OTT Review : Kareena Kapoor’s Jaane Jaan – Hindi film on Netflix

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor’s new film Jaane Jaan was released directly on Netflix today. The film is the official adaptation of the Japanese novel “The Devotion of Suspect X,” written by Keigo Higashino. Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Verma played crucial roles. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film is streaming in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Set in Kalimpong, the film is about a single mother, Maya D’souza, a.k.a. Soniya D’souza (Kareena Kapoor). She works in a cafe to take care of her daughter, Tara D’souza (Naisha Khanna). Maya doesn’t like her husband, Ajit Mhatre (Saurabh Sachdeva), and hence, she separates from him even before Tara is born. Maya’s neighbor, Naren Vyas (Jaideep Ahlwahat), a high school teacher, secretly loves her.

Out of the blue, Ajit Mhatre shows up in Kalimpong and visits Maya’s house. Maya thinks Ajit came for money, but the latter has other plans. Maya kills Ajit, and her daughter Tara assists with the crime. Naren helps Maya to cover up the murder. What made Maya kill her husband? Did Maya, Tara, and Naren get caught by the police? This is what Jaane Jaan is about.

Plus Points:

Jaideep Ahlawat of Paatal Lok fame displayed his sheer brilliance with Jaane Jaan. He, as a maths genius, gave a thumping and a nuanced performance. Jaideep’s subtle acting is the film’s biggest asset, and he walks away with the cake in this crime thriller.

Kareena Kapoor is no doubt a terrific performer, and she brought all her experience to the table. The way she emoted in key sequences is superb. The last 40 minutes of the film are dealt well, and there are gripping moments here.

The small town set-up is quite brilliant, and the art direction team succeeds in setting up the mood required for a crime film. Vijay Varma, as a police officer, gave a solid performance. Lately, the actor has been playing negative roles, and it was refreshing to see Vijay in a different character this time.

Minus Points:

Unfortunately, the film is the official adaptation of the Japanese novel “The Devotion of Suspect X,” which was the inspiration behind the Malayalam blockbuster Drishyam. One can’t help but find the similarities between Drishyam and Jaane Jaan. The way in which the alibies are created to cover up the murder has a striking resemblance with the Malayalam film.

Hence, the comparisons become inevitable, and one feels like watching Drishyam again in the first hour. The same Drishyam has been remade in several Indian languages, including Hindi. This works against the film, but thankfully, the stunning performances of the lead cast and the final portions make the difference.

The first half is very slow, and the editing team could have done a much better job. The movie also ends on an abrupt note without providing answers to the few questions. The character of Ajit Mhatre should have been shown in a more detailed manner.

Technical Aspects:

The background score composed by Shor Police is impressive. The camera work by Avik Mukhopadhyay is top-notch. The production values are good, and the dialogues are well-written. The editing is not up to the mark.

Coming to the director, Sujoy Ghosh, he did an okay job with Jaane Jaan. He extracted good performances from the lead cast, and the final moments were gripping. As Drishyam is a popular franchise in India, and the same Japanese novel is the inspiration behind it, comparisons are unavoidable. Hence, Sujoy Ghosh should have altered the screenplay a bit for the better good.

Verdict:

On the whole, Jaane Jaan is a passable crime thriller with some gripping moments in the last forty minutes. The movie is based on a Japanese novel which was the inspiration behind the Drishyam franchise. Hence, comparisons will come into the picture definitely. The makers should have come up with some novel ideas as Drishyam is watched by the majority of the audience. Kareena Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Vijay Varma are spectacular in a familiar terrain. Along with their stunning performances, a few well-executed scenes make this film a passable fare.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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