Review: 'Jubilee' (Full Season): An immersive tale of love, betrayal & business from where it all began

Jubilee

Getting transported into an era by just watching something possibly couldn't have been done in a better way than Jubilee does. The Amazon Prime Video series clocks a massive 10 episodes averaging around 50 odd minutes each. And taking the route of releasing it in two parts was seemingly a conscious call in order to give the viewer time to soak the experience in. I certainly did. Having seen all the ten episodes beforehand, here is a detailed piece on the journey that is Jubilee-

Details in Every Department

Let us first and foremost acknowledge and applaud the technical team of this show because they seldom get their due recognition. And especially in a show like this where every frame, every costume, every prop and literally every minutest detail you see on screen has to be era appropriate; the team here has done exceptional work. The production design by Mukund Gupta and Aparna Sud, the art direction by Yogesh Bansode, Priti Gole, Vahi Shaikh and Yasmin Sethi, the costume design by Shruti Kapoor and everyone else involved, go to unimaginable lengths to make sure every moment of the viewing is almost perfect. Not for a moment do you feel being lost out on grabbing the essence courtesy this world-building by a brilliant crew.

The Story & Screenplay

Usually, a viewer goes on to look at external factors or finding faults in such a show more so because the story being told isn't engaging enough. That is not the case with Jubilee. Director and writer Vikramaditya Motwane makes it a point to carve out fulfilling characters in this world with precision, emotions and time. The screenplay is weaved so intricately that seldom is there a point that seems out of place  - this would have been a certainty owing to crafting a story that clocks over 500 minutes of viewing (after editing) but it is something that isn't compromised in any manner. The characters get a full arc and one that seems satisfactory. What makes this even better is how the show just doesn't talk about Hindi movies...

A Brimming Can with Issues To show

The last line above just leads to marking on just how many things does director Motwane gather together to show. Right from casteism, partition of India and Pakistan and the political developments of the same, women facing patriarchy, infidelity, fickle nature of people in entertainment business, conspiracy and so on and so on... Try to say all of the above in one breath! This is one of the trickiest feats to accomplish where in an attempt to give justice to so many topics, one can easily lose the plot and furthermore lose the thread that joins the entire storyline together. But director Motwane is almost perfect with his knitting job here. Every factor rightfully and smartly finds it way into the central plot thus never having you feel too overwhelmed and never overpowering the actual saga.

The Music, Setting & Performances

Hindi cinema is synonymous to music and that was apparent since day one - even more so during the yesteryear era when songs were shot in one location with one camera and it was the sheer tunes, lyrics and the melody that had do the heavy-lifting. Music maestro Amit Trivedi understands the assignment perfectly and goes on to compose some of the best songs in the album. While Babuji Bhole Bhaale is already a phenomenon, I loved Ude Udan Khatole and Nahin Ji Nahin as well. Even the background score is expertly placed into this world making a bigger impact.

And of course, all these factors wouldn't have been as impactful if not for the ensemble cast. Every actor from Aparshakti Khurana to Sidhant Gupta to Aditi Rao Hydari to Wamiqa Gabbi to Nandish Sandhu to of course, Prosenjit Chatterjee do a terrific job in their portrayal of their respective characters. And not just them, but the supporting cast who might be playing the smallest of characters with limited screentime are also fabulous with their roles. The standout in them is Narottam Bain as Maqsood, who is Jamshed Khan's (Sandhu) makeup artist.

The Verdict

The only flaw that might have seemed too obvious is the fact that Jubilee does suffer from being sluggish. Owing to delivering the aforementioned long 10 episodes, the pacing does become slow at a few instances. A couple of developments towards the end also don't feel entirely satisfactory. But even then, Jubilee on Amazon Prime Video is not just an ode to Hindi cinema but a love letter that represents a saga in itself - love, drama, betrayal and business!

Rating - **** (4/5)