Jail (2009)

Simply Perfect

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Madhur Bhandarkars movies are completely different from the senseless bollywood movies we have become use to. This person has the courage and guts to bring life to film making in India. I feel sorry for the people who have failed to appreciate his art. Neil Nitin Mukesh has made a tough but correct decision in his career as an actor, there are greater things in life than making a lot of money with zero effort and Niel has proved his worth as a true artist. Manoj Bajpai is one of the greatest in this industry and jail is another great piece of his work. i would recommend this movie to every one as it is an eye opener to the cruelty which innocent people have been facing in the sub continent for decades. Britain has a great legal system, Pakistan and India follow the same law but apparently have become a lost cause. Rating: 5/5

If any one can depict a "bewildered" "why-me?" look, that would be clearly-Neil Nitin Mukesh as Parag Dixit. The look is familiar since his Debut in "New York". He takes the look further with some depth and dexterity under the baton of Madhur Bhandarkar. The other good actor is Arya Babbar-as Kabir. The look he gives when Parag tells him, that he could kill, is fine piece of acting. Mughda Godse's who made her Debut in "Page 3", as Parag's fiancé has acting skills akin to Konkana Sen Sharma, with buxom expressive eyes. The movie has a thriller quality to it with sub-plots that keep you on the edge. Manoj Bajpai as Nawab, comes across like a Halloween scary character on the surface appears to have a devious agenda but he is one character that the viewer will have most sympathy for-even though he is in for a serious crime. He also has the best diction for narration in fact he should have narrated the whole movie as Morgan Freeman did in "Shashank Redemption". The movie has few similarities to "Shashank Redemption" but the similarities are more generic since the theme is a Jail irrespective of the geography. Madhur Bhandarkar has a flair for showing the raw-edge of the society, where as the other film makers would shun away from. He is one of the best self made "Casting Agent" in India. He would never hire meat-head actors like Salman Khan, Aamir Khan who have absolutely nothing to offer to the Indian Cinema.Bhandarkar,invariably has a deep message ("behind bars but not beyond justice") as in "Traffic Signal", "Chandini Bar" "Satta" and other fine movies. I am sure he has other "Themes" in the pipeline that would wake up the Society from Slumber. Suffice to say, I have become a devote fan of this director-more so after this movie.

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

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.