Jail is a Serious Movie Bollywood Movie Review

Jail, director Madhur Bhandarkar’s new film that talks about the plights and woes of people in a prison is a hard-hitting story. However, the movie is too serious and also becomes a documentary, rather than an element of entertainment. Madhur Bhandarkar moves the story of Jail, his way, with every character in the film having his own reason and temperament in the jail
The Story of Jail:
After showing Neil Nitin Mukesh, who plays the character of Parag, going in the jail, the story goes towards the flashback to tell us why he exactly went to the jail. It so happens that Parag Dixit, an upper middle class corporate guy, is falsely implicated in a drug deal case, and lands in the jail. Parag’s friendJail, director Madhur Bhandarkar constructs a Kafkaesque nightmare. Parag Dixit, an upper-middle class, corporate man, played by Neil Nitin Mukesh, is circumstantially implicated in a drug bust and lands up in jail.

Parag and his airhostess girlfriend Mansi(Mughda Godse) is sharing home with room-mate Keshav, who uses everything that belongs to Parag, like his towel, his toothpaste and even cellphone. The last thing put Parag in trouble. On the day Parag is promoted, he is driving along with his friend Keshav, when the police intercepts their vehicle. Keshav pulls out a gun and the police fire him in retaliation. Parag is arrested and crores of cocaine lying in the vehicle is seized. Parag is arrested and thus starts his miserable life. The fact that Keshav dies in the hospital seals his fate as a convict who would spends most of his life in the jail. Lots of trials and tribulations set in and lot of nervous breakdowns later, Parag’s resilience sees him through, and an important person who tells him to not lose hope is Nawab(Manoj Bajpai)

Then apart from Parag, there are other elements with their own sob stories and backgrounds: an underworld don with a mobile phone, a person who landed in jail because he killed a person who was trying to molest his wife who was once a prostitute, corrupt cops, good cops, convict with a heart of gold(Manoj Bajpai), a guy arrested for betting in cricket, a scamster-shayar, a character modeled on Alister Pereira who ran down pedestrians a few years ago.

Plus points of Jail:
1. The struggle and strife of Parag in the jail and how every ray of optimism pales out in his life is well documentsed.
2. Good amount of research work has been done in the film.

Minus points of Jail:
1. Madhur Bhandarkar’s style has become repetitive and predictable. The first half that bases the characters and the second half that moves the plot was there in Traffic Signal, Fashion and now in this film too. But having said that, he is one of the finest directors and does justice to the subject. We just wish he made it a little bit more entertaining than making it documentary style.
2. Jail, because of its serious content(without a single humorous line) may find it difficult to gather audience, who loves their humor, thrills, action and romance.
3. The premise of Parag being put in jail just because he was caught with drugs that he dint know about doesn’t really gel. The cops who fired at Keshav, could have surely said that he never opened fire not did he drive the car ahead. He is arrested purely on circumstantial evidence, and it is possible that one of the cops could have stated this. This however is stated at the end of the movie with a better lawyer doing the job.

Best performances in Jail:
Neil Nitin Mukesh puts in a spirited performance, but he has three emotions to show: despair, perplexed and fright. Mughda Godse doesn’t have much of a role. Seems like directors are only ready to show her as a good omen, rather than give her good roles. The character actors do a decent job especially Manoj Bajpai

Final points:
Jail is real and not sensational, which makes the entire effort looking depressing. If you want to feel that you are in jail, please watch Jail.