Jazbaa

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : 9th October, 2015
Time : 122 minutes
Director, Writer : Sanjay Gupta (based on the Korean film, Seven Days); Music : Various;
Starring : Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Abhimanyu Singh




Welcome to the Sanjay Gupta school of exaggeration and over-acting…

Everyone is shrill, screams and runs in slow motion. A prisoner (Chandan Roy) giggles psychotically, and in their first meeting grabs his lawyer (Aishwarya) by the neck (just, because), druggies do a non-stop St Vitus’ Dance, cops even while suspended boss around other cops and ride in police vehicles. When someone is angry, they dramatically beat the earth, with little poofs of dust rising to emphasize their emotion to a soundtrack of them wailing their hearts out. And, worst of all, Irrfan spouts chavani dialogues as if he’s a defective jukebox.

Aishwarya is a top lawyer who has no problems getting guilty persons off the hook, even if it means subverting justice / evidence. She is also a single mom and so one day, when her darling daughter is kidnapped, her world comes crashing around her. The kidnappers merely want her to get a convicted rapist / killer (Chandan), who’s appeal is up in a few days, to get bail, to walk free…and then she can have her daughter back…

Irrfan is an old school friend, with more than a bit of a crush on Aishwarya. He’s also a cop, with lots of attitude, currently (rightly) under suspension for corruption and even has an arrest warrant issued against him. Shabana Azmi is the victim’s mom, while Jackie Shroff plays a Don type politician

This is a movie where even an ordinary school mother-daughter race is given the Chariots of Fire treatment. Where, every few minutes, we see the sea-link or Mumbai from the air. Where, in the twinkling of an eye, a trial lawyer becomes an ace investigative, Perry Mason-esque lawyer. Where someone begins to run and beat up Aishwarya, even when asked the most innocuous question during an ill-advised item number. And there is a sad attempt to make this about women’s rights which just doesn’t add up.

One of the only redeeming features of the film is the camera work by Sameer Arya – I quite enjoyed the visuals, aesthetics. Shabana can walk away with some credit, as can Jackie Shroff and Atul Kulkarni (plays the prosecuting lawyer). Abhimanyu Singh (have a huge soft spot for him since Gulaal) stands out in his small role. Aishwarya is okay (and everyone who has read my reviews for a while, will know how much it hurts to say that). Irrfan tries to ham it up but disappoints.

After watching the film, you want to see the original Korean movie, Seven Days, from which this is remade – just to see how that one was done, what superfluous elements have been added by the director / producer here, which takeaway from an otherwise quite neat premise…