Movie Review: Jabariya Jodi

Producers: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Shaailesh R Singh

Director: Prashant Singh

Star Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra, Jaaved Jaaferi, Aparshakti Khurana, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Sanjay Mishra, Sheeba Chaddha, Sharad Kapoor

Genre- Social

Rating- ***1/2

Touching Satire!

Jyothi Venkatesh

Set in Patna, the story begins with childhood sweethearts Abhay Singh (Siddharth Malhotra) and Babli Yadav (Parineeti Chopra) being separated in their teens. Thjerre is a flash forward and  you see Abhay Singh as the local guardian angel-cum-gangster who kidnaps dowry-hungry grooms and forcibly gets them married to their brides, at the best of his strict father played by Javed Jaffrey. Definitely, this one is the unique and fresh concept that debutant director Prashant Singh explores in the film. To give the director his due, I should say that this uniqueness of the idea which has been conceived by Sanjay K Jha, Raaj Shaandilyaa and Neeraj Singh mixed with a healthy dose of relatable humor and drama works for the most part and even succeeds in making you shed your copious tears in the scenes which reek of melodrama to the core.

Performance-wise, Sidharth Malhotra is surely making an effort to step out of his usual urban-guy mould but the intensity of his emotions as Abhay struggles to come through. We have seen the brash and unapologetic avatar of Parineeti Chopra earlier too and it definitely complements Siddharth just right. The actress manages to bring out the vulnerability in her strong character and walks away with all the accolades in the end. Jaaved Jaaferi does the bad guy job with his signature comic style. Sanjay Mishra is impeccable as usual. Aparshakti Khurrana does full justice to his part. Chandan Roy Sanyal is amazing as the supportive friend. So are Sheeba Chaddha and Sharad Kapoor who is seen on screen after a long time in an extended cameo.

Editing leaves a lot to be desired especially since despite a linear screenplay, it is difficult to keep track of the flow of events, with far too many sub plots that are packed in the film that they do not get enough time to explain who is whose, like the equation between Abhay's parents which has not at all been tackled properly. Music by Tanishk Bagchi, Vishal Mishra is catchy and toe tapping, especially the song Khadke Glassy crooned by Ashok Mastle

On the whole, despite the flaws and the inordinate length , the film stands out and will emerge a winner at the box office especially since it has no other major competition in terms of content as well as leading stars in other films released this week.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Movie Review, Jabariya Jodi, Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra, Jaaved Jaaferi, Aparshakti Khurana, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Sanjay Mishra, Sheeba Chaddha, Sharad Kapoor