user-897-810721

Let me put this out there - this movie is inconsistent, to the point that you can easily spot technical inconsistencies in the editing, narrative, etc. Let me also put this out there - I have never seen a Bollywood film as ambitious as this one. Bollywood usually gives us a certain kind of cinema - romance, drama, tragedy and exaggerated action are the common ingredients. And so, I expected the same from Jagga Jasoos, with added music of course. And what did I get? Adventure. Pure adventure. The plot could be written in one line - a clever boy with a stutter seeks to find his missing father. That is all there is. But the treatment is incredible! This is a genius - who goes by the name of Anurag Basu - letting his imagination run wild. He loses the plot, often loses his grip, and eventually serves a half-baked dish. But then again, a half- baked dish by Basu is better than a lot of the other movies Bollywood has to offer. Jagga Jasoos is poetry without a message; it has little meaning to offer, but it flows beautifully. Let me also put this out there - if you subscribe to Salman Khan school of Bollywood (no judgements here, just a disclaimer), avoid the movie. You will never find a movie so diametrically opposite to the likes of Kick and Jai Ho. That said, the movie has several issues that are overshadowed by two brilliant performers. The first is Saswata Chatterjee. It is a pity that little is known about him (this is only the second time I have seen him in a film). Every second that he spends on screen tugs the viewer's heart. And the second - no prizes for guessing - is Ranbir Kapoor. I am yet to see a star who can take as many risks and act as well. I look forward to watching him excel in a movie with a better-developed script. Give Jagga Jasoos a shot if you can. It might try your patience, but there is always something to marvel at when it plays out in front of you. Hopefully, if the producers feel secure enough, we will get a movie without as many faults as this one. A Jagga Jasoos 2.

As Ae Dil Hai Mushkil moved from one scene to the next, I knew with absolute certainty that here is a film that is going to receive quite some flak. The film's primary 'flaw' was that for most of its running time, it lacked the instant tear-jerkers that Karan Johar is known to pepper his films with. In fact, here was a film that could have resonated with large chunks of India's urban youth. The film's second 'flaw' lay in its choice of protagonist – Ayan was no Bollywood hero. In India, our heroes fix things. They solve situations. In Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, we have a broken protagonist. The film's final 'flaw', however, is that it breaks the same romance that Johar's earlier films captured down, and chooses to expose love in its most naked form. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is about unsuccessful love, which, in all honesty, is a more universal and relatable theme than successful love. All these 'flaws' are the films greatest strengths, and they can only be appreciated once we accept that most men are not Raj-esque figures from DDLJ, and that most women are not as emotionally dependent on their men as Bollywood has shown them to be. We men are more Ayan than Raj, and women are more Alyzeh than Simran. Interestingly, it is a Karan Johar film that beneath its gloss and glitter is so rooted in reality. As for the performances – Anushka Sharma gets it right again. Alyzeh is not heartless. Alyzeh is not weak. Alyzeh is unbent. Alyzeh is strong. Anushka portrays all these facets of her character incredibly well. The standout performance though, and there are no surprises here, is Ranbir Kapoor. He might be all but written off (hopefully no more), but here is a star who can act. There is so much intensity to his performance that you cannot help but feel his character's pain. Many will point out that the actor essentially essays revamped versions of his earlier roles with each movie he does. And there is some truth to that. Ayan is a concoction of JJ from Rockstar, Sid from Wake Up Sid, Raj from Bachna Ae Haseeno, Bunny from Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Ved from Tamasha. But it is to the actor's credit that he brings something fresh to the table in every movie he does. It is for this reason that all his characters, despite their similarities, can be easily distinguished. Just like Shahrukh Khan with romance, Ranbir Kapoor is adopting coming- of-age cinema as his own. Hopefully, the audience learns to accept that.