Rajneeti

Director: Bulbul Biswas

Producer: Ashfaque Ahmed

Cast: Shakib Khan, Apu Biswas, Anisur Rahman Milon, Ali Raj

Strength: Cast

Weakness: Plot 

Plot: Ayon (Shakib Khan) lives at his uncle's house in South Africa and also studies IT there. He promptly declines an invitation to work for Microsoft, much to his family's dismay. After he comes back to Bangladesh in hopes of opening an IT firm, he is greeted by his brother Shakil (Anisur Rahman Milon). Even though Ayon's father (Ali Raj) is a renowned politician, he does not want Ayon to be a politician. After Ayon goes sightseeing, he stumbles across Orsha (Apu Biswas) and instantly falls in love with her, which is reciprocated. He instantly falls in a scuffle with her brother Pappu, who is later beaten by Shakil. Shakil falls in love with Orsha at the same time. Through an unfortunate turn of events, Ayon accidentally kills Pappu while trying to save Shakil. Shakil tries to frame Ayon in hopes of winning over Orsha. 

Review: Shakib Khan and Apu Biswas have excellent chemistry when it comes to films, and this time was no different. However, Shakib's demeanor and look did not correspond with the role he was playing. The Dhakaite atmosphere was funny and refreshing, especially the accent that everyone in the cast donned very well. The highlight of the film was Anisur Rahman Milon's acting; he played the role of a loving brother and later a confused antagonist brilliantly. His efforts held the film together but unfortunately, it was plagued by plot and pacing issues. The transition between Ayon being a playful youngster living in South Africa to a cold blooded and calculative politician was too fast and drastic. The action sequences were okay, but nowhere near the recent prowess that Shakib Khan has exhibited. 

There were numerous plotholes: some of which were laughable to say the least. One example is when Shakil is revealed not to have killed Pappu, Bullet is said to have shot Pappu from afar. However, the shot was on the forehead on point blank range, whereas Bullet was standing on the side at least twenty feet away from the incident. The beginning of the film makes the setting look more like urban Delhi than urban Dhaka. Apart from these issues, Rajneeti was an entertaining watch and a good first attempt by producer Ashfaque Ahmed. The stellar acting of Milon makes it worth watching in its own right, whereas there is a lot left to be desired from the likes of Shakib Khan and Apu Biswas. 

Reviewed by Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz