Raajneeti

...makes a sweeping impact. A truly admirable effort, this brilliant film is not to be missed.

Take time out for a serious and compelling celluloid experience.

...an important film in today’s times. It is not to be missed by connoisseurs of good cinemas well as those who forever complain that Hindi cinema offers nothing different.

...the most effective cinematic interpretation of the Mahabharat since Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug 1981.

Prakash Jha is a deft juggler. He has so many balls up in the air all at once and he maneuvers them all with enviable skill and dexterity. This is a film designed to impress. And it does so successfully for most parts. Raajneeti is a war cry you can't ignore.

...recommended, especially for the politically naive.

...is thrilling and gripping for the most part, even though it does lose steam in its final act.

Just to let you in on a mental note I made smilingly stepping out of this film’s interval: “You so know it when you’re watching one of the most powerful Bollywood dramas ever!” I wish I could say that for the rest of the movie. Well. Halfway there then, I guess.

A could-have-been, wanna-be political thriller lacks the sizzle and cursorily glances over the sleaze. And yet, despite the dull lines, modern Mahabharat is a tale worth watching.

A brilliant realistic flick.

...entertaining fare. It has drama, political action, and ruthless ambition and most importantly, it plays on your emotions.

...a mixed bag. The film has moments of ferocious power and just as many flaws.

...well-directed and has powerful performances...

...not just a film that opens up the tattered edges of Indian politics. It dares to walk right into the muck with restraint, vigour and some sensitivity.

The screenplay needed to be clever and not archaic. Jha goes way over-the-top with most of his high-octane sequences -- realism be damned.

...despite its immense potential in terms of content & presentation, just about manages to pass muster

The film is too long, and the second half is inexplicably stretched. In true Bollywood fashion, politics is elevated to an exalted, unattainable status, and the many dialogues, beginning with Raajneeti mein..., get utterly tiresome.

...is often implausible, but it’s rarely boring.

...could have been the film of the year. It had the potential, and the actors, but it comes together only intermittently. This is not the Prakash Jha who has made some of the most politically resonant films in Hindi cinema.

...is but a compilation of familiar things which is a mishmash mess at best. In compiling familiar films, fam­iliar characters, familiar punch lines and familiar murders, the director ought to have remembered that old English adage: familiarity breeds contempt.

...one enormous 19-reeler punishment of a movie...

...a hyperactive drama given to much yelling and little thought. The screenplay is weak, manipulative and every possible kind of lazy...