A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Considering most of the Bollywood films with imaginary stories, songs as well as dance sequences in the gardens, I was pretty much reluctant for this movie. But happened to see it on TV. Really impressive work, later found out the director is Madhur Bhandarkar, no doubt there are really very few directors to create such kind of magic.Very real and strong script, with superb direction. The movie progresses stage by stage with a charm. It was such a treat to watch this movie. Loved every part of it and the best part is touching one of the most sensitive areas in India. Never had so much sympathy for Indian jail convicts so far. This is for sure a movie of international standards.A must watch.

Despite its grim setting, director Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail is his least cynical film in years. Neil Nitin Mukesh stars as Parag Dixit, an innocent man implicated for a crime he didn't commit. Much of the film is centered around Parag's frustration and helplessness as he struggles to stay sane and alive amidst hardened criminals. Like the director's earlier films, Corporate, Traffic Signal and Fashion, his latest too is a slice-of-life drama about the characters and the way of life within the world he's chosen to set the film in. This time though, Bhandarkar ditches his trademark exposé approach and settles for an emotionally-manipulative tone instead. The script of Jail packs in every cliché you expect to see - distraught family struggling to raise money to pay lawyer's fees, jailer venting about his thankless job and meager salary, even a hit-and-run accused who gets off easily because of his influential connections. But despite the clunky writing, it's a relief to see Bhandarkar empathasise with his characters rather than exploit them for cheap titillation like he's done in earlier films. In a very simplistic and roundabout fashion, Jail is about hope and making the right choice, but the film is too formulaic to make a hard-hitting statement. Of the cast, Neil Nitin Mukesh plunges sincerely into the central role, but is at best adequate as the anguished victim. Mughda Godse is unselfconscious as Parag's distressed girlfriend, but has very little to do in a stereotypical part. Arya Babbar plays it broad and is convincing as the top aide of an underworld fixer, but the same sadly can't be said for poor Manoj Bajpai who glowers and glares as Nawab, Parag's only ally in prison. Bajpai's solemn turn adds to the dreariness, making Jail too long and too slow in the end. Because it's well-intentioned and settles for a hopeful message, you stay with the film despite the fact that it's never quite compelling.It's got its heart in the right place, but sometimes that's not enough.

Madhu Bhandarkar in this movie brings out some remarkable characters and one of them is Kabir. Shown as the pawn of a Baba Bhai, a mean character with overbearing friendliness. He turns to help the protagonist just to have him recruited in the Mafia. There is another character of Ghalib who pleads money from another inmate for his mother's operation and uses it to bribe his way to freedom. This movie is full of such characters who are good and bad at the same time.The movie begin slowly and picks up pace later, you almost feel bored with the predictable turn of events initially, only when the jail life begins to settle in the real plot unfolds. Also the later part in which the protagonist is released is probably added to soothe the moviegoer. The fees of a lawyer were probably hugely padded with 75K of one hearing for a lower court is unheard off.

Madhur Bhandarkar is one of those rare talented directors who has mastered the art of making movies out of the newspapers. Continuing his series of films based on real life instances, he strikes again with a dark, uninviting and somehow upsetting movie on an unconventional subject of Jail and the life of its inmates.Before going into further details, one thing you have to keep in mind before watching "Jail" is that it's not the usual witty and gossipy kind of subject chosen by Madhur this time. As suggested by the title itself, the theme is more cruel, dark and depressing which is also in complete contrast to Madhur's previous famous films. It is even more harsh than his "Traffic Signal" having no room for any comic, humor or sex references. So if you have opted for the movie looking for some great entertaining stuff then you are definitely sitting in the wrong theater.But at the same time "Jail" is also not at par with Bhandarkar's earlier highly appreciated works. For the first time he has opted for a completely predictable and seen before kind of script which has not got any shock treatment for which Madhur is more famous for. The story is anybody's guess where a young boy is wrongly framed under a drug case and has to spend a few painful years in Jail for a crime which he had never committed. Now the problem here is that the miserable ambiance of Jail and the life in it has been already shown in many movies before. The grouping system in the convicts, usual fights between the inmates, the use of money for their personal comforts and the underworld operating from the jail, everything has been there on the screen umpteen times before Madhur's elaborate movie on the subject. So there is nothing new in store for the viewer, which usually is the first expectation from a Madhur Bhandarkar project. And that's where "Jail" fails to deliver to a great extent.However, the director's excellence is still evident in a few well conceived sequences related with some important characters in the script. Especially the sub-plots of Manoj Bajpayi (Nawab) & Rahul Singh (Ghani Bhai) are brilliantly handled by Madhur in his famous trade mark style (But I found no justification in Nawab killing his own kid brother without any reason). Madhur even explains the relationship between Monsoons and Jails in a very impressive manner. Besides this the narration showcases the questionable process of law and the greedy lawyers operating freely in this corrupt ongoing system. In addition to the above, the director also incorporates the real life inspiration angle in the movie taking references from the famous BMW Hit & Run case, Cricket bookies now found in every city and the hidden truth of homosexuality in the Jails. Apart from his much applauded direction, the other department in which Madhur has got a great understanding or instinct is the Casting. He is simply perfect in his choice of actors for a particular role. For instance Neil Nitin Mukesh as the main protagonist, Manoj Bajpai as Nawab, Rahul Singh as Ghani, Arya Babbar as the influential inmate, Mughda Ghodse as the helpful lover & Atul Kulkarni as the savior lawyer, every one suits to their respective roles so perfectly. Undoubtedly the best act comes from Neil as the innocent helpless boy, followed by Manoj Bajapai giving a worth watching performance as per his reputation. Neil impresses with his superb expressions depicting the solitude and sufferings faced by his lonely character. On the other hand, Manoj speaks more through his effective stares and exceptional body language. The climax is the best part of the film which has got the Bhandarkar power in it but I think the movie could have been a bit shorter by few minutes to make it a more engrossing watch.The script has got no scope for any full length songs. Still there are few quick numbers added into the story which actually don't serve any particular purpose. The compositions are not melodious enough to get register and even the Lata Mangeshkar prayer track is not able to move you either emotionally or musically. But the realistic set of prison and cinematography both deserve a prasing mention for their remarkable contribution.On the whole, "Jail" is too realistic and gloomy to be liked by everyone. Moreover the repetitive and predictable content of the movie will prove to be its main drawback at the box office. It is thought provoking for sure but not after you have left the theater.Yet there is one moral lesson I concluded from the movie which I would like to share with you all. It gave me the precious insight that….."CRIME is the unwanted and illegitimate child of ANGER and we should always take care of the precautions before it gets conceived" - bobbysing