JOIN USDirty Politics
Hindi (A) ¬Cast: Om Puri, Ashutosh Rana, Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Mallika Sherawat, Sushant Singh, Atul Kulkarni, Jackie Shroff, Rajpal YadavDirector: K C Bokadia
Subtlety has rarely been an ingredient in Hindi potboilers. It’s even rarer in wannabe potboilers. And it’s absolutely absent in “Dirty Politics”, as is wont of the man behind the camera.
K C Bokadia, the man behind many a hard-punching hit in the 1980s and 90s, is back with his retelling of the Rajasthani midwife Bhanwari Devi’s CD scandal involving politicians. His tortuous version should have remained untold; the audience could have been spared the torture.
So instead of the nurse, the central character, Anokhi Devi (Mallika Sherawat) is a dancer who is given a footing in politics by seasoned player Deenanath (Om Puri), despite counsel for otherwise by friend Dayal (Ashutosh Rana). Aiding the deal is Anokhi’s secretary (Rajpal Yadav). Anokhi wants to contest elections from a seat on which local strongman Mukhtiyar Singh already has his eyes. Predictably, the eponymous dirty politics ensues, with upright local policemen Nirbhay (Atul Kulkarni) and Nishchay (Sushant Singh) trying to clear the mess, later joined by an equally upright CBI officer (Anupam Kher). There’s also local activist Manoj Singh (Naseeruddin Shah) who wants the guilty unmasked. So, do they find Anokhi? Is she dead or alive? Are the politicians punished for their deeds? The audience is actually better off not seeking the answer to these questions, because at the end of the tunnel is headache-inducing disappointment. A number of the actors are wasted through underuse, and only Puri and Rana manage to evoke some emotions in the viewer. Kulkarni and Singh look like cheaper versions of the lead characters in “Singham” and “Dabangg”, and from Shah to Kher, everyone else has little scope to rise. Sherawat herself is a disappointment: Her accent slips more than her clothes, and neither is a good thing. The only things mentionable about “Dirty Politics” are the story and the pace, at least initially. But the muck stains all, and soon, there is no bright spot left.