Saisuresh Sivaswamy feels that Aarakshan doesn't warrant all the hype that's been created around it. Post YOUR reviews here!Driving down to the preview theatre in the suburbs for a dekko of Prakash Jha's Aarakshan, I heard on the FM station's news break that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has banned the film for two months in her state. Wow, I thought, must be an explosive film.
Driving past Prateeksha, I saw a posse of policemen guarding actor Amitabh Bachchan's corner bungalow in Juhu, in anticipation of pro- or anti- reservationists creating trouble. Gosh, I thought, it must be an explosive film.
And, any follower of news knows that over the last week there have been many angry voices against the film. Maharashtra strong-man Chhagan Bhujbal called for the deletion of some scenes and dialogues, suits had been filed in the court against releasing the film. Controversy always sells, we know that.
Now I don't know who director Prakash Jha's PR agent is; whoever it is, the person deserves kudos for the way hype has been created around the film when it clearly doesn't warrant any of it.
Nor does the film warrant a title like Aarakshan, which means reservations. The film is less about reservations and more about education and should rightly have been called Shikshan (education). But will the political class froth at the mouth over such a title? Will the media then cover the film in such great detail? No. Another PR coup, in selecting a sexy title.
Ajay Devgn must thank his lucky stars for not having the dates for regular director Jha, leading to Saif Ali Khan stepping in. On paper it must have seen like a stellar role, to play a Dalit which must have seemed novel for the latter given his blue blood, but in reality Saif has little to do in the film. He does an impressive turn in a confrontationist scene with Prateik (when he mouths that Humein mehinat ka paath padha rahe hain aap? dialogue), has a ball bashing up helpless guys in another scene, but on the whole Deepak Kumar, the character is unconvincing. He goes missing for a while after taking a rickshaw presumably to the Bhopal international airport, till he chucks his Cornell doctorate and lands back in the city
Truth be told, there is only one main character, played by Amitabh Bachchan as the principal Dr Prabhakar Anand, and everyone else is mere extra. As this is a character the thespian has played before, in Mohabattein, it taxes him little.
Prateik, who impressed with his naturalness before the camera in Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Na, seems out of sorts here. But what do you do when your character fades in and out of the script so!
Deepika Padukone is no stranger to criticism of her acting prowess, which
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