On screen and off screen 'Rajneeti'

I did a mistake by accepting the invitation of premiere show of the 'Rajneeti' at Gopikrishna Movies. First, the film started almost an hour late. Second, I was starving and there was nothing to eat except noodles (is that a kind of food?), carbonated drinks (No offence but I hate such drinks) and popcorn (u can't believe the price, its 5 folds more expensive inside).

On the top of all, the movie disappointed me. I was remembering the movie 'Gangajal' by Prakash Jha, same guy who directed the present film. So, obviously the expectations were high. (do you think it is bad to expect high?) Unlike 'Gangajal', 'Rajneeti' has so many loops in the plot. It is full of blasts and blood. Till the use of guns and bombs, the film was somewhat fine and able to hold the interest. Then you find all the interest evaporated when you could guess the end easily. After the interval, the film uses many elements of a 'masala film', ronadhona, the lost son finds his mother, mother requests him to come back home etc. The film is long. Even without any songs it takes three hours to finish the film.

However, I enjoyed the time afterwards. It was 9:15 pm when I was out of the theatre. I flagged down some taxies. All of them demanded more than three hundred rupees. And, I was not ready to pay that amount of money for just three kilometers distance. There was another gentleman, too. He also was talking to the taxi drivers. I asked him to hire a single taxi so that we could share the fare. He did not accept my proposal. Instead, he proposed me to drop to my destination if I paid him one hundred rupees. He had his office vehicle nearby. I agreed.

On the way I asked him where he was working. His reply surprised me. He was working in the Ministry of Energy. His bosses were somewhere around Chabhil in a party. Wow! That was the true rajneeti. A citizen of Nepal paid for travelling in the government vehicle. I did not say anything. I did not say I was a media person. I simply paid him hundred rupees and started towards my destination.


Modnath Dhakal, Kathmandu