Sticking to that basic theme, Bankipur in Bihar is terrorized by politician Babloo and his brother Dabloo, whose shady dealings and subsequent police files are kept well hidden by the police's 'circle babu' BN Singh, portrayed by the director Jha himself. As BN Singh's riches continue to multiply, the locals of Bankipur live in fear and are coerced into selling off their fertile lands to make way for a power plant. In a turn of events, Abha Mathur (Priyanka Chopra) arrives as the new Superintendent of Police and that is when things inevitably begin to change.
It's a predictable story of corrupt officials and cops and the traumatized public ultimately being saved by a messiah of sorts. It follows on the footsteps of
Gangaajal (2003), which saw khaki-clad Ajay Devgn fighting crime in a fictitious state of Bihar. But that's where the similarities end. Jai Gangaajal is nothing like
Gangaajal which was based on a real incident, and was called persuasive cinema. It wasn't pleasant but it was memorable.
Jai Gangaajal is neither.
The only thing that makes Jai Gangaajal slightly refreshing is the presence of the female cop, Mathur or 'Madam Sir', whose lightening slaps and lathi charges will have you sitting up straighter and actually paying attention to an otherwise mundane movie. There are scenes that pack a punch and then there are repetitive dialogues and recurring shots that really test your patience.
What could have been a vital commentary on the dangers of mobocracy and the rich-poor divide falls short because Jha takes too much screen space and, in a way, tries to evoke sympathies for just his character—the tainted cop who suddenly has a change of heart, and is beaten to pulp (and left to die) by the very goons he spent years protecting. BN Singh's transformation is unconvincing and the film just drags on. At some point, the crowd chanting 'suicide, suicide' in support of hanging of a blood sucking, greedy politician will only make you laugh, if not cringe.
Priyanka shines in her role as a tough cop keen to play by the rules. But this is perhaps the only film I have seen thus far where the second lead has better lines and more onscreen time than the actual protagonist. Does it take away from what the talented Chopra can do even with a clumsily etched out role? No. Does it leave a bad aftertaste once the movie is over? Yes.
The film would have been better if Jha hadn't decided to do everything himself and let the leading lady lead. However, to be fair, it's not that Jha doesn't possess good acting skills. He actually manages to be quite comfortable in front of the camera, thus lending his character a fresh appeal every now and then. But since it's a bit overdone, it gets tedious after a point. It would have been wiser of Jha to let real actors do their jobs and just stick to what he does best – direct. Also, better editing might have helped salvage a badly thought through film.
But perhaps nothing could have entirely saved a film that was doomed right from the start because of its predictability and overdone plotline. Watch it for Priyanka, if you must. Even though she's relegated to playing second fiddle to Jha, she is the one who will have you glued to your seats.
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