As the Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif-starrer clocks 15 years, filmmaker Prakash Jha shares why the film was special; confirms that he’s working on the storyline of Raajneeti 2
Deep Saxena (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 4, 2025)
Filmmaker Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti (2010) earned cult status due to the storyline, a huge star cast and a successful soundtrack. The film, which clocks 15 years today, was believed to be a modern adaptation of the Mahabharata, starring Ranbir Kapoor (Arjun), Ajay Devgn (Karna), Nana Patekar (Krishna), Katrina Kaif (Draupadi), Arjun Rampal (Bhima), Manoj Bajpayee (Duryodhana), Sarah Thompson (Subhadra) and Naseeruddin Shah (God).
SEQUEL IN THE WORKS?
Speaking to us as the film achieves the 15-year milestone, Prakash confirms that a sequel to Raajneeti is in the works. “Raajneeti (politics) ki yatra toh anvarat (constant) hai, chalti hi rehti hai! There’s always been a plan for Raajneeti 2. While there is nothing concrete in terms of casting and shooting yet, I am currently working on it,” says the director.
Stars and 8,000 actors!
The film’s pre-production went on for a year. “We cast 8,000 actors for an authentic crowd scene, which was quite a task,” says Prakash.
Sharing how he managed to put such a big star cast together, he adds, “The good thing about casting was that whoever we approached, liked the script and came on board. They felt challenged to perform well. People say it was a commercial success. For me, Damul (1984), Mritudand (1997), Gangajal (2003), Apaharan (2005) or Satyagraha (2013) are just films. But, it feels nice when people talk about them.”
Cult Music
The movie had a hit soundtrack, featuring four composers — late Aadesh Shrivastava, Pritam, Shantanu Moitra and Wayne Sharpe, with lyrics penned by Gulzar, Irshad Kamil, Sameer and Swanand Kirkire. Prakash shares that Aadesh came up with the song Mora Piya Mose Bolat Naahin “much earlier” during a creative sitting and it perfectly fit the situation in the film. He adds, “He sang it beautifully, too.”
Singer Kavita Seth, who also sang the song, says, “I took extra time to prepare the song, as the situation was intense. It is one of my biggest hits till date. It’s a part of my set list at all the concerts.”
Ranbir’s happy moment, ft. Manoj
The film’s assistant director Ritam Srivastava tells us, “Ranbir Kapoor was very excited when he shared the screen with Manoj Bajpayee. It was also the first time that Ranbir used a pistol in a scene.”
A scene to remember
Manoj’s chase sequence was shot over three days at multiple locations in Bhopal. Ritam shares: “While doing the chase, Ajay Devgn jokingly said: ‘Teen din ho gaye seene mein goli lagey, ab to marr jaao’.”
Of clothes and washrooms
Costume designer Priyanka Mundada used 40,000 metres to dress 8,000 cast members. Tea was used to age the dresses. To accommodate them, hotels, guest houses and lodges were booked in Bhopal. Extra bathrooms were constructed for junior artistes. Caterers were called from Mumbai.
One chopper, multiple scenes!
Separate helicopters were needed for different characters. So, to save the cost, one helicopter was painted in two colours on either sides. It was shot from different angles for different scenes.
Making global music our own
Cross-country collaboration was done to create “international, yet Indian music”. New York-based musician Wayne Sharpe, who also composed the score of the film, created western melodies and then recorded with Indian sounds. He recorded melodies in his studio in the US, the orchestra was recorded in Prague, Czech Republic, while the Indian instruments were recorded in Mumbai.
Reprinted Flags!
For authenticity, Prakash Jha refused “good quality” flags for the shoot just a day before filming. So, 12,000 party flags were printed with cheap material, shabby printing and cheap technology, and were aged.
Meet the BhoPALS
Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal became friends during the film’s shoot. They would often be seen together playing cricket and savouring delicacies together. They named the trio BhoPALS.
Move beyond looks!
Katrina, who was seen in a saree in most parts of the film, was apparently not sure about her look. Ritam says, “She would ask the Director of Photography Sachin Krishn, ‘Will I look beautiful?’. He would say, ‘You would look real’.”