Jail

Madhur Bhandarkar is getting too repetitive and as a result, Jail turned out to be a drag.

Bhandarkar's banal way of storytelling has lost its appeal and originality. Consequently, Jail is boring, tediously slow, extremely clichéd (the bane of our movies) and way too predictable.

The story doesn't need an elaboration, but the situation Neil Nitish Mukesh's character finds himself in isn't one that garners sympathy. You feel sorry for him because he is falsely accused, but the cops don't know that and they gotta investigate. Only he and his roommate (who goes into a comma) know that the drugs found in his car weren't his. But it was his car; hence, he is an offender. So his having to go to prison makes sense. You don't feel the kind of sympathy for him that the director wants you to feel.

Life in prison is shown at its worst, but then being in prison is supposed to suck. What was ironic was showing inmates getting together to pray to God. OK, we have killed a few people but now please get us out of this hellhole so that we can be nice for a week and then start killing again.

Performance-wise, Neil Nitish Mukesh (all three of them ;-)) is very good. His previous films have proved that he is a good actor, and Jail vindicates that. The dude if felt sorry for was Manoj Bajapayee. It was totally sad to see him in a single-expression side role, although it's good to see that he's back in the movies at least. Mughda Godse is unglamorous for a change but doesn't get enough screen time to show her acting prowess. The other characters are the usual bunch of Bhandarkar's real-life-type actors.

Overall, you won't miss anything if you don't go for Jail.

It's a great movie, it deserves at least 7/10..........................

Madhur Bhandarkar is one of those rare talented directors who has mastered the art of making movies out of the newspapers. Continuing his series of films based on real life instances, he strikes again with a dark, uninviting and somehow upsetting movie on an unconventional subject of Jail and the life of its inmates.

Before going into further details, one thing you have to keep in mind before watching "Jail" is that it's not the usual witty and gossipy kind of subject chosen by Madhur this time. As suggested by the title itself, the theme is more cruel, dark and depressing which is also in complete contrast to Madhur's previous famous films. It is even more harsh than his "Traffic Signal" having no room for any comic, humor or sex references.

So if you have opted for the movie looking for some great entertaining stuff then you are definitely sitting in the wrong theater.

But at the same time "Jail" is also not at par with Bhandarkar's earlier highly appreciated works. For the first time he has opted for a completely predictable and seen before kind of script which has not got any shock treatment for which Madhur is more famous for. The story is anybody's guess where a young boy is wrongly framed under a drug case and has to spend a few painful years in Jail for a crime which he had never committed. Now the problem here is that the miserable ambiance of Jail and the life in it has been already shown in many movies before. The grouping system in the convicts, usual fights between the inmates, the use of money for their personal comforts and the underworld operating from the jail, everything has been there on the screen umpteen times before Madhur's elaborate movie on the subject. So there is nothing new in store for the viewer, which usually is the first expectation from a Madhur Bhandarkar project. And that's where "Jail" fails to deliver to a great extent.

However, the director's excellence is still evident in a few well conceived sequences related with some important characters in the script. Especially the sub-plots of Manoj Bajpayi (Nawab) & Rahul Singh (Ghani Bhai) are brilliantly handled by Madhur in his famous trade mark style (But I found no justification in Nawab killing his own kid brother without any reason). Madhur even explains the relationship between Monsoons and Jails in a very impressive manner. Besides this the narration showcases the questionable process of law and the greedy lawyers operating freely in this corrupt ongoing system. In addition to the above, the director also incorporates the real life inspiration angle in the movie taking references from the famous BMW Hit & Run case, Cricket bookies now found in every city and the hidden truth of homosexuality in the Jails.

Apart from his much applauded direction, the other department in which Madhur has got a great understanding or instinct is the Casting. He is simply perfect in his choice of actors for a particular role. For instance Neil Nitin Mukesh as the main protagonist, Manoj Bajpai as Nawab, Rahul Singh as Ghani, Arya Babbar as the influential inmate, Mughda Ghodse as the helpful lover & Atul Kulkarni as the savior lawyer, every one suits to their respective roles so perfectly. Undoubtedly the best act comes from Neil as the innocent helpless boy, followed by Manoj Bajapai giving a worth watching performance as per his reputation. Neil impresses with his superb expressions depicting the solitude and sufferings faced by his lonely character. On the other hand, Manoj speaks more through his effective stares and exceptional body language. The climax is the best part of the film which has got the Bhandarkar power in it but I think the movie could have been a bit shorter by few minutes to make it a more engrossing watch.

The script has got no scope for any full length songs. Still there are few quick numbers added into the story which actually don't serve any particular purpose. The compositions are not melodious enough to get register and even the Lata Mangeshkar prayer track is not able to move you either emotionally or musically. But the realistic set of prison and cinematography both deserve a prasing mention for their remarkable contribution.

On the whole, "Jail" is too realistic and gloomy to be liked by everyone. Moreover the repetitive and predictable content of the movie will prove to be its main drawback at the box office. It is thought provoking for sure but not after you have left the theater.

Yet there is one moral lesson I concluded from the movie which I would like to share with you all. It gave me the precious insight that…..

"CRIME is the unwanted and illegitimate child of ANGER and we should always take care of the precautions before it gets conceived" - bobbysing

With Jail, Madhur Bhandarkar continues his take on reality. This time, he looks behind the closed bars of a jail to look at the stories that reside there.

Parag Dixit (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a financial whiz- makes money by the plenty and lives life to the fullest with his air-hostess girlfriend Mansi (Mugdha Godse) in tow. Unfortunately for him, his roommate turns out to be a drug peddler and operates without his knowledge. The police catch Neil and accuse him of co-conspiring with his roommate, who lies in an ICU, in a coma.

Falling prey to the notoriously slow judicial system, Parag ends up in jail, still pending trial. How he handles this new environment, and the stories of other individuals that inhabit the world behind bars, makes up the crux of the story.

The basic premise of 'Jail' is one that can be claimed to have been lifted from a Jeffrey Archer novel, or the countless masala movies that are churned out of Bollywood every year. Where it differs is in the portrayal of the jail, forever consigned to be fairly open cells housing 1-2 prisoners, 'Jail' shows them for being what they really are. But unlike some of his earlier ventures, the exposes and the inside look ends there. There is nothing new that Madhur uncovers here: the underworld, the wrongfully-in-jail characters, the politicians holding court have all been seen before. Another problem is that the characters are too stereotypical. The good boy, the bhai's henchman, the gay couple seem out of a story and not real life. And that is where 'Jail' falters.

Madhur Bhandarkar is known for his brilliant direction that keeps us motivated to sit through potentially depressing themes and stories. While this is his least depressing venture till date, he fails to deliver the same brilliant speed and sense as always.

Neil Nitin Mukesh does a good job of portraying Parag, the man who is wrongfully incarcerated. It takes an immensely brave man to take up a role which is so challenging in nature. He's on screen for more than 90% of the screen time, going through so many different emotions, and also the much-talked about nude scene. He makes Parag believable. Kudos to Neil.

Mugdha Godse gets very less scope as Mansi, but manages to do a decent job. Manoj Bajpayee as Parag's sympathizing co-inmate is the narrator of the movie, but somehow gets only a perennially sad expression to work with. He manages to still pitch in a good performance. His performance in the flashback sequence is his high point. This has to be expected though, with the film showcasing and focusing on Neil throughout.

The music in 'Jail' is simply there to make up the numbers. Even the legendary Lata Mangeshkar's 'Daata Sun Le', though rendered as well as her songs are, could have been done without. 'Bareily ke Bazar mein' is absolutely useless placement wise and is only just bearable in terms of song quality.

Kalpesh Bhandarkar captures the jail well on screen, giving the viewer as if he's looking at a sea of humanity and brings home the gruesomeness of the jail. Nitin Desai should bag the award for the best art direction unless a Sawariya or Devdas like set comes up in the movies coming up in the next month. The jail is incredibly well etched out, right down to the wall carvings.

Final Verdict: Overall, Jail is only slightly above average. Watch it on the big screen only if you must. Wait for a TV release in my opinion.

In life some moments end up obtaining the status sacrosanct. No matter how hard one attempts, they cannot be relived and any attempt to recreate the magical moments go futile. The same would applies to Madhur's "Page 3". In hindsight it serves the purpose of being an yardstick, a guiding light force, a benchmark simply to aspire but never surpass.

"Page 3" created a genre which signified a fine balance of ingredients of parallel cinema doused with commercial sensibilities. Madhur's subsequent outings were attempts to fit into this genre but his every passing milestone were getting over-weighed by commercial temptations. "Corporate" and "Traffic Signal" to a certain extent carried the soul of "Page 3" but with "Fashion" it was transparent that the voice of "Page 3" was silenced and in his recent outing "Jail" the voice has perhaps died of extreme suffocation.

"The Green Mile", "Teen Deewarien" and "The Shawshank Redemption" are the thought that would spring into the mind as you watch "Jail" especially the latter with Manoj Bajpai reprising the role of Morgan Freeman. Indeed the stark reality, the rustic look and nexus is portrayed with utmost perfection. Sadly the plot fails to bear the weight and the seams begin to give away with each passing reel.

Performance wise, everybody is spot-on. Its difficult to segregate between the actors and the actual inmates.

˚ Niel: Gets a role of his life-time to showcase his talent in full glory. Sadly, as mentioned earlier the writing fails. Commendable is his commitment to get into the character and thereby gets an authentic look. And yes, the way his character gets implicated warranted better writing.

˚ Mughda: Seemed her character was more of glam-doll. And quite cinematic for her to stand up to the protagonist right from first frame.

˚ Manoj: The character did not have much meat in it therefore he appears to akin to a goat peering his eyes into the camera.

˚ Arya Babbar: Leaves an impression.

˚ Navni Parihar: Except to stand next to Mughda, her character served no purpose (probably pre-meditated the "Saas-Bahu" equation well in advance!)

˚ Atul Kulkarni: Very small role.

Whilst the "Page 3" ending was a realistic ending, the wrap-up of "Jail" is so commercial (on the same note even "Fashion" was).