Jayashree Dhar

Shailaja is suffering from Dementia and wanted to relive a childhood memory. Shailaja and Dipankar arrive in the quaint small town, memories of her childhood flood back, with each street corner triggering fragments of her past. She meets Pradeep, and the floodgates of unresolved emotions open. Understandably, Shailaja has been treading a safe path until now, telling herself that Pradeep is her childhood friend, and she wanted to meet him, maybe for the last time in her right mind. She's unsure if Pradeep still remembers her and harbors the same unsaid emotions from back then. She wants to look into the eyes of that emotion she left behind 28 years ago and find out if both of them still feel it. Pradeep, too, treads a safe path, uncertain of Shailaja's emotional trajectory. Their restrained yet powerful emotions start to flow, and unfortunately, Dipankar is stranded in it. No, it's nobody's fault. Sometimes, you're not just yourself with the person you've spent the longest time with; you just don't spark. Sometimes, you are just yourself and beyond with someone whom you've spent just a fragment of time. Some people in the course of our journey bring out the most sparkling, glowing version of us we never knew existed. Yet, they can't be our forever. So, that's what Shailaja and Pradeep feel for each other—a feeling that is ephemeral yet profound, a feeling that keeps flowing without asking for proprietorship. A feeling called Love. Sometimes one cannot explain what it is about a particular person that you never felt with any other. A woman has always been taught that she has to be the happiest with her husband. Her center of happiness should be that person. But reality often speaks another language. That's why when Dipankar confronts Shailaja that he has never seen her the happiest, and is this so? Shailaja asks him instead, "When was the last time we were sad together?" Dipankar doesn't have any concrete answer to this eye-opener. He has to accept it and he chooses not to undo their reality over this tiny block that exists in his wife's life. One cannot rein someone's emotion, and love is a special emotion. I am simply awestruck by this movie. It is a very close version of poetry on celluloid. The best part is that all the characters are devoid of any hostilities. The two most important persons in Shailaja and Pradeep's lives are their life partners, and both of them are very good human beings. Both Dipankar and Sarika are good human beings. I won't delve into the acting of the main cast. You've got to see it to believe it. They are truly marvelous. But Shefali Shah and Jaydeep Ahlawat, my words will fall short. Shefali Shah, her eyes can convey every emotion without uttering a word. And Jaydeep Ahlawat... man, what an actor he is! A man who can easily shed tears upon discovering his childhood love has remembered him for the past 28 years and is destined to fade away into the thick fog of her mind in the near future. A man who does embroidery work to express his feelings, and there's nothing feminine about it. In an obnoxious world of Kabir Singh and Ranvijay Singh, Pradeep Kamat is the oxygen we need. He is the definition of an evolved man, and I don't care if he is alpha, beta, or gamma.

Who writes a movie review almost 6 years after its release? Well, some cranks like me, I guess... I wasn't eager to put my thoughts on paper about this one, but after sifting through numerous glowing reviews that extolled the sweet love story, I found myself compelled to express my dissent. The film glossed over a significant relationship obstacle. It attempted to pass off a narcissistic mindset as a portrayal of a cozy, comfortable relationship, almost making me question its sheer naivety. Abhi Roy, affectionately known as Bubla, was head over heels in love with Bindu, continuously pushing their story even when the signals were glaringly red. He kept undermining what he already knew, as evidenced by his own words: "ab to rent de de," until he considered committing suicide. Bindu, on the other hand, comes across as a narcissistic individual. Yes, that's exactly what she is. She repeatedly exploited Bubla, fully aware that he would never stand up to her, ultimately leaving him to wallow in self-pity for the rest of his life. Love is a subjective and immeasurable emotion. If Bubla loves Bindu, it's his perspective, not Bindu's. However, what's deeply troubling is that Bindu was well aware of Bubla's emotions and exploited them. While Bubla could have set boundaries, when you're hopelessly in love, rationality often takes a backseat, even when you know you're being manipulated by the person you love with all your heart. Bindu decided to leave Bubla, citing her ambition to become an accomplished singer, only to later, after a few years perhaps, choose to marry and take on the role of a housewife, a role she had previously loathed. It all seems rather convenient, doesn't it? It's one thing if she saw Bubla as nothing more than a friend or a confidant without the romantic layer, but she should have had the courage to be upfront about it. She should have burst the bubble that Bubla had been carrying throughout his life. Truth always hurt, but it certainly doesn't lead one down a harmful path. Portraying mental manipulation as "aww, so very romantic" is something the audience should take note of. Acting-wise, the entire cast delivered outstanding performances, with special kudos to Ayushmann and Parineeti. I was delighted to see many Bengali actors in mainstream Hindi cinema, nearly all of them proving to be actors of excellence.

I read 'The Devotion of Suspect X' a long time back and was captivated by Higashino's masterful writing. On the surface, it appeared to be a crime thriller, where readers already know the nature of the crime and its perpetrators. However, that was just the beginning. Higashino effectively set a trap to entangle readers in an intricate web of deceit. He skillfully deceived readers, prompting us to read and re-read the final paragraphs repeatedly, only to realize that we had been elegantly tricked. We accepted the solution he presented, seeing only what he wanted us to see, much like the main character, Ishigami, wished everyone to perceive. Detective Kusanagi's unwavering determination and Dr. Yukawa's logical mind complement each other in solving the intricate mystery. 'Jaane Jaan' has faltered in many aspects, and the complete departure from the original ending, in my opinion, has also taken away the brilliance of this masterpiece from its celluloid version. It has failed to capture the essence of Higashino's writing. Why is there no Dr. Yukawa? I did not understand; he was the most important character in the entire piece. Regarding the acting, Kareena Kapoor Khan is the Achilles' heel of the movie. While she attempted to deliver a low-key performance, she lacked the complexity of Yasuko. Yasuko is a multifaceted character; her life choices are not easy, and at times, she may be perceived as cold and selfish, especially when sharing her space with Ishigami. KKK fell short of portraying this complex character. Vijay Verma delivers a commendable performance. Karan Anand lacked any 'Devotion' and carried a sharp mind. The hints of lust and how he lured Mrs. D'Souza to the bar were beautifully captured in his eyes. It was a challenging task to maintain restraint, and Vijay Verma succeeded. Jaideep Ahlawat, I'm short of words for him. He is the heart, lungs, and kidneys of this film, and without him, this movie would have been bland. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He elevated Naren Vyas aka Ishigami to the next level. His eyes, the way they lit up at the sight of Mrs. D'Souza, the subtle smile at the corner of his lips, and the profound joy in his eyes when Mrs. D'Souza hugged him were brilliant. Every emotion was captured down to the finest detail in his eyes. 'Jaane Jaan' is Jaideep Ahlawat's best work to date, and we should watch the movie just for him.