The benchmark Sujoy Ghosh created for himself with the Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani is challenging to match. And it’s evident in most of his subsequent projects where he donned the director’s hat. With Jaane Jaan, the trailer raised high hopes, and things looked pretty exciting, but the film barely manages to live up to that hype or even come close to the intrigue quotient it set out to create.
If there’s anything that saves Jaane Jaan from sinking, it is the impeccable performances of this trio (Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Vijay Varma). Collectively, they offer a satisfying experience to moviegoers. Jaane Jaan would have been perfect if I had just watched them perform without thinking about the what, why, and how. But the film falters in more departments than one, and it’s hard to ignore. Jaane Jaan needed more pace, more depth, and nuances for it to hit you hard.
An official adaptation of the 2005 Japanese novel The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino, the thriller has all the elements you’d expect to see in the said genre.
Yet, their treatment and the events unfolding needed to be more cohesive. From the crime being committed to the motive behind helping the culprit, it takes only a little to solve the mystery, which is a mere showcase of some spectacular performances.
The story traces Maya D’Souza (Kareena Kapoor Khan), who moved to Kalimpong in West Bengal years ago with her daughter Tara (Naisha Khanna) and runs a cafe. On one fateful night, while she is trying to cover up the murder of her estranged husband Ajit Mhatre (Saurabh Sachdeva), she encounters her gifted but awkward neighbor, Naren, aka Teacher (Jaideep Ahlawat), who readily comes on board to help her for motives best known to him. Soon, a crime investigation begins, and relentless cop Karan Anand (Vijay Anand) arrives on the scene, who must reach the bottom of this case and uncover the truth. He has just one suspect -Maya, but all evidence is in her favor, so no arrest can be made.
How does Karan unravel the mystery? Does Maya manage to steer away from the crime investigation? Why was the Teacher helping Maya? All these questions find answers for nearly two hours.
The story that Ghosh has co-written with Raj Vasant generates a decent amount of curiosity, to begin with, and it builds nicely as it pans out. But soon, it goes downhill and loses focus. Despite so much unfolding on screen, including some gory details, somehow, you never feel that adrenaline rush a murder mystery or a thriller of this scale and with such a stellar cast is expected to offer. Also, Jaane Jaan falls victim to way too many giveaways during the course of its screenplay. For instance, one of the flashback sequences early on in the script tells me one of the big reveals, which could have been saved for the climax.
The film’s casting should be rewarded for being one of the finest we have seen recently.
Jaideep, Kareena, and Vijay brought their roles to life with sheer brilliance without overshadowing one other .
Kareena Kapoor, donning kohl-rimmed eyes and a clean ponytail, steals the show with her innocent and honest portrayal of Maya. On days, she is a strong single mom, and on days, she is a quirky independent lady, but the subtlety does not leave her role; it lingers and continues to stay even after the movie ends.
Jaideep Ahlawat, the mathematician, is the star of the film. His dialogue delivery and that soft smile are enough to make him seem mysterious. Jaideep, as a regular but not so regular teacher, wins hearts with his precision of character. His lingo is muted yet perfect, realistic yet extraordinary. One of the finest actors we have, and there’s no denying that!
Vijay Varma, the bad boy, turned good this time for Jaane Jaan. It was pretty refreshing to see Vijay play a cop with an underlying thought process that often diverts him from work (keeping those secrets buried). He is as crisp, natural, and perfectly convincing as Karan Anand.
We couldn’t have asked for a better combination of talented actors, with such seasoned cast as Kareena, Jaideep, and Vijay taking center stage with laudable performances quenching our thirst for a perfect thriller. Kudos to the filmmakers for fitting a classic like Aa Jaane Jaan into this crime thriller that doesn’t even seem out of place but also makes for the title of the movie. The BGM too, is soft and suspenseful.
Despite such brilliantly effortless performances, Jaane Jaan remains an average thriller that keeps you waiting for the big reveal in the climax. Alas, it never comes, or whatever is there, it is too little, too late. In fact, in the climax, when the whole mystery solving is narrated through a series of flashbacks or when the puzzle pieces finally start coming together, you realize the puzzle never existed in the first place.
However, you can watch Jaane Jaan for some of the best acting chops on display and figure out how Ghosh could have adapted this novel differently to make it more hard-hitting.