JAWAAN (2023) : review

Image
And finally the much hyped, much awaited Jawaan saw light of the day ! Big stars, big budget( humongous budget actually), big music composer, everything super large. But does it meet the expectations of the average viewer? No it goes not. Read on.  A decorated jawan locks horns with a criminal called Kaali, this is in 1986 ( the year movies like Aakhri Raasta released, just for reference). Kaali gets him eliminated and send the pregnant wife to jail. The baby born in jail grows up to become the hero (look alike of the father) and decides to avenge the misdeeds done to his innocent patriotic parents. Well, isn’t it a masaaledaar full on Bollywood- Tollywood drama subject ?  And then the director Atlee also borrows ideas and references from various retro movies, some idea from Sholay (1975) as the hero assembled a gang of jailed Qaidis in order to form a team to nab the villain, then there’s an entire episode borrowed from Dhartiputra (1993), and the basic theme is copy pasted ...

HIS STORY(2021): review



Directed by: Prashant Bhagia 

Streaming on : zee5 

Cast: Priyamani, Satyadeep Misra, Mrinal Dutt, Nikhil Bhatia, Mikhail Gandhi, Rajeev Kumar, Parinita Seth, Anmol Kajani, Charu Shanker, Rheanne Tejani. 

Surprisingly, the otherwise intolerable Alt Balaji (Ekta Kapoor) has been coming out with some decent stuff these days, breaking out of the Saas Bahus and Gandi Baats she’s exploring some good subjects being handled sensitively. Hmm. 


So the story is actually about two men in love with each other in a homophobic world, but the lead actress has played her part so well that she manages to convince you that it’s actually ‘her story’ and not ‘his story’, seriously that’s how good actress Priyamani is in this role. A working woman, chef by profession who’s been in a happy marriage(or so she thinks) of twenty years with a wealthy entrepreneur suddenly one fateful evening finds her husband smooching a young guy in the car! Soon she comes to know the guy is her husband’s boyfriend. Now what? 


Even though the director tries to showcase the intimate and sensitive love story between the two men, somehow Priyamani’s performance hogs the limelight and one starts sympathising with her even though the story doesn’t support the idea. There’s something about the way she’s played her part, something genuinely empathetic, relatable and realistic. And that’s got nothing to do with her good looks or that sexy lopsided smile, it’s just her sincere act. 


And we can’t take away credit from the director or the powerful producer here. Handling a sensitive subject so beautifully without resorting to bollywoodish stereotypes, you’ve done a great job. Homosexuality, child abuse, racism, body shaming, bullying, infidelity and many more topics are included in this eleven episodic web series and each one dealt with consummate perfection. 


Priyamani is without a doubt the highlight of this series. Misra also plays his part well, but Mrinal Dutt’s food blogger character just doesn’t grow, something half baked about it. Little Mikhail Gandhi plays his role with utmost maturity for a child his age. But as a reviewer for me the star of the series is Priyamani, though not an author backed role, she does manage to hold your attention till the end. 


Barring a few kissing scenes it’s pleasantly surprising that Balaji films haven’t included creepy animal sex like Gandi Baat, says a lot about their mature approach this time in-order to cater to the classes and not the masses. The opulence, elite aura doesn’t look made up, it helps to have primary cast members who look classy and sophisticated to fit perfectly into the storyline. 


Certainly good for a one time watch, and the last episode does give a very obvious hint for a second season. Hopefully the producers maintain the standard and don’t crumble down to the lower denominators. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Comments

  1. Yeah I quite liked the series.And as you said Priyamani was exceptional.She has a certain appeal which makes her stand out.Satyadeep Mishra is has been doing some good work.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FLASHBACK# An Affair To Remember ?

An uncut diamond called SARIKA

Flashback# WHERE IS NEETA MEHTA?