Hindi Film Review: 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'


Film: Jab Tak Hai Jaan; Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma; Directed by Yash Chopra; Rating: ****

Nov 15 (IANS): Flawed but fabulous, the pasha of romance Yash Chopra's swan song -- may god rest his rhapsodic soul -- is a swoon-worthy ode to that achy-breaky feeling called love. Reams of poetry and volumes of prose have been writttn on it. But no poet no author has come close to unraveling the mystery of the heart.

Yash Chopra spent most of his adult years peering passionately into the heart. "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" (JTHJ) is not his best work. The last 35 minutes when Shah Rukh Khan loses his memory is best forgotten. Miraculously the entire end-piece of this fractured symphony co-written by Aditya Chopra and Devita Bhagat, doesn't take away from the sublime beauty of the work.

JTHJ is like an elaborate work of art that offers many different kinds of guilty pleasures for all those diehard fans of Yash Chopra's romance who grew up, grew wise and even grew old watching "Daag", "Silsila", "Chandni" and the doyen's best work, "Lamhe".

His latest and sadly his last work could keep you enthralled trying to play the game of spot-the-earlier-Yash-Chopra-referenced. You will catch "Daag" in the way Katrika Kaif returns into Shah Rukh Khan's fractured life. You can catch many shades of Karisma Kapoor from "Dil To Pagal Hai" in Anushka Sharma's girl-madly-in-unrequited-love act. You will see "Kabhi Kabhie" in the way Katrina comes to search for her fugitive mother (played by Neetu Singh, who had played the girl in search of mom in "Kabhi Kabhie") and you can spot "Silsila" in Katrina's scenes with Anushka in London.

Both the ladies are madly in love with the same man, much the way Sharmila Tagore and Raakhee loved Rajesh Khanna in Yash Chopra's "Daag". Indeed, there are perceptible shades of Rajesh Khanna's poetic romanticism from "Daag" in Shah Rukh's loner death-defying soldier's character.

Shah Rukh imbues the part of solider Samar with a great deal of heart. Never since Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Devdas" has he expressed the pain of lost love so eloquently. That his lady love happens to be Katrina Kaif helps us in sharing his pain. Yup, it's possible to fall hard in love with this tragic beauty of elaborate elegance and spend the rest of one's life pining for her.

Luckily fate and the scripwriters plan a happy ending for the soldier love story. But not before a sassy spunky bindaas photo-journalist Akira(Anushka Sharma) sweeps into the traumatized Samar's life. The Shah Rukh-Anushka sequences in the second-half shot in the stunning Ladakh and Kashmir valleys blends the war-time urgency of army life with a seminal spot of sunshine. It's a pleasing blend of the valorous and the romantic that turns the Shah Rukh-Anushka chemistry from "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" on its head. There he craved for her attention. Now it's her turn.

Comeuppance, anyone? Fate, as imagined in "JTHJ" is a flimsy mistress, hard to please and very high-maintenance. Katrina's Meera is a bit of a silly romantic masquerading as an in-charge woman entrepreneur.She makes ludicrous deals with god and pays heavily for her trade practices with an unequal partner (god). Meera is a woman of today captivated by outdated beliefs.

In some ways this exquisitely mounted work of art belongs to Katrina. She owns Meera's role in the way Sridevi and Raakhee owned "Chandni" and "Kabhi Kabhie", respectively. Shot in pristine colours by cinematographer Anil Mehta whose camera evidently loves Katrina's face as much as Samar, Katrina emerges as an actress who feels her character's pain in anguished close-ups.

Yup, Yash Chopra couldn't have chosen better. All the three protagonists seem assembly-built for their characters. And they are never short of support from every department of film's making.

It's the script that intermittently turns villain showering unexpected blows on the tender romance that the director so meticulously carves out of the lead pair's unflinching commitment to delineating the doomed dimensions of an ill-fated love that finally conquers even fate.

While we applaud the film's visual and emotional velocity Meera's dumb deals with god are plainly not the stuff great love stories are made of. And yet, we can't help cheer for the lovers when they finally embrace in strife-torn militant Kashmir. Devdas had it easier. His explosive mine-fields were only in his mind.

And he could've never imagined his Chandramukhi would ever be as persistent as Anushka Sharma.

"Kya karoon, ishq ho gaya hay tere se," she blurts out in a tragic confession of one-sided love. Ah, love! What a fall it causes even for the cynics. We don't quite fall in love with the film the way Akira falls for Samar. But we come close.

"JTHJ" is an ambrosial autumn sonata done in colours and moods that redefine Yash Chopra's legendary levels of aesthetics while sharpening and polishing the contours of his characteristic preoccupations. There is the elusive search for love and of course the unattainable beauty played by Katrina who miraculously manages to take her character beyond her porcelain features. When she dances in an underground London pub she forgets the world around her is watching. Then there is Shah Rukh Khan standing tall as a soldier who defuses bombs but can't seem to defuse the love catastrophe in his life.

"Jab Tak Hai Jaan" makes you fall in love with love all over again.

We will miss you, Yashji.

  

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Comment on this article

  • ZIAUDDIN AHMED , Guwahati

    Sat, Nov 24 2012

    Late Yash Chopra delivered his last romantic movie. Shahrukh & Katrina's chemistry was superb. Anushka looked cute in her role. Overall it was romance at its best.

    DisAgree [2] Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • imran,

    Fri, Nov 16 2012

    Fantastic movie, first off is too good after interval some wr may be bor and then ending wil manage. Nice one..

    DisAgree [4] Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • mukesh, jaipur

    Fri, Nov 16 2012

    SRK is great movie jab tak hai jaan Anaushka beeter katrina kaif so like

    DisAgree [3] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Joyal, mangalore

    Fri, Nov 16 2012

    Those who didn't liked the movie who are anti-Sharuk fans. May be the doesn't like Romance. They people like Violence. Romantic Perspective it's a excellent movie. Sharuk rocks!!!

    DisAgree [5] Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Lingappa, Kuppepadvu/ Dubai

    Fri, Nov 16 2012

    Thanks to all the Million of urban desi retards who watch this recycled sxxt called 'Bollywood movies'

    DisAgree [3] Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse

  • Reshma, Mangalore

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    Super Fentastic Movie..SRK is Back..this is a blockbuster movie..if this movie had released during eid...this film would break all salmans records...JTHJ released with another movie....Fentastic collections...In many Foreign countries this is in NO 1 position...SRK rocks....

    DisAgree [12] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mangalorean, Kudla

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    SOLO or SOS!! SALLU alwayz rocks...

    DisAgree [15] Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse

  • Darpan, KARNAL

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    We miss u yash ji .I AM A BIG FAN OF YOURS AND SRK ROMANTIC MOVIE. THIS MOVIE WILL ROCK AT THE BOX OFFICE COLLECTIONS GR8 MOVIE .I LIKED IT VERY MUCH .

    DisAgree [11] Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse

  • yoyoyo, mumbai

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    ek tha tiger was a solo release ans this one is released with sos then too its rocking the box office samjay!!!!!!!!

    DisAgree [6] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • dhananjay, pune

    Thu, Nov 15 2012


    SRK has again proved that he is good for nothing
    movie cannot last for 3 weeks ,if it goes then its because of the two ladies in movies

    DisAgree [23] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Guddu keshri, bihar gaya

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    yash chopra......the king of romance i m gratefull thank to u .you will be remembered about hundreds of the years once again thanks for the such romantic films

    DisAgree [12] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Biplab Sinha, Pune

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    One of the best movies I have ever seen of Yashji and SRK. For people who are in love, they can feel the true meaning of this movie.

    DisAgree [17] Agree [21] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mangalorean, Kudla

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    This movie Could'nt beat the two days collection of Ek tha Tiger!! Salman rocks..

    DisAgree [30] Agree [24] Reply Report Abuse

  • Lloyd, Mumbai/Vietnam

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    "It's easy to put someone down.TRY raising someone up through - praise/appreciation".Understand what it means before you just hit the agree and disagree icons.

    DisAgree [20] Agree [15] Reply Report Abuse

  • Amar, Gadag

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    Songs are good,thats it.............

    DisAgree [25] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • onkar, solapur

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    This is an outstanding film ,fab ,superb fantastic it will be an historic blocbuster of an yash chopras romance............amazing srk .SRK is the king of romance.

    DisAgree [20] Agree [38] Reply Report Abuse

  • Shadman, Gorakhpur

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    JTHJ an awesome movie...
    SuperDuperBlockbuster...
    Will watch as many times I can...
    Loved it a lot...

    DisAgree [22] Agree [39] Reply Report Abuse

  • micky, bangalore

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    ek dum bakwas movie srk looks like uncle pls gv sum chance to othrs new comers rather than srk

    DisAgree [53] Agree [39] Reply Report Abuse

  • Harsha Malhotra, Udipi/New Delhi

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    Bakwas. SRK looks like Mike Jagger.
    Better just watch 'ICICI' ad sweet little two kids for a change..!!

    DisAgree [47] Agree [35] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vijay S. Pare, Mumbai

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    I am very thankful for yash ji who gave us a FABULOUS ROMANTIC MOVIE...
    YES....SHAHRUKH IS THE KING FOR HIS ROMANCE...BECOUSE OF SHAHRUKH WE REALY FALL IN LOVE...THANKS FOR A R REHMAN AND GULZAR FOR SUCH HUSE ROMANTIC SONGS..

    DisAgree [23] Agree [47] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jitesh Varia, Ahmedabad

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    Z Category Movie. I think Yash Chopra was made when ed such 3rd Class Story as well SRK is now look like a Grand Father not a Hero. Please do not take as Hero in any movie. Grand Paa aa aa aa...

    DisAgree [44] Agree [39] Reply Report Abuse

  • jagdish, Mumbai, UAE

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    Jab Tak Hai Jaan - Phirse Dhekega Kaun.

    DisAgree [22] Agree [37] Reply Report Abuse

  • sabir hasan sabir, bhopal

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    pyar key jadoogar ki kya jadoogari hey superb yash ji aap bahoot yaad aye

    DisAgree [17] Agree [38] Reply Report Abuse

  • Reema Shetty, Mangalore

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    Watched it as a tribute to Yashji. Boring same old love story..aged luking Sharukh.... Did not like this movie.

    DisAgree [35] Agree [33] Reply Report Abuse

  • Maya, Mumbai

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    The movie is awesome, reminded me luv story of veer Zaara. Far better than stupid comedy's & repeated action films and yes SRK is back at his best..King of Romance.

    DisAgree [18] Agree [67] Reply Report Abuse

  • rohan,

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    flop movie . waste of my money .

    DisAgree [61] Agree [36] Reply Report Abuse

  • R.Bhandarkar., M

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    'Flawed but Fabulous'This punch line says it all-It means-
    1)Operation Succesful- Patient Kallas-
    2) For us In Coastal Karnataka-
    Case Pussukaa- Anne Ullai...!
    3) Patient HainPulse Nahin...!
    And so on.....
    Remember the 'Seller of Romantic Dreams' Yashji with fonder memories though.....

    DisAgree [15] Agree [29] Reply Report Abuse

  • jitu, broad gujarat

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    the movies is far better than son of sardar
    king of romance is back

    DisAgree [33] Agree [65] Reply Report Abuse

  • utkarsh singh, Haryana,Panipat

    Thu, Nov 15 2012

    Excellent movie ,superb .

    DisAgree [28] Agree [60] Reply Report Abuse


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Title: Hindi Film Review: 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'



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