Madhur Bhandarkar is synonymous with thought-provoking, hard-hitting films. Right from CHANDNI BAR to FASHION, the expert storyteller has made movies that hold tremendous shock-value. In turn, Madhur has cultivated a rich fan-base for his films.
With JAIL, Madhur not only makes you visit a prison, but also makes you peep into the psyche of a prisoner. In the recent past, Sriram Raghavan’s EK HASINA THI [2004; Saif Ali Khan, Urmila Matondkar] and Nazim Rizvi’s UNDERTRIAL [2007; Rajpal Yadav] narrated the travails and anguish of innocents who were falsely implicated in a case. Besides, Nagesh Kukunoor’s TEEN DEEWAREIN [2003; Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Nagesh Kukunoor] too narrated the story of three convicts. But JAIL is different from the above-named films.
Besides watching a thought-provoking story on celluloid, one has also come to expect incredible performances in a Madhur Bhandarkar movie. And JAIL too is embellished with superb performances from its key actors.
JAIL transports you to a hitherto unknown world that most of us haven’t seen and if this is its USP, it’s also something that might go against it. Irrespective of how strong its merits are, a section of moviegoers [read families/kids], who generally tilt towards feel-good/sunshine/entertainment-filled cinema, might skip this film due to its dry [and at times depressing] theme.
In a nutshell, JAIL mirrors a reality in true Madhur Bhandarkar style. It’s hard-hitting, it’s compelling, it’s thought-provoking. The efficient storyteller has the courage to speak a new language in every film and for that very reason, JAIL should be on your agenda.
Parag Dixit [Neil Nitin Mukesh] is living a dream life — a great job and a loving girlfriend [Mugdha Godse]. However, things take an ugly turn when, after a series of unfortunate events, he suddenly wakes up in jail. Parag is perplexed. The only salvation he finds is in Nawab [Manoj Bajpayee], a convict, who believes that Parag is innocent.
Soon, Parag is left with a choice, to either live a life with hordes of broken hearts and shattered souls amidst the prison walls or hope to see freedom some day.
JAIL involves you from the very start. The inmates, their crimes, their individual stories… you get drawn into a world that’s very real. So real that you feel it’s happening right in front of your eyes.
Madhur has a knack of narrating stories and he narrates the story of Parag Dixit with razor-edge sharpness. Besides, JAIL also enlightens you of the legal process, which also acts as an eye-opener.
At the same time, the legal procedures and also the behavioural pattern of the inmates tend to get repetitive after a point and that’s when you start feeling restless. Nonetheless, the post-interval has some interesting twists-n-turns, like the convicts’ escape from the police van; prior to that Neil and Manoj exchanging stares before Neil perches himself in the van; Neil getting thrown in a dark cell, spending the next few days in solitary confinement; a convict using the garbage van as the means to escape; another convict realising that his wife is now a cop’s mistress. Also, the climax is touching and moves you.
Madhur hits the right note yet again. Madhur, Manoj Tyagi and Anuradha Tiwari’s script involves you in most parts. Raghuvir Shekhawat’s dialogues are true to life. There’s no scope for music in a film like JAIL, but the three songs are smartly integrated in the storyline. Kalpesh Bhandarkar’s cinematography is top notch. Special mention must be made of Nitin Chandrakant Desai’s prison set, where the film is entirely shot.
Not only does Neil Nitin Mukesh deliver his finest performance to date, but the performance would easily rank amongst the finest this year. He conveys the pathos and helplessness that this character demands with amazing understanding. He deserves all praise for his extra-ordinary portrayal.
Manoj Bajpayee pitches in a memorable performance. In fact, the supremely talented actor is in form after a long, long time. He’s subdued all through, which only goes to prove that he knows the craft so well. Mugdha Godse underplays her part beautifully. Also, she carries the non-glam look well.
Aarya Babbar is fantastic. This film should make people sit and notice this young actor. Chetan Pandit is first-rate. Rahul Singh is excellent, especially in the sequence when he confronts his wife. The actor who plays the part of Joe D’Souza is effective.
On the whole, JAIL is a well-made film from an expert storyteller. At the box-office, the film will appeal to those with an appetite for hard-hitting, realistic fares, but its clash with AJAB PREM KI GHAZAB KAHANI will affect its business to an extent.
Percept Picture Company and Madhur Bhandarkar have come a long way together with their successful association with movies like PAGE 3, CORPORATE and TRAFFIC SIGNAL. And coincidentally Madhur has won the National Award of Best Film Director for all of PPC movies he worked on.
Now the 2 have joined hands once again for the upcoming film JAIL, a hard hitting yet sensitive tale of an ordinary man which stars Neil Nitin Mukesh, Mugdha Godse, Manoj Bajpayee in the lead roles. While the music of the film has been composed by Shamir Tandon and Toshi – Sharib, lyrics are penned by Sandeep Nath, Ajay Garg, Kumar, Turaz.
Synopsis:
The Protagonist Parag Dixit was the King of his own World… A great job, a lovely house, a night out with friends at some suburban watering hole after a hard day’s job… life just couldn’t get better for him, Parag Dixit is living a dream life his loving girlfriend Maansi!
Speed… that’s what Parag’s life was all about and a certain impatience that came with it… to get on with the next step of life when a sudden veer thrown up by Fate destroys Parag’s utopia… Things take an ugly turn when after a series of unfortunate events he suddenly wakes up in jail; handcuffed slapped on his wrists, answering Cops, infrequently getting slapped or rammed in the stomach and randomly beaten up by the cops… all he can remember is his Mother’s worried face and his Girlfriend’s trying to be brave but failing … everything else was a blur, confused visuals, sounds emotions, events…
Parag is perplexed and in a place far from his utopian life. A place far removed from reality… a system that functions on its own rules, not so easy to comply… for some it is a life worse than hell… everything here is taken for granted, including one’s crime. Surrounded by the dregs of society… Parag is now a numbed soul… zombied, blank, unmoved… the new entrant to Barrack number 2 and its mini world within… a clear misfit and sitting target for anyone who had anything against clean cut, good looking, upper middle class boys… it’s a nightmare that’s only just begun … compounded by dirty, crowded spaces, inedible food, hostile cellmates, angry Policemen and weird rules of the place… no one believed Parag would survive this… for even a day… He tries hard to face away from the ugly truth and wish it’s all a bad dream but soon succumbs to the prison anarchy. The only salvation he finds is in Nawab, the Resident Supervising Convict (Warder) who believed in two things… one that Parag was innocent and another that his inner integrity would see him through…
From the comfort of his numbness, soon Parag discovers the inner mechanism and the science responsible. He slowly steps out to actually see and understand the world around him, understands the wretched status inside the prison, the world of arrests, court cases, pending cases, years of waiting, broken hearts, shattered souls… some sad people in search of hope… and those who managed to find comfort amidst the four prison walls. Slowly Parag lets himself feel the helplessness and the anger… rebelling, questioning, hurting himself to gradually learn to accept his Fate and begin to find a steely resolve within…
He is left with a choice, to either live a life that controlled and exploited or fight against the system!
Why should he accept the helplessness that the system forces upon you when there were those for whom Jail was just an inconvenience… their powers not diminished by a degree and whose hawk eyes were constantly scanning for souls that could be broken in…? Souls like Parag… who were willing to accept any answer that seemed to quieten his questioning mind…What begins now is a race to the finish between the powerful forces of the place that can offer Parag his freedom and Nawaab’s friendship that can only offer Faith and Hope…
In the end what would you choose…? Freedom or Hope?
Exploring life’s tough choices through Parag Dixit’s journey… Jail is a complex fabric of human emotions that is eventually a metaphor for life itself.
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