Jail

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.

Some may call him pretentious, exploiting, sensationalist and heavily biased but that doesn't change that Bhandarkar dares to tackle themes that others would hesitate to think twice about. That said, 'Jail', sadly, offers nothing new. It's pretty much the familiar story of how a wrongfully accused man spends his years in prison. Bhandarkar could have pushed the boundary by portraying the horrors that take place within the three walls but he has opted for a safer formula this time. Moreover the background score makes the atmosphere melodramatic rather than adding anything positive. Neil Mukesh shows improvement as an actor. With a well-written role and maybe good direction, he might be a competent actor but there are a few sequences where his acting is formulaic. Manoj Bajpai is underused but he manages to outshine anyone who shares his screenspace. Arya Babbar is first rate. This actor shows great potential. Mughda Godse makes the best of her small role. The music is foot-tapping (but much of the songs aren't even needed). 'Jail' is average at best.

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

Yesterday when I went to see this movie , I didn't expect a lot ; but what I got was a spectacular vision of the true life inside the jail. Very satisfied and much mire than my expectations. The performances by all the actors were good ; a very strong performance by Neil Nitin Mukesh. Moreover a very strong and powerful script. Jail delves into the darker side of reality , the reality what lies within the walls of a prison. Even today there are many people who have still not yet been found guilty are facing the grim reality of the life inside the prison wall; which Jail brings to light. Excellent,Transcendent and Highly Distinguished cinema. One of the top 10 movies of 2009.

Accomplished Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar returns with a yet another Hard-Hitting & Moving experience in his latest offering 'Jail'. A film that shows a 'Jail' & it's 'Inmates' like never before. An Icredible Attempt.

'Jail' is a winner all the way, a film that is not only a gripping tale, but also, a film that you take home. After you watch 'Jail', one thing is for sure, and that is that you'll never want to attempt a crime or even dream about it in your nightmares. A criminal is a criminal, he needs to punished,,, no doubts on that. But there some people that are kept in those torture-cells, while some are proved not guilty or one's trial has not begun. A film that raises god knows how many questions, & seeks for answers. Well, god knows weather will they be ever answered or not!

In the acting department, Neil Nitin Mukesh steals the show with an Icredible performance. He's exemplary in the role of a wrongly-accused inmate. Manoj Bajpai is, as always, good. Mugdha Godse plays her part with honesty. Arya Babbar is excellent in a brief role. Others lend able support.

'Jail' is an eye-opener, a film that might have bombed at the box office, but this dark & gripping tale is sure to achieve a cult following in the coming years. Strongly Reccmended!