Story - Jail

Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar,  Jail is a complex fabric of human emotions that is eventually a metaphor for life itself. At its centre is it’s protaganist Parag Dixit (Neil Nitin Mukesh) who has all he could ever ask for, a great job, a lovely house and an even lovelier girlfriend Maansi (Mugda Godse). All this changes in an instant and Parag find himself in a lockup; handcuffs slapped on his wrists, answering Cops, infrequently getting slapped or rammed in the stomach. All he can remember is his Mother’s worried face and his Girlfriend trying to be brave but failing . Everything else is a blur, confused visuals, sounds emotions, events.

Now in Jail, Parag finds himself part of  a system that functions by its own rules. The new entrant to Barrack number 2 and its mini world is a  clear misfit and a sitting target for anyone who has  anything against clean cut, good looking, upper middle class boys. Given the dirty, crowded spaces, inedible food, hostile cellmates, angry Policemen and weird rules,  no one believed Parag would survive the ordeal except for Nawaab, the Resident Supervising Convict (Warder) who believes that Parag is innocent and  that his inner integrity would see him through.

From the comfort of his numbness, Parag slowly steps out to actually see and understand the world around him, the world of arrests, court cases, pending cases, years of waiting, broken hearts, shattered souls, some sad people in search of hope and also those who had found their happiness within the four walls. Slowly Parag  finds a steely resolve within and begins questioning why he should accept this helplessness that the system forces upon you when there are those for whom Jail is just an inconvenience.

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?

 

Madhur Bhandarkar is back and how! The filmmaker, who is wedded to reality in terms of cinema, turns his attention from bars girls, page 3 people, traffic lights and fashion grime to the sordid interiors of Indian jails. With Jail, Madhur not only makes you visit a prison, but also makes you peep into the psyche of a prisoner.

And once again, he manages to create a hard-hitting canvas peopled with characters who manage to both disturb and touch your heart with their stories of distress. More importantly, the film raises important questions regarding our tardy legal system and calls for a complete reprisal, if justice must prevail.

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.

It's a double jeopardy for Parag Dixit in the film. On the one hand, he must contend with a laggard system of jurisprudence which incarcerates him indefinitely, despite his innocence. On the other, there is the harrowing jail experience which is truly cattle class: it transforms an individual into a faceless herd member. Bhandarkar sprinkles his canvas with umpteen chilling shots of a barrack brimming over with body parts...one man's torso jutting into another man's head whose arm is crushed beneath the foot of another, and so on. The human chain extends endlessly even as the fetid stench -- yes, you can almost smell it -- begins to cloud your senses. It is here that Parag, the uptown yuppie, must find friends and sustenance, without giving up on hope and life.

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.

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 into 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.

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. 

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 with the unique non-glam look.

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.
 

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