I am a fan of Madhur Bhandarkar's brand of realistic films but somehow never managed to see Jail until today - on TV.
Jail is a sordid story that needs to be repeatedly told to remind us of the larger picture of thousands of undertrials (and even convicts in some cases) languishing in prison for years on end. Many of these people could even be innocent. A case in point is the news this week of the man who was kept behind bars for 23 years and now completely acquitted. Shocking and horrifying are not adequate descriptions.
The sets, costumes etc are realistic though undoubtedly sanitised. Cinematography is superb as is the acting. Neil Nitin Mukesh does a brilliant job as an innocent who is barely managing to cope with his incarceration. Manoj Bajpai and everyone else are also excellent in their roles.
Though in this case there is a happy ending in that Neil is acquitted, the larger picture is that people are languishing in Indian prisons for years on end, facing untold horrors apart from the loss of liberty, who should not be there in the first place.
I do not know why Jail did not do well at the box office. Some critics say it is due to Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani releasing at the same time.
Jail surely deserved a better run. Do watch the DVD or when it runs on TV.
Jail is a sordid story that needs to be repeatedly told to remind us of the larger picture of thousands of undertrials (and even convicts in some cases) languishing in prison for years on end. Many of these people could even be innocent. A case in point is the news this week of the man who was kept behind bars for 23 years and now completely acquitted. Shocking and horrifying are not adequate descriptions.
The sets, costumes etc are realistic though undoubtedly sanitised. Cinematography is superb as is the acting. Neil Nitin Mukesh does a brilliant job as an innocent who is barely managing to cope with his incarceration. Manoj Bajpai and everyone else are also excellent in their roles.
Though in this case there is a happy ending in that Neil is acquitted, the larger picture is that people are languishing in Indian prisons for years on end, facing untold horrors apart from the loss of liberty, who should not be there in the first place.
I do not know why Jail did not do well at the box office. Some critics say it is due to Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani releasing at the same time.
Jail surely deserved a better run. Do watch the DVD or when it runs on TV.