Gangaajal

About the film

Gangaajal: The Holy Weapon (transl. Holy Water of the Ganges) is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film written, directed, co-produced and edited by Prakash Jha. It revolves around the Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar (Ajay Devgn) who takes charge of the fictitious district of Tejpur, Bihar, known for its high crime rate and organised crime carried out by dons Sadhu Yadav (Mohan Joshi) and Sunder Yadav (Yashpal Sharma). Due to the local police's slow response to crimes, residents of the district resort to pouring acid in the eyes of the criminals as an instrument for extrajudicial justice.

Following the release of his directorial debut Damul (1984), Jha conceived an idea for his next venture that would be titled Gangaajal, which would be about corruption and political violence. Jha was unfamiliar with the subject matter and had no desire to start production and took twenty years to write the story. The film, announced in January 2001, was photographed by Arvind K; filming took 60 days and took place in Wai and Satara, both in Maharashtra, and sets were designed by Sukhwant Panigrahi. The film's soundtrack was composed by Sandesh Shandilya with lyrics by Akhilesh Sharma and a background score by the American composer Wayne Sharpe.

Plot

The Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kumar takes charge of Tejpur, which has a high crime rate. In the district, the police are controlled by the strongman gangster Sadhu Yadav and his son Sunder Yadav. While travelling to the headquarters, Amit's car breaks down and he inspects the area. He observes professional laxity among police officials, crumbling infrastructure, outdated weaponry, lack of stationery and transport, and the dependence of officials on corrupt local contractors.

Inspector Bachcha Yadav, a stooge of Sadhu, visits Sadhu's hideout and sees the infamous local gangster Nunwa. Nunwa has killed an officer in Bachcha's department after a heated argument. Yadav kills Nunwa, fearing arresting him would expose the connection between Nunwa and the Tejpur police, and tells the public he was killed in an encounter. Amit later realises Nunwa was killed because of his relationship with Sadhu and suspends Bachcha from duty as a punishment. Anxious he would be transferred from Tejpur, Bachcha visits Sadhu's home to seek his help but learns Sadhu has abandoned him.

Amit takes notice of the incident and finds Sunder has kidnapped a missing young woman. Amit persuades the woman's mother, who is hesitant to do so, to file a complaint with the police. Sensing an opportunity, Bachcha urges Amit to give him a chance. Bachcha lures Sunder into a factory where Amit and his men are waiting. After a brief scuffle, Sunder is arrested and produced in a local court. The woman's mother refuses to testify against Sunder after the DIG Verma, who is loyal to Sadhu, threatens her into withdrawing her complaint. The judge acquits Sunder because of a lack of evidence.

Production

During the production of his directorial debut Damul, a 1984 political drama, Prakash Jha conceived the idea for his next film, which would be named Gangaajal: The Holy Weapon, which he wanted to be about corruption and political violence. In an interview with Screen, Jha said he decided to make films set in rural cities because he believed they have an "earthy quality" that would attract audiences. For this film, he chose his home state Bihar as the main setting because he is familiar with the local culture, people, and tradition. He did not want to have another topic for his film at the time so he improved the story for the next twenty years, after which the principal photography started. According to Jha, the film's title reflects a metaphor that indicates ritual purification with "astonishing, stark and powerful" elements. Many of his friends suggested other suitable titles, including Police, because they felt the original title was too metaphorical. Jha, however, kept the original title and added an extra 'a' to it. In preparation, Jha interviewed several police officers and read clippings on police he had saved.

Jha announced the film in January 2001 during an interview with Komal Nahta of Rediff.com, and said it would be produced by Jha's banner Prakash Jha Productions in association with Manmohan Shetty of Entertainment One. He called Gangaajal his perception of affairs in the present-day Bihar, saying it is a "dramatic journey" from someone "into the collective consciousness of the society. It eventually becomes an intense meditation on the mechanics of crime and punishment." Although several publications reporting the film was based on the 1980 Bhagalpur blindings, Jha said it is not but that the film has several blinding scenes that are minor parts of the plot. The dialogue was written by Jha.

Ajay Devgn played the role of the Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar that was previously offered to Akshay Kumar, marking Devgn's second collaboration with Jha after Dil Kya Kare (1999). Devgn said he had a positive rapport with Jha and that he was allowed to speak in Hindi without a Bihari accent. Jha said Devgn's acting style led him to approach Devgn again, describing him as a "natural choice". Jha said; "I needed someone who would look sincere and honest in the film, and he suited that. His character goes through many dilemmas, and he's capable of carrying that role well." Gracy Singh also immediately chose to star in the film as Amit's wife Anuradha. Jha, who wanted to cast Singh because he felt the Indian film industry did not see her potential as an actor. Singh stated that it was difficult to play the role as it was new for her. The film features an ensemble cast of 87 actors; according to Jha this is intended to "collectively make up the atmosphere".

Key details