Review: Nushrratt Bharuccha gives career-best but it isn't enough to save the over-stuffed 'Janhit Mein Jaari'

How much can the Ayushmann Khurrana genre sustain after having seen pretty much everything? Well, if it is done right, it definitely can inspite of having explored an array of topics already. Take Badhaai Do, for example. On similar lines, we now have Janhit Mein Jaari - trying to explore a taboo topic with a commercial treatment which is based in a small town in India. The biggest difference, we have a female lead taking the reigns over here in the form of Nushrratt Bharuccha - that alone needs applause.

Having had the chance to see the film before hand, here is what I thought of it-

If I had to give my rating or opinion to this film based on only the first 40-odd minutes, the movie would have easily deserved over 4 stars. The film starts off perfectly and expectedly so. We dive right into Chanderi village in the world of Manukamna ( Bharuccha ), an independent and fiesty young lady who is trying to battle the pressure of getting married that comes from her parents. Till she gets the job of being a sales executive of a condom brand and even after a while, the film flies. With some hilarious one-liners, outlandish but funny situations and rooted small-town humor and flavour, the first 40-50 minutes of the film are the best parts of the film indeed. But...

It is so ironical that in a movie that is incredibly long for the kind of genre it belongs to, the love angle between  Bharuccha's  Manukaamna and Anud Singh Dhaka's Ranjan is the most improbable one I have seen in a movie for a while now. I kid you not - from being strangers to acquaintances to lovers to then getting married and even a montage of life after marriage - this entire string of scenes takes place in around 20 minutes or something. While it works a bit owing to the earnest performances of  Bharuccha  and Singh Dhaka and their chemistry on-screen, the screenplay is so rushed that it doesn't let you breathe at all. 

It isn't to discard that Janhit Mein Jaari doesn't have a ton of moments that deserve applause. Be it the hilarious scenes between Devi (Paritosh Tripathi) and Manukaamna, be it the supporting characters having their own quirky traits or be it strong message that the film tries to convey overall - it works. The second half is a huge disappointment but even in that, the entire track of Manukamna leaving her job as the condom saleswoman to then going back to it and the reason for that - is an appreciable choice of sequences. The feminism might have no subtlety whatsoever in majority of the scenes but that doesn't mean there aren't those smaller unsaid moments that preach feminism and tabooed topics in a more impactful way than others. Those are the moments that make Janhit Mein Jaari work. 

The montage, especially of Manukaamna after marriage, where she is the one who is taking care of the luxuries of the family much to the chagrin of her father-in-law and her husband, while not acing anywhere in his career is still a very supportive husband subtly challenging the patriarchal norms of her family is a sweet few minutes to take in.

I was instantly skeptical when I learned about the length even before getting into the film. A 2 hour 26 minute runtime always seemed like a mountain but I kept an open mind where with commercial entertainers, if done right, the length doesn't matter. However, the length hurts this movie terribly. And the reason for that isn't because it doesn't have entertaining moments - the reason is writers Raaj Shandaliyaa and Yusuf Ali Khan along with director Jai Basantu Singh's choice to stuff things to the brim. By the end of the movie, you will almost feel choked and claustrophobic in a way where instead of being entertained and more aware about the topic, you would try to go back to the film in order to understand what do you remember. Trying to stuff a truckload of topics, issues and scenes, the film becomes information-overload. 

To give you an idea - the film begins with a girl who doesn't want to get married - goes on to get married - handles the family expenses - leaves the condom sales woman job she aces at - takes another job - comes back to the condom sales woman job - fights the patriarchal family she is married to - goes on an awareness revolution - and has a peace offering in the end with her father-in-law.

If you feel tired just reading that, this is a two liner encapsulating everything from the protagonist's perspective. The decision to stuff thing where it is brimming away and unable to handle is a mistake indeed and affects the film's overall intended impact.

With small-town comedies that carry a social message, the biggest factor is casting. You need to have actors who are believable and entertaining at the same time. That is what Dream Girl aced at (Shandaliyaa's debut directorial that also starred  Bharuccha  an Vijay Raaz) and that is what Janhit Mein Jaari aces at too. Asif Akhtar Ali, Shikha Bharadwaj and Parag Mehta cast the best possible lot and hence the performances of the entire supporting cast is top notch. Special mentions has to be given to the likes of Brijendra Kala, Ishtiyak Khan and Tinnu Anand, who are impressive. Even with a one-toned character like that of the family patriarch, you expect an actor like Vijay Raaz to pull it off, and he definitely does.

But the biggest applause is reserved for Paritosh Tripathi. The actor is brilliant in his role of Devi, who is literally one of the sweetest people you can ever come across. From being a dear friend to Manukamna to loving her to dealing with heartbreak when Manukamna marries someone else and still being a rock to her even after her marriage, Tripathi aces his performance with hilarious scenes, emotional moments and a full arc.

Anud Singh Dhaka, who makes his debut with the film here shines in the moments of comedy and even dance where he manages to imbibe the small town guy vibe almost fully. But in the more serious moments, especially post interval, he falters and becomes loud for some reason.

At the helm of everything though is Nushrratt Bharuccha. It is fascinating to see how improved an actor she is from all the performances we have seen her in over the years. Right away, special kudos to her for managing to break away from her Pyaar Ka Punchnama stereotype and doing challenging roles like that in Ajeeb Daasataans, Chhorii and now Janhit Mein Jaari. Coming to her performance, this is undoubtedly her best. She makes the character of Manukamna believable and especially impresses with the clarity of her dialogues and diction of belonging to the small town. In the more powerful scenes post interval as well,  Bharuccha  is fantastic and truly helms the movie being the main face. She might have a few areas of improvement but none of that rules out that she has done a phenomenal job here with Janhit Merin Jaari.

The Verdict

Janhit Mein Jaari's intention is noble and entertaining at several instances as well but becomes a over-stuffed dish with too many contrasting ingredients that doesn't tickle your tastebuds but rather confuse them.

Rating - *** (3/5)