Way back in 2003, Prakash Jha had teamed up with Ajay Devgn to make a power-packed drama named Gangaajal, which revolved around an upright cop with a corrupt subordinate, who takes on a tyrannical MLA and also manages to reform his subordinate with his lectures on truth and justice while dealing with vigilantism in his jurisdiction.

It has now become a trend in Bollywood to make a sequel of a successful film as it then has a higher chance of minting moolah at the box office. But what is to be understood is that no film without a strong script can guarantee success, even if it is a sequel of a blockbuster. Clearly, Bollywood has not steered clear of this fact and this is the reason that two sequels have come our way within a month's time. Firstly, it was Sunny Deol's 'Ghayal Once Again' and now it is 'Jai Gangaajal'.

In this sequel to his 2003 release, 'Gangaajal', Prakash Jha plays safe by sticking to what he knows best, exposing the ugly underbelly of the political scenario in Bihar. He does manage to spring a surprise, not by introducing anything exceptionally novel in the script, but by launching himself as an actor in the film. Jha plays a pivotal role of a corrupt police officer, Bhola Nath Singh aka B.N. Singh in this one.

Prakash Jha has earned himself a name in Hindi cinema for exhibiting realistic take on society's shoddiest elements which thrive on corruption and crime. His latest to join the wheelhouse is Priyanka Chopra's 'Jai Gangaajal', where PeeCee essays the role of a firm SP appointed in a corrupt-ridden city of Bihar.

Poor villagers running around and open gypsies trailing them has become a trademark of Prakash Jha's filmmaking. So, it doesn't come as a jolt when the Priyanka Chopra-starrer Jai Gangaajal opens on a similar note. In fact, it would have been surprising if Jai Gangaajal would have begun on a different track. And, of course, there would be a double-meaning song disguised as a folk song playing in the background.

Is this film the fantasy Prakash Jha has been inching towards all these years? The writer-director of Jai Gangaajal has done well to cast Priyanka Chopra as Superintendent of Police Abha Mathur of Bankipur - a tough cop who is keen to play by the rules - and Manav Kaul as Babloo Pandey, a vicious politician who has a stranglehold on his constituency. Where he goes wide of the mark though is in casting himself in a prominent role and mistaking himself for Ajay Devgn.

Straight away, Jai Gangaajal celebrates Priyanka Chopra in one of her most- literally - kick-ass performances. Bankipur is bullied by MLA Bablu (Manav) and brother Dabloo (Ninad), who rape, murder and loot farmers' lands. Police's 'circle babu' BN Singh (Prakash) smoothly facilitates Bablu-Dablu while building himself a marbled palace of black money. Suddenly, Abha Mathur (Priyanka) arrives as Bankipur's new SP - will Bablu-Dablu's party end?

Prakash Jha is known for going deep into the hinterland and bringing back stories from there. The 2003 Gangaajal was one of his best. But does Priyanka Chopra's Jai Gangaajal, touted as a sequel to that Ajay Devgn film, live up to its predecessor?

The reason why we are so excited about Jai Gangaajal is because it has Priyanka in the leading role. The lady is on a roll these days, thanks to her international sojourn. Jai Gangaajal is the sequel to the hard hitting cop drama, Gangaajal, where Priyanka replaces Ajay Devgn. Prakash Jha makes his acting debut. Let's see if the film is as powerful as the original film

In his latest foray into India's dusty political badlands, director Prakash Jha parades an entire array of reprehensible goons out for their pound of flesh. But the tough-cop heroine of Jai Gangaajal is up against more than just individual law-breakers. Her ire has a larger context: it is directed at an entire system that is completely at the mercy of the high and mighty.

The best part about 'Jai Gangaajal', director Prakash Jha's latest foray into the country's badlands, is a surprise acting turn by Jha himself: as a corrupt-cop-with-a-latent-conscience, Jha looks as if he has been doing this all his life, so comfortable is he in front of the camera.

The year 2001 saw the 'advent' of an extremely hardline film titled GANGAAJAL that starred Ajay Devgn, Gracy Singh and Mukesh Tiwari in pivotal roles. The film went onto become a blockbuster at the box-office. Today sees the release of JAI GANGAAJAL, that's set in the similar (if not same) premise. What one needs to understand is that JAI GANGAAJAL is not a sequel as it does not start from the point where the previous one ended.

Bankepur is just another town in Central India that is plagued with corruption, land grabbing, rape and farmer suicides. Amidst all this is Bhole Nath Singh (Prakash Jha), a cop who has made an empire by selling his conscience and duties towards the people. He is the right hand of Bablu Pandey (Manav Kaul) who is running for elections and his younger brother Dablu (Ninad Kamat).