Although the film fails to send across a strong social message but succeeds in providing wholesome entertainment. And, I believe this is what it is all about. We don’t need to delve too deeply into the subject and scrutinize it just for the sake of scrutinizing it.
One thing that I didn’t like about the original movie was the fact that at the end after going through all the troubles, Ranjeet (Sanjeev Kumar) apparently seems to have learned nothing. While Mudassir Aziz’s protagonist, Abhinav is shown having learn a lesson or two when he meets Neha (Kriti Sanon).
Tanuja Chandra's Qarib Qarib Singlle has no novelty or exciting factor, it has a theme that has been used over and over in many Bollywood movies. However, this movie is a bit different, the protagonists are in their mid-30s and have already seen much loneliness and pain in their lives. Jaya is a widow and is finally trying to move on with her life, but the love of her late husband is preventing her. Viyogi, a carefree man had three unsuccessful love. Now he wants to finally succeed in one. They embark on a journey to understand each other before falling for each other despite a myriad of differences.
I am giving Bala 9 out of 10 for its wonderfully executed plot and an impressive climax, something that Ujda Chaman couldn’t achieve last week. Bala’s excellence lies in having layered characters, excellent performances, and never-ending subtle humor. Despite a couple of flaws, this film is worth watching and I am confident that it is going to be one of the Top 10 Bollywood Movies of 2019. Also from the Box Office point of view, Bala is a certified hit and has every reason to join the 100 crore club.
I am not disappointed by Ujda Chaman, the reason is simple: I knew it was going to be a decent one-time watch movie. And, it is a good one time watch stuff anyway. Now coming to the sensitive topic of baldness that this movie portrays. I feel that Abhishek Pathak ruined a good opportunity to make a name for himself. The film goes overboard at places where students are seeing disdainfully teasing their teacher. I have never heard or seen such an incident in my whole life! So, I suggest you take Ujda Chaman’s story with a grain of salt. It feels closer to real-life at the start but as the predictive and monotonous plot moves forward the narrative becomes unrealistic. However, one thing that remains consistent is laughter.
It would have been great on the part of the director to show better character development. The monologue at the end too feels unconvincing; you can't just change youngsters by giving a 2-minute speech. I am giving Ujda Chaman 7 out 10 for Sunny Singh and entertaining consistent comic punches.
What Works for Dream Girl
Well, the answer is Ayushmann Khurrana and unlimited comic punches throughout the movie. Dream Girl is one crazy ride that starts with comedy and ends with it without indulging too much into social commentary. However, the monologue at the end conveys the social message in an effective way without disturbing the overall flow of the film.
After the success of Vicky Donor, this is the second time we are seeing Annu Kapor and Ayushmann Khurrana together and it works wonders here too. The script, dialogues, cinematography, and direction are awesome by every definition. Being born and brought up in Western Uttar Pradesh I loved the khadi boli/brij bhasha dialect used with perfection in the film. The songs are beautiful and memorable especially Radhe Radhe and Ik Mulaqaat. I am sure people are going to remember them for years to come.
Every relationship requires a breathing space as well as mutual respect for each other. But a relationship based on one party's domination over the other will become zestless over time. This is exactly what happens with one of our protagonists. Nikhil is tired of Karishma's frequent break-up threats and wants to live his life on his own terms. But apparently, being a good hearted guy with family values, he is reluctant to ditch her or is afraid of the consequences.
But when Meeta enters his life, his perception changes towards relationships. He learns that what he was thinking as the best option for him has actually become a barrier for him in enjoying his life to the fullest.
The same applies to us in our real lives as well. We do not need to surrender our free will to anyone just for the sake of keeping a relationship alive.
To sum up, Jabariya Jodi takes up so many things at once and fails to conclude any of them properly. We see that Prashant Singh has tried his best to take up some serious issues in his debut venture such as groom kidnapping, corrupt police and political system, female abuse, and so on. But the real problem with the film is that in the end it is no more than a mediocre romantic-drama comedy with usual mirch masala of Bollywood. The one thing that’s consistent throughout the film is comic punches. Jabariya Jodi gets 7 out of 10 from us.
The film becomes intriguing in the second half when we learn that after two years, Keshav (now Shravan) has married Megha (Amrita Puri), who is Bobby’s cousin. As destiny would have it, Bobby and Keshav meets again . But this time, Bobby would not let Keshav win and will expose him at any cost. The question is: is she right? or she is trying to frame him because of her obsession with him? Because due to her mental illness, for her differentiating between reality an illusion is difficult. What happens next and how the film concludes is something that you should find yourself by going to your nearest theater to watch this fantastic or perhaps the best psychological thriller of 2019. As the film has released just yesterday, I am not going to give away its climax that easily here to spoil your curiosity!
