Chakravyuh happens to be a typical movie on a broad plot.
Basically it's a plot of two friends, Adhil Khan (Arjun Rampal) the IPS officer and Kabir (Abhay Deol), who also happens to be college-mates nd colleagues at Police Academy. Typical 'Bollywood'ian dramatic situations makes Kabir quit the academy due to inner clashes, and turns Adhil as an IPS officer with his colleague (Esha Gupta) becoming a policewoman and wife. Friends unite later. Adhil gets transferred to Nandighat, a village violently ruled by Naxalites. Clash between Rajan (Manoj Bajpai as the Naxal leader) and Adhil happens. Latter fails. While he rests in bed vowing to destroy Rajan. Here comes our Kabir. He goes into the Naxal camp as a spy for Adhil, for police and thus for the Government.
Initially they help each other. However, the movements of business tycoons, politicians and terrific activities of cruel people within policemen, transforms Kabir to a real Naxalite. I let you people to watch the movie or predict the rest.
Actors did a good job: Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai, Om Puri; special mention to the débutante Anjali Patil who acted as the Naxal leader Jhulie. Item song by Sameera was unnecessary and stupid.
That's all about this movie. Few scenes are largely shot based on a good plot backdrop. As a moviegoer, technically I learned nothing, musically no pleasure felt. Here ends my critical review. For moviegoers, let me conclude, it's another average movie with a Labyrinth-like complex issue called Maoist terrorism and Naxalism in India. And I must respect Prakash Jha for taking up this subject and showing it to a wider audience. He has well scripted the liberation movements, ant-government activities and their setting up of a 'People's government'. Yeah, it worked! But that's not all of it. The movie is basically a fight between capitalists + Government and Gareeb Admi + Naxalites in the Red corridor. Yes, there are critical situations like poor getting poor in India and rich getting richer due to globalization, capitalism and private investments support from government. Yes, there are men, women and children who walk 5-10 kilometers to sell small wooden logs and bunch of wooden barks and other stuffs like honey and haystack for maybe as low as Ten bucks at a time. Poverty turns them to join these activities, yes it happens here. Even women and children turn to Naxalites. Yes, there are tortures, killings, rapes and killings by both people- terrorists and Government people. And what Prakash Jha has done in this movie is to convey the audience that due to all these crucial situations terrorist activities get fostered there. Money matters. And in the end, he leaves the question to the audience whether the Naxalites are devils or Machine-gun preachers. But if you think they can be justified, then so I must say- the movie is, again IMHO, incomplete.
At no part of the movie has Prakash Jha try to explain how the terrorists get their weapons for battle, and Chinese and Srilankan Maoist operational links in these areas. If you are unaware, let me tell you, right now, simply telling, Chinese do stay at few places and help spread activism, and has also succeeded in acquiring few places which we still think, is a part of our Indian map. And if you think government are trying to take actions, they are just trying, thanks to the great UPA Government! So neither capitalist exploitation dreams of UPA happens there, nor any patriotic movement, due to heavy death-toll of policemen, CRPF Jawans and other activities like abductions and corrupt activities.
Another flaw, I found in the movie is the justification of Naxalite movements. The movie depicted the oppression against capitalists for their movements to do mining with their support. But for the facts, if you have a lot of money and plans for mining in these areas, the first thing you could do is to pay Haftas (bribes) to the Naxalites. And thus, you can do illegal mining. Again, the government loses. In conclusion, you can live if you are a capitalist or Naxalite. You can't, if you're a Jawan or Govt. official or a gareebi.
This is the story I know, (Reference: Google, newspapers and my dad, who has went to these places. Please correct me if I go wrong!)
We can blandly say for now that Prakash Jha's right now unaware of the things like this, or maybe avoided these facts to avoid public issues against his big budget movie hitting a roadblock. But that cannot justify death of soldiers, policemen and many other innocent victims, and illegal operations. Terrorism is terrorism. And we are a part of a nation.
This movie is for those people who does not have time to Google, search Wikipedia or read papers, or not yet interested to check them out to know more about all of these. For them, yeah, you must definitely watch this movie. For movie makers, this is an average movie. For others, I hope my review makes a point. Please do not say Lal Salaam out of spirits just because after watching this movie. You are, then a brainless child or a fool. And I hope more films come after this to strike the right chord.
Basically it's a plot of two friends, Adhil Khan (Arjun Rampal) the IPS officer and Kabir (Abhay Deol), who also happens to be college-mates nd colleagues at Police Academy. Typical 'Bollywood'ian dramatic situations makes Kabir quit the academy due to inner clashes, and turns Adhil as an IPS officer with his colleague (Esha Gupta) becoming a policewoman and wife. Friends unite later. Adhil gets transferred to Nandighat, a village violently ruled by Naxalites. Clash between Rajan (Manoj Bajpai as the Naxal leader) and Adhil happens. Latter fails. While he rests in bed vowing to destroy Rajan. Here comes our Kabir. He goes into the Naxal camp as a spy for Adhil, for police and thus for the Government.
Initially they help each other. However, the movements of business tycoons, politicians and terrific activities of cruel people within policemen, transforms Kabir to a real Naxalite. I let you people to watch the movie or predict the rest.
Actors did a good job: Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai, Om Puri; special mention to the débutante Anjali Patil who acted as the Naxal leader Jhulie. Item song by Sameera was unnecessary and stupid.
That's all about this movie. Few scenes are largely shot based on a good plot backdrop. As a moviegoer, technically I learned nothing, musically no pleasure felt. Here ends my critical review. For moviegoers, let me conclude, it's another average movie with a Labyrinth-like complex issue called Maoist terrorism and Naxalism in India. And I must respect Prakash Jha for taking up this subject and showing it to a wider audience. He has well scripted the liberation movements, ant-government activities and their setting up of a 'People's government'. Yeah, it worked! But that's not all of it. The movie is basically a fight between capitalists + Government and Gareeb Admi + Naxalites in the Red corridor. Yes, there are critical situations like poor getting poor in India and rich getting richer due to globalization, capitalism and private investments support from government. Yes, there are men, women and children who walk 5-10 kilometers to sell small wooden logs and bunch of wooden barks and other stuffs like honey and haystack for maybe as low as Ten bucks at a time. Poverty turns them to join these activities, yes it happens here. Even women and children turn to Naxalites. Yes, there are tortures, killings, rapes and killings by both people- terrorists and Government people. And what Prakash Jha has done in this movie is to convey the audience that due to all these crucial situations terrorist activities get fostered there. Money matters. And in the end, he leaves the question to the audience whether the Naxalites are devils or Machine-gun preachers. But if you think they can be justified, then so I must say- the movie is, again IMHO, incomplete.
At no part of the movie has Prakash Jha try to explain how the terrorists get their weapons for battle, and Chinese and Srilankan Maoist operational links in these areas. If you are unaware, let me tell you, right now, simply telling, Chinese do stay at few places and help spread activism, and has also succeeded in acquiring few places which we still think, is a part of our Indian map. And if you think government are trying to take actions, they are just trying, thanks to the great UPA Government! So neither capitalist exploitation dreams of UPA happens there, nor any patriotic movement, due to heavy death-toll of policemen, CRPF Jawans and other activities like abductions and corrupt activities.
Another flaw, I found in the movie is the justification of Naxalite movements. The movie depicted the oppression against capitalists for their movements to do mining with their support. But for the facts, if you have a lot of money and plans for mining in these areas, the first thing you could do is to pay Haftas (bribes) to the Naxalites. And thus, you can do illegal mining. Again, the government loses. In conclusion, you can live if you are a capitalist or Naxalite. You can't, if you're a Jawan or Govt. official or a gareebi.
This is the story I know, (Reference: Google, newspapers and my dad, who has went to these places. Please correct me if I go wrong!)
We can blandly say for now that Prakash Jha's right now unaware of the things like this, or maybe avoided these facts to avoid public issues against his big budget movie hitting a roadblock. But that cannot justify death of soldiers, policemen and many other innocent victims, and illegal operations. Terrorism is terrorism. And we are a part of a nation.
This movie is for those people who does not have time to Google, search Wikipedia or read papers, or not yet interested to check them out to know more about all of these. For them, yeah, you must definitely watch this movie. For movie makers, this is an average movie. For others, I hope my review makes a point. Please do not say Lal Salaam out of spirits just because after watching this movie. You are, then a brainless child or a fool. And I hope more films come after this to strike the right chord.