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Dirty Politics backdrop
6 March 2015Hindi133 min

Dirty Politics

2.915 reviews
CriticsUnfavorable

Bayesian avg · 15 critic reviews

7.5+ Exceptional · 6.5 Recommended · 5.0 Mixed

1.34 ratings
Users

User Score · avg of 4 ratings

8.0+ Exceptional · 7.0 Recommended · 5.5 Mixed

Dirty Politics is a film that investigates the sensational affair between a dancer and a powerful politician.

Critic Consensus

Critical consensus on Dirty Politics is overwhelmingly negative, with reviewers awarding it some of the lowest scores possible. No aspect of the film drew consistent praise from critics; instead, the most recurring point of frustration was the waste of a talented ensemble cast including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Anupam Kher, and others, whom multiple critics felt were poorly served by the material. Common criticisms include lazy and juvenile writing, stock characters, outdated sensibility likened to 1980s filmmaking, and a sex-scandal-driven plot seen as a cynical box office ploy rather than a genuine examination of political corruption. Several critics explicitly advised audiences to avoid the film entirely.

15 reviews · 13 negative

Praised: none — talented ensemble castCriticised: wasted cast, lazy writing

AI-generated summary of 15 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (15)

Shubhra GuptaTop Critic· Indian Express
1.0
"What we get is the kind of film which should have been deep-sixed before it was thought of. And dialogues that had me guffawing helplessly because there was nothing else I could do."
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Mohar Basu· Times Of India
3.0
"Expect to remain unmoved by this film which tries to unleash the morally corrupt face of Indian politics. The product we have at hand, is a juvenile tryst which focuses on a sexually charged up plot to garner good box office moolah."
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Subhash K Jha· Hindustan Times
3.0
"Nothing that we see in Dirty Politics justifies the presence of these talented actors. A very poorly executed film which makes you feel sorry for the body-politic of the nation. Surely things are not so bad in politics?"
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Rahul Desai· Bangalore Mirror
3.0
"I feel sorry for the crew that works hard on these goodwill efforts, for they're at the mercy of unprogressive creative minds."
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Suparno Sarkar· FilmiBeat
3.0
"In one line, watch Dirty Politics only if you have no better things to do."
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Johnson Thomas· Free Press Journal
2.0
"K C Bokadia's days of setting up a juicy pot-boiler for the front-bencher audience is long way past. Using stinging dialogues, steamy sequences and conniving moves, he tries to make it all happen but it just doesn't. There's really no excitement or bite in this rather unsavory product. -"
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"Dirty Politics is just plain bad. Give it a miss and put your Holi weekend to holier use."
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2.0
"I wonder what kind of conviction or payments made such talented actors; (from Naseer to Om Puri to Sushant Singh to Atul Kulkarni and Anupam Kher) take up such blah of a film. Dirty Politics is very dirty, no, not the kinds you are thinking. That dirt is usually deleted for a UAE release!! Bummer!!"
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Daily Bhaskar· Daily Bhaskar
2.0
"The film seeks inspiration from done-to-death formula of the game of politics which has a sex scandal, politicos sleeping around, blackmailing and useless cops."
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Prarthna Sarkar· IBTimes
2.0
"Trust me when I write getting slow-roasted over fire is a little less painful than watching Miss Item Girl get frisky with senior actor Mr. Puri, that too on a big, big screen. Shoddy narrative laced with dramatic dialogues, this film cannot be saved in any way."
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2.0
"Dirty Politics stinks of lazy writing and stock characters. Despite a clutch of talented veteran actors, the political drama isn't elevated to a film that reveals the dark side of human nature or the steaminess in Indian politics. If Dirty Politics were to contest in any award ceremony, it would lose unceremoniously."
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Nishi Tiwari· Rediff
1.0
"Dirty Politics represents the same online trolls it resembles -- a potential threat given its ability to misguide the masses with its half-baked ideas and smug ignorance."
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Martin D'Souza· Glamsham
0.0
"There are many scenes which vie for the 'worst scene'. But the one I give my vote to is for when Naseeruddin Shah comes into the courtroom to announce, ''CD mere paas hai.'' Imagine an actor of his caliber made to do an embarrassing scene like this!"
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Sneha May Francis· Emirates247
"Naseeruddin Shah appears the most uninterested and rightly so. What prompted such a stalwart to step in is anyone's guess. Take our cue, give this a miss."
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Sudhish Kamath· The Hindu
"Dirty Politics, that often feels like a poor man's Raajneeti, given the scores of extras crammed into every frame, should have rightfully been called The Eighties. Every bit of this film — story, structure, sensibility, stunts and moral — is from an eighties film. But then what else can you expect from the director of Aaj Ka Arjun and Phool Bane Angaray?"
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Cast & Crew

Details

Release Date
6 March 2015
Runtime
133 min
Language
Hindi

User Ratings & Reviews

Users1.34 ratings

4 ratings from the community

Community Reviews (1)

TEApr 2015

This is the type of film whose audience know what to expect. And by that sense, Dirty Politics honestly attracts you into a political crime drama that is riddled with sleaze. The disappearance of dancer-turned-politician Anokhi Devi (Mallika Sherawat) is what the story begins with. Having dragged into politics by a debaucher Dinanath (Om Puri) solely for sexual purposes, Anokhi finds herself trapped in a world of deceit. The blame is partly on her as she turns into a greedy provider for her benefactor's erotic fantasies. The entire film is the past and future of her disappearance, infrequently throwing light into practices that mar present-day politics. Characters are thrown in like rain accompanied by sandstorm; all at once, giving an abrupt start. Soon cleavages are revealed and sex tapes are made, which drive the story ahead. Honestly, the sensual chemistry between Puri and Sherawat is awkward, and no viewer in his/her right mind would enjoy the explicitness. The story, as a whole, reeks of predictability and wraps up with a rather laughable climax. At the end, of whatever was promised by the film, only sex prevails, as Bokadia may have wanted. It has all basic characters and elements required for a Prakash Jha movie, but only Bokadia can turn it into a circus of lewdness. It is clear that salaciousness was what the makers had in mind, but to cast veterans like Shah and Kher to play clowns is cheap. They are the only ones who make the viewing bearable if at all you happen to find yourself watching the film. Let me stop myself from exploring the filmmaking factors. BOTTOM LINE: Of course, there is no actual sex (only suggestive) in the film if you were wondering, but it sure has obscene scenes and curses that will make the CBFC's blood boil. I'll leave the decision to you. You watched the trailer, and I gave you the details. What more do you want for decoding that the "Dirty" in "Dirty Politics" is an implication to that three-letter word which is still a taboo in India. Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO Nudity/Vulgarity: Mediocre | Profanity: Very Strong

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