Its Ajay vs Ranbir in Raajneeti
Those who have watched Raajneeti's promos on television have been myopic. Most have only noticed the screen chemistry between Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.
However, for the trade, distribution circles and hardcore cineastes, the real excitement rides on an even more potent face-off between Ajay Devgn and Ranbir.
"If media reports are true, then Raajneeti is based on the Mahabharata. And the crux of the Mahabharata is the confrontation between Karna (Ajay) and Arjun (Ranbir),'' says a screen writer. "This is the two-some the trade is banking on. The Ajay-Ranbir combination a virgin one. And Raajneeti wouldn't be the same without one of them." A trade consultant says, "If Ranbir spells excitement, then it is Ajay who spells trust. When you have a reported Rs 70-crore plus project on the anvil, you need two superstars to balance it out.''
Prakash Jha, who is confident he will be third time lucky with Ajay — Gangajal, Apaharan and now Raajneeti, knows that he may have a galaxy of actors in his political thriller, but he wouldn't have been able to pull off this gamble without Ajay on board. Ajay himself is very excited about the film. "It is hot," he says, but underplays his own contribution. "Prakash and I have a good box office track record. More importantly, we have a terrific understanding with each other as filmmaker and actor. That is why even when there is an ensemble star cast as in the case of Raajneeti, I'm confident about the way Prakash handles me.'' Ajay plays a Dalit leader with shades of grey who makes his way up the political ladder. "Prakash knows my strengths and he is intelligent enough to use them to the film's advantage,'' says the two-time National Award winner
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