Average Ratings:2.5/5

Often the problem with trying to satisfy multiple agendas is that telling an interesting story becomes secondary to everything else.Yet nothing hurts the senses more than the sepia-soaked yellow-green lighting that gives the film a post-apocalypse videogame-like effect. Im going with two out of five for Jazbaa. Frankly it delivers more than its awful trailer promised. But good luck protecting your eyes and ears from this sensory overload.

Overall, Jazbaa feels like a wasted effort, a clear case of superficial style triumphing over substance by a fair distance.But it has just enough for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan fans to justify a trip to the multiplexes. Jazbaa, however, is just as much, if not more, Irrfan Khans film.

Watched #Jazbaa. A captivating thriller with a powerful finale. Slick, stylish & fast-paced, the film’s high point is it’s taut screenplay.Sanjay Gupta’s deft direction uplifts even an ordinary sequence. Aiding him are punch-packed dialogue and superb cinematography. Aishwarya makes a stunning impact, conveying a gamut of emotions [grief, strong-willed, determined] with aplomb. Finest work so far. Jazbaa also boasts of two stellar performances: Irrfan [outstanding] and Shabana Azmi [remarkable]. Two major strengths of this film.

Jazbaa’s narrative has pace and power. From screeching car sequences to emotionally-charged showdowns between his accomplished lead cast; the film throbs. Which is not to say that there are no flaws. The green hue overshadows Mumbai’s skyline. Aishwarya is rusty at the start but eventually takes charge of the dual aspects of her character. Once in the groove, her eyes breathe fire.

Sanjay Guptas direction fails to create the right kind of impact. He has concentrated too much on making a stylised film but that has not taken care of the emotional side of the drama which remains dull. On the whole, Jazbaa will fail to deliver at the box-office and will entail losses to all concerned. Class audiences may find the film interesting but that will just not be enough.

Gupta has cut to a generic hip-hop song, a party song, the kind Irrfan himself satirised so well recently.That says it all, the gulf between the lampooned and the lampooner.earlier, Khan offers a fellow policeman a bribe of the very purest Shilajit, but that might have come in handier for Guptas flaccid film. You can give us red eyes in a green film, Mr Gupta, but that doesnt make it Christmas.

While the film’s music (Amar Mohile) is not very massy, it is the film’s background music that keeps the film gripped throughout. The film’s editing (Bunty Negi) could have been a bit better in order for the film to look sleeker. The film’s cinematography (Sameer Arya) is decent. On the whole, JAZBAA is a captivating thriller with good performances that make it a decent one-time watch.

Jazbaa does not promise anything extraordinary. If you have missed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in films, here is a treat for you. Irrfan Khan fans will certainly enjoy.

Sanjay manages to keep the proceedings on a tight leash, not allowing our attention waver for too long. Even as you anxiously follow Aishwaryas tense four days in which she has to get the rapist, Miyaaz Shaikh (Chandan Roy Sanyal) out of prison that hes ensconced in, it is Irrfan who captures your heart and imagination. If only Gupta had gone a little easy on the unnecessary and intrusive melodrama. Even then, its a good one time watch for sure.

The film gives such gyan on life, love and universe that it seems less like a whodunnit murder mystery and more like a satsang. There is a spiritual spin to everything. A character in the movie says, I like holding my coffee mug close, because I want to hold my life close and feel it with my naked fingers. I laughed out so loud that my cheeks still hurt. Yep, you can hold the coffee mug close, hold your life close too. I am not sure if you should come anywhere close to Jazbaa.

Jazbaas taut pace and streamlined approach towards the second half glosses over these glaring inadequacies. The climax is sharp and unexpected. The whodunit also addresses the issue of violence against women, in an entertaining manner. The film looks at how rape cases are shoddily handled by Indian courts and dwells briefly on how a manipulative criminal can walk away scot-free if aided by a smart lawyer. The thrilling bits are saved for the last in this succinct thriller, making you wonder why the bits about retribution, justice, crime and punishment were not explored in depth. The wicked climax of Jazbaa makes it a satisfying watch, but not a watertight thriller.