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 ...

THE LAST HOUR (2021) Review



Directed by: Amit Kumar 

Streaming on: Amazon prime video 

Cast: Sanjay Kapoor, Karma Takapa, Shaylee Krishen, Shahana Goswami, Robin Tamang, Mandakini, Raima Sen, Lanuakom Ao, Debashish Lama, Tenzein Choden, and others 

What’s the best location for a supernatural murder mystery? Nope not a Ramsay brother Haveli, it’s a foggy misty hill station that can give you the chills and the thrills. How I wish the direction was as thrilling and chilling here. Sigh. 


A Mumbai based investigations officer is relocated to the north eastern Indian region, he soon gets assigned the task to track down the culprits behind the rape and murder of a tourist who was a Bengali film star. The murders do not stop there, and the officer (played by Sanjay Kapoor) soon realises it’s a pretty complicated mystery to crack down. A young Shaman (what’s that? Google and you’ll get a detailed description of these mysterious people who can travel in the middle world along with spirits) helps the officer by communicating with the souls of the victims. 


The concept is unusual for Indian liking, and it’s handled well enough in the seven episodes, but wonder what went wrong in the finale? The first seven episodes move at a snail’s pace, and as an viewer you kind of get accustomed to its slow yet detailed scripting , very well edited and conceptualised. The dark background, subtle and soft music and close ups of the cast make it more intriguing and interesting. And then in the eight episode the director hurries up in winding up the story in a jiffy!! The last twenty minutes are incomprehensible and look so hurried as if the production unit went out of stock for reels. 


The photography is serene, the north eastern area of our country is blissfully picturesque and breathtaking. You’ll fall head over heels in love with the scaly mountain peaks pictured here in. And it’s a bonus they’ve utilised local north east artists to play prominent roles in this series. Actor Karma who plays the lead role does a fine job , and the voice which may have been dubbed sounds really crystal clear. Sanjay Kapoor who was an unbearably terrible actor in his 90s movies does a surprisingly likeable job here, he’s brilliant. So is the underrated talent Shahana Goswami, who plays her part so well. 


There are a host of supporting cast members who act expressionless and look dead when they’re meant to be alive on screen. Even though it’s a murder mystery with very strong undertones of supernatural and horror, there are far too many questions left unanswered. 

If only the makers had put in more efforts in creating a more pathbreaking and interesting final episode ! ⭐️⭐️



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

FLASHBACK# An Affair To Remember ?

An uncut diamond called SARIKA

Flashback# WHERE IS NEETA MEHTA?