Went to watch this movie on the day after its release – it was a weekday, and AMC Barrington wasn’t milling with moviegoers like it would be over the weekend. The parking lot was almost empty, so we managed to get a spot close t the theatre entrance. So far so good.
A Shah Rukh Khan release never fails to create an uproar here in the US, and its not uncommon for the desis to break into heated arguments and squabbles over theater seats. Here in America, they have the ‘free seating’ system in movie halls, which means that once you have your ticket, you are admitted into the theater area. Once in, you are supposed to locate your screen, and find yourself some seats. So, as far as getting good seats goes, it’s purely on a first come first serve basis.
Coming back to JTHJ, the hall was about 25 per cent occupied that Wednesday evening, impressive considering it was a weekday. Otherwise, even on weekends, its not uncommon to see movies running to empty houses, with no spectators bar the rows of plush, but unoccupied seats.
Being a Shah Rukh-starrer and a Yash Chopra directed film (his last one no less), JTJH was not subject to the same dismal fate. The balcony section was almost fully occupied.
The trailers finally petered out, and we saw the familiar Indian Censor Board Certificate on the screen, with the film title ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ scrawled across it.
Expectant and excited, my husband, our two young boys, and I, waited for the magic to unfold. This film, by all accounts, was touted to be the saga of all romantic sagas. For, if Yash Chopra + SRK = Magic, then imagine the conjuration that could be SRK +Katrina Kaif+ Yash Chopra!
The film begins with bomb squad expert Samar Khan (Shah Rukh) of the Indian army, defusing his 95th bomb in the militant-infested Kashmir valley. The love story that lies at the heart of Jab Tak Hai Jaan unfolds through the diary of Samar Anand, which falls into the hands of young BBC intern Akira (Anushka Sharma).
Through the pages of his diary, Akira learns that there is a story behind the stoic, almost melancholy demeanour of Samar Anand. She reads about the cruel twist of fate, from which emerged this man who flirts with deth every single day, defusing deadly bombs sans a bomb-suit, with his bare hands. Beyond impressed and moved by his story, Akira decides to do shoot a documentary, “the man who cannot die’, for her internship project. She pesters her boss til she gives the nod, and the boss secures permission from the Army brass.
As she follows Samar Anand and the rest of the bomb squad around, Akira realizes she’s falling for him. She feels that Samar and she are very alike – they both are fearless, unafraid of death, and even confesses her love to him.
This is the intermission, and from this point on the twists and turns get increasingly incredible, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Aditya Chopra has written the story and screenplay, and his late father’s indubitable directorial prowess cannot make the hackneyed plot more believable. It just about manages to make it tolerable. But, where the director succeeds, the editing falters. The film, at two hours and forty minutes, is loooong!
Kaif delivers her lines in her usual accented Hindi, and her English accent is unmistakably American. No problem, except that she’s playing a young British heiress, the born-and brought-up in London kind. In fact, she is even tutoring Samar Anand in the correct way to speak the ‘propah’ Queen’s English, and in return, he is teaching her to sing in Punjabi. Thank God they’re playing pretend.
The music has been scored by AR Rahman and the lyrics are by Gulzar – the illustrious Oscar-winning winning team of Slumdog Millionaire and many other fabulous musical scores. While the songs aren’t bad at all, they’re just not up to the usual standards of maestro Rahman. The background score though, also by Rahman, is haunting and evocative. Gulzar’s lyrics, especially for the Punjabi folk song ‘Heer’ , resonate, weaving a beautiful picture longing and love.
Shah Rukh Khan is in his element as the middle-aged army man, essaying the part with the right amount of savoir faire; but his performance as 25-year old Samar seems more than just a tad forced- the too-wide-to-be-real grins, flashing those dimples on cue, and the young, fresh-faced lover boy act – he is clearly trying too hard to pull it off. Filmmakers kindly keep in mind, it’s been more than fifteen years since he played Raj in DDLJ!
Having said that, it’s not the actor’s fault; it’s the flawed story line. How could the makers expect a forty-seven year old to convincingly play a twenty-something? And in my humble opinion, Shah Rukh is no Aamir Khan, a la 3 Idiots, whose portrayal of an undergraduate Engineering college student was so authentic, it had us convinced.
Anushka Sharma as the fiesty, ambitious journalist is bang-on. She gives an energetic yet measured performance, and takes care to not overact.
As for the lovely Katrina Kaif, she is the quintessential Yash Raj heroine – achingly beautiful, and hopelessly in love. The lady really tries to put in a heartfelt performance. But once again, the ridiculous story line fails her. However, her dance moves in a London underground nightclub literally take your breath away, and is easily the one stand-out sequence from the film. Her flawless dancing bears testimony to the fact that she really has come far as a performer, and her reputation for being exceptionally hard-working is very well-deserved.
As the film culminated in its bittersweet and completely predictable ending, our family of four started to file out of the theater. We were relieved that the movie was finally over, but also disappointed, and somewhat exasperated. One couldn’t help feeling let down, even as many in the audience stopped in their tracks to watch the still shots of the late Yash Chopra during the making of the film, and interacting with his actors. His mastery over his craft, and the easy rapport he shared with the stars came through.
All in all, Jab Tak Hai Jaan is average fare, worth watching once, if only to pay homage to the departed King of Romance.
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