Movie: Jabariya Jodi
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra, Javed Jaffrey, Aparshakti Khurana, Sanjay Mishra.
Director: Prashant Singh
‘Jabariya’ (forceful) kucch bhi accha nahi hota. That’s what Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra have been saying and following since time immemorial when they started with the movie promotions. However, it seems like the message was only partially clear to debutante director, Prashant Singh.
The backdrop of the story is a very relevant subject, which is pretty much still a reality of Bihar in today’s time. However, it is the attempt to club multiple plots within one plot that doesn’t help the film too much.
Abhay Singh hails from Bihar, who has become like the quintessential Bihari ‘gunda’ because ‘Abhay Singh naam hai humara. Shaadi aur Shradh dono karate hai’ kind of threatening punchlines surely make him one. However, the quintessential Bihari gunda is also the ‘adarsh’ beta who listens to everything his father (played by Javed Jaffery) tells him.
The duo is in the dhanda of doing ‘jabariya shaadi’ in Bihar, which they feel is a good deed as they are saving the bride’s family from the evil clutches of the dowry system. However, what they simultaneously don’t realize is that it is not the solution to the dowry problem as ‘forceful marriage’ without any love is no good either.
In the mean time, in one such jabariya shaadi which Abhay Singh conducts, he meets his childhood love/crush, Babli after ages. The duo coincidentally meets after ages isn’t surprising. What’s surprising is how the two actually manage to identify each other in their late 20s, when the last time they had seen each other was probably when they were less than 12. So that remains unanswered and the director hasn’t bothered to establish that.
As Babli sees more of Abhay, her love for Abhay rekindles and they do ‘everything’ that a couple does, just without being a couple. The big reason for that is Abhay’s fear after seeing the torment and betrayal his father has unleashed upon his mother that he might also end up being the same and not be loyal to one woman henceforth. However, just like a typical Hindi romantic comedy, the movie has its share of masala action and a happy ending. As far as how the climax unfolds is something you need to find out as a viewer.
IWMbuzz Verdict: The direction and the screenplay is average but Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra have put their best foot forward to get their chemistry right and going. However, their grip on the Bihari accent is what might not impress you, as in some scenes it definitely looks forced. The attempt to establish a good social message is what deserves all the appreciation, but as said earlier, it is planting a love story in the middle of it is what hasn’t been handled to the best of the potential. Aparshakti Khurana has been totally underutilized in the film. The actor without any doubt is extremely talented and his expertise in comedy is well known after films like ‘Stree’ and ‘Luka Chhupi’. However, in this film, he hardly has comic elements, which is why he feels underutilized. Sanjay Mishra and Javed Jaffrey have definitely defined their roles well and add to the reason to watch this. The movie has many elements of entertainment and has some scenes which will definitely make you laugh like bonkers. The one liners and punchlines are good but an average style of storytelling is what doesn’t help the cause. But a debut director attempting a subject like this with a big star cast does deserve appreciation for the attempt he makes. ‘Jabariya Jodi’ in short will definitely entertain you and if you are fans of Sid-Neeti, you will definitely enjoy it, but once you see it, you will also simultaneously realize that this isn’t their best surely and their best is yet to come. Overall, watch it for 2.5 hours of entertainment and love chemistry.
2.5/5 stars.
