Jazbaa Review

One line Review: Edge-of-the-seat-thriller, 'Jazbaa' is a striking comeback of Aishwarya Rai and portrays exceptional performances by Irrfan Khan and Shabana Azmi.

Positive Points: Aishwarya Rai's come back after five long years! A delight for her fans who have been missing her screen presence. Irrfan Khan's extraordinary performance and apt dialogue delivery along with Shabana Azmi's strong comportment, count as good assets for the film. The film has an engrossing plot and the actors are the main reason of making the overall impact look good.

Negative Points: Though, the film has an appropriate run time of around two hours, the emotional and dramatic scenes are stretched, bringing down the pace, but that is true only for certain sequences. Also, the bond between Anuradha and her daughter should have been portrayed and elaborated more to establish a deep connection with the audience. Extended melodrama, extreme use of hues of green and sepia tones, especially in scenes depicting Mumbai does not work well for me.

Plot: Ace lawyer Anuradha Varma (Aishwarya Rai), a single mother, who is extremely successful in all her endeavours, finds nothing wrong in wining 'justice' for the 'guilty'. She lives a perfect life with her pre-teen daughter, managing work and home like any modern day woman. Until one day, when her daughter gets kidnapped and the abductor demands no ransom, but puts forth a deal instead. The abductor wants Anuradha to fight a case of a rapist and murderer, and set him free, and in exchange, offers to release her daughter. Anuradha is left with no choice but to take up the case of the convicted criminal (Chandan Roy Sanyal). Her childhood friend Yohan (Irrfan Khan) helps her in the whole scenario. Yohan is a decorated but suspended cop who has been held for corruption charges. Yohan's heart beats for Anuradha but chooses to be tight lipped about the same.

The plot unfolds as Anuradha and Yohan carry out the investigation of the case. While doing so, they meet the victim's mother (Shabana Azmi). The case intertwines further as the investigation proceeds. Will Anuradha be able to solve the puzzling case and save her daughter? The answer lies in the hard hitting climax.

Direction and other Technical Aspects: The engrossing screenplay works well in favour of the film. The director manages to keep up the intensity of the thriller intact. The emotional and dramatic sequences are a bit over the top and render the impression of exaggeration. The twists come at the right point, keeping the audience hooked. The smooth narration and tight editing earn brownie points. Perfect selection of the cast that delivers an exceptional performance raises the graph in a positive way. The witty one liners and the impactful dialogues create magic.

Performances: It is a pleasure to watch Aishwarya Rai on the big screen. She looks flawlessly beautiful in every frame. The actress essays the role of a successful lawyer and a loving mother convincingly. She manages to pull off Anuradha's dual personality as a firm lawyer and a helpless mother with full conviction.

Irrfan Khan is an endowed personality and becomes more likable with every performance and every film that he chooses to act in. He gleams in the role of a tough cop. And, to watch him deliver those dialogues is a delight. His punch lines do the job of adding life to dry sequences. Dialogues like these - 'Rishton me bharosa aur mobile be network na ho toh log game khelne lag jate hai' can never fail to entertain Bollywood lovers. His closing dialogue, 'Mohobbat hai isliye jane dia, jidd hoti to bahoo me hoti' however, win full points!

Shabana Azmi is a gem. Her character is strong and she performs it brilliantly, making it look authentic and believable.

Chandan Roy Sanyal essays the role of a convicted criminal. He fails to impress and does not come across as gruesome as any villain should be. The other supporting cast manages to perform decently.

Music: There are not many songs in the film due to its suspense genre which acts in the support of the film. 'Jaane Tere Shehar' and 'Bandeyaa' are already on the playlists of many. The party number 'Aaj Raat Ka Scene' is a hit and the other compositions along with the background music, score decently.

Final Verdict: The film will surely be a delight for Aishwarya Rai's fans as she is making an arresting comeback in the thriller. Irrfan Khan's fans will see him in an exclusive avatar. The audience surely will enjoy the witty punch lines delivered by Khan. 'Jazbaa' is an engrossing thriller with twists and suspense upright. Watch it if you enjoy movies with gripping plots.