Jaane Jaan: Kareena Kapoor's matured act elevates an average thriller

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Lady Drishyam.
These two words would sum up the latest crime thriller from Sujoy Ghosh, which is being publicised as Kareena Kapoor's OTT debut. Whateva!!
Jaane Jaan is basically an adaptation of The Devotion of Suspect X, a popular novel made in to a Hollywood movie earlier as well as wonderfully Indianised by Jeethu Joseph and the late Nishikant Kamat as Drishyam (2015). The plot premise plus the alibi offered by the suspect are identical here though Sujoy Ghosh begins and ends his movie on a totally different note. And mind you, I found the climax quite abrupt and disappointing.
The lovely Kareena Kapoor is obviously the centre of attraction here - for her next-door neighbour-cum-mathematics teacher (Jaideep Ahlawat) as well as the investigating cop (Vijay Varma) cross-examining her in a murder case. The victim is supposedly Kareena's ex-husband, who was a dirty cop indulging in shady deals from hawala to dance bars.
Like Ghosh's earlier films, the characters are well etched and deliciously quirky!! Jaideep Ahlawat is outstanding as the socially awkward Maths genius who sees logic as well as magic in numbers. Vijay Varma playing the tough cop, pitches in a competent act. In one scene, he finds it difficult to resist Kareena's charm and sorta self admonishes himself. Haha!!
Ultimately, Jaane Jaan belongs to Kareena Kapoor, who is the "jaan" of this otherwise average flick. Her looks, body language, eye contact and dialogue delivery are just perfect. Watch her in the scene where she sees her ex-hubby for first time or later, when she grooves to the iconic Lata Mangeshkar song from which the movie title is borrowed. This is indeed Kareena 2.0. Yup, she's come a long way from playing Poo and hamming to glory in films like Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and Khushi (both 2003). This lady has matured beautifully, knows how to act now and most importantly, means business. Lady Drishyam, actually!!
Ratings on some key aspects* :
1. Acting : 5/5
2. Direction : 3/5
3. Music : 3.5/5
4. Story, Screenplay and Dialogue : 2/5
5. Cinematography : 3/5
6. Editing : 2.5/5
7. Costume Design : 3.5/5
8. Special Effects and VFX : NA
9. Action : NA
10. Production Quality : 3/5

#SNRating for #JaaneJaan : 2 & 1/2 stars out of 5.

* - The overall film rating is not a simple average of all ratings on key aspects but a weighted average of the ratings where some crucial aspects (like direction, acting, story and screenplay etc) are assigned more weightage than others.

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#SNRatings barometer:
1 star = Poor
1 & 1/2 star = Below average/ Avoidable
2 stars = Average
2 & 1/2 stars = Above average/ Risk it
3 stars = Good enough/ Watchable
3 & 1/2 stars = Definitely worth a theatrical watch
4 stars = Very good
5 stars = Masterpiece/ Outstanding.

About Sumeet Nadkarni:
Sumeet Nadkarni is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a self-styled film critic by passion. He reviews Bollywood movies and OTT releases on his popular personal blog #SNRatings. His film-related articles have appeared in leading publications in India. With a keen eye for cinematic detail and a knack for insightful critiques, Sumeet brings a unique perspective to the world of Indian cinema. Follow him for the latest Bollywood insights and unbiased film reviews. 🎥🍿 #FilmCritique #BollywoodReviewer