Direction: Yash Chopra
Producers: Yash Raj Films
Writers: Aditya Chopra and Devika Bhagat
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Anupam Kher
Music: A R Rahman
Genre: Romance
Rating: * *
Plot: Samar Anand (Shah Rukh Khan) is a happy-go-lucky Indian living in London. He does odd jobs and struggles to make ends meet but that doesn’t lower his spirits. One day, out of nowhere, Meera (Katrina Kaif) walks into his life. The couple fall in love but as fate would have it, they are separated. Years later, Akira (Anushka Sharma), a carefree youngster, is moved to tears after knowing Samar’s story. Will Akira help Samar and Meera reunite or will she fall for Samar?
Review: Being a Yash Chopra-Shah Rukh Khan combo coupled by the fact that it is the last movie of the former, there were expectations from Jab Tak Hai Jaan. However, the hugely awaited film is nothing but a mixture of all done-to-death clichés that one could associate with typical love stories found in Bollywood. Sadly, that is not all. The film also suffers from a lack of logic, apart from a dragged length. It is only SRK’s greatness that makes it a somewhat watchable affair.
Anybody who has been following Bollywood love stories over the years would be able to predict the entire movie after the initial ten minutes. So when you know exactly what is going to happen throughout, you at least expect the story to be narrated in a convincing manner. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. The typical boy-meets-girl saga in the first half looks half baked. The way the story is narrated looks straight out of Ghajini. Later on, the film also reminds you of Chopra’s last Veer-Zaara. But what is worse is the separation under idiotic circumstances.
(Review continued after picture)
Picture courtesy – JTHJ Facebook page
The second half, thankfully, has some smile-producing moments due to the conversations between Shah Rukh and one of the actresses. But soon we are subjected to some unconvincing twists and a not-so-perfect as well as predictable climax. Although the film has some winning moments but they don’t manage to overtake the negative points at all! The three hour length (excluding interval) doesn’t help either.
Considering it to be an effort from a master storyteller, it is also highly surprising to see disregard being shown for logic. From a number of such incidents, this is felt the most when a man doing odd jobs in London is, after few years, seen as a Major in Indian Army who diffuses deadly bombs to earn a living. Of course, so no matter which wire he cuts, it will turn out to be the right one. Lastly, the two accidents, that move the story forward, are very silly!
From the songs, ‘Challa’ steals the show completely but the rest of the songs fail to amuse much. The combo of Gulzar-A R Rahman doesn’t live up to the expectations. The use of sleaze in ‘Ishq Shava’ appears questionable considering the film is targeted at family audiences. Anil Mehta once again proves why he is one of the best cinematographers in the industry. The background score is apt while the editing could have been tighter.
As mentioned at the start, Shah Rukh Khan carries the film on his shoulders with a brilliant act. He plays two starkly opposite characters with maturity and ease. Like most of her films, Katrina Kaif struggles with her diction and dialogue delivery. Things would have brightened up if a talented performer was in her place. Anushka Sharma is superb as she perfectly fits into the character of a modern, bubbly young girl. Rishi Kapoor shines in a cameo. Neetu Singh and Anupam Kher are adequate.
Overall, Jab Tak Hai Jaan is let down due to a poor script. At the box office, it will surely earn high profits and will certainly reach the Rs 100 crore mark. It isn’t a big deal if your film has a big superstar and you book almost every theater in the country.
