standards of the 2003 classic and Prakash Jha's direction in general? Umm not so much.
Like most of Jha's films, this one too is based in the hinterlands of Bihar where some unscrupulous politician types are oppressing and hacking some helpless villager types. Unlike most of his films, the atrocities suffered by the villagers come across as coerced for the sake of shock value rather than something that takes the plot forward. Amidst all this is one of the region's main cops, B.N. Singh (Prakash Jha), who does have the guts and shrewdness of an astute policeman to set things right, but would rather pander to the miscreants for a share in the pie.
Thrust into this volatile scenario is Abha Mathur (Priyanka) the district's first ever female S.P. She's as ballsy as she's sharp, and is in no mood of letting the most powerful of evildoers get away even with an inch of unlawful behavior. This incenses the land's main thug, Babloo Pandey (Manav Kaul) and his brother, Dabloo (Ninad Kamat), resulting in several heated confrontation between the three thereafter. How Mathur deals with these offenders; whether she is able to restore some semblance of law and order to the land; do the villagers finally get justice; and does Singh finally have a change of heart forms the rest of the film's narrative.
While the above elements may seem like a step in the right direction to take Gangaajal's legacy forward – beside being something Jha is known to handle adeptly – the problems begins when Jha and his writers try to cram too many issues in the screenplay. Everything from land- grabbing to farmer suicides to political alliances and more has been touched upon without elaborating on any single point. The outcome is a tad messy film that disappoints when so much more was expected form the combination of Jha and Chopra.
Priyanaka, who's on a roll with her Hollywood projects, proves yet again why she's our most convincing actress in action scenes and while delivering tough dialogues. Sadly, the script doesn't allow her to shine enough. Kaul and Kamat are effectively menacing as the villainous sibling and Jha impresses every step of the way. If only, the proceedings on screen unfolded as evenly as their performances.
Alas, Jai Gangaajal will go down as a film with some good punch- lines, few emotional moments, believable raw action, and nothing much else.