Jan 27, 2014 10:02 AM
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(Updated Feb 08, 2014 02:25 PM)
The corruption levels are at an all-time high and it’s not uncommon to see ministers acting in a high-handed manner as if they own the land. Jai Ho throws light on this aspect and also makes it clear that a common man should not be underestimated at any cost. At the same time, it also demonstrates how a big difference can be made by a simple act of kindness. The thought behind the film is definitely noble but the script, execution and treatment prevents the film from making a huge impact. At best, it’s a decent one time watch!
The story of the movie: Jai(Salman Khan) is an ex-army officer who now has his own garage. Always wanting to help others, he comes up with a noble idea – help somebody and request that person to help three more people and so on. Jai however soon realizes that his concept isn’t as simple to execute as he had originally planned. On the other hand, he gets pitted against the powerful Home Minister, Dashrath Singh(Danny Denzongpa). While Dashrath has loads of power, money and manpower, Jai is all alone with only his utmost bravery and good deeds as his weapons.
Jai Ho commences with a very mediocre scene and song(Love You Till The End – House Mix). Thankfully, Salman Khan’s entry scene sets the mood and also the song Baaki Sab First Class. Daisy’s entry is impressive with the Naacho Re number but the sequence in itself didn’t quite make sense(Daisy performing in front of handful of audience). The funny moments that follow thereafter(the entire ‘Pinky’ bit especially) was hilarious.
On the other hand, the track of Suman(Genelia Deshmukh) was quite a shocker and it’s from this point that the film finally manages to engage the viewers. The intermission point and the two major fight sequences prior to it were very enjoyable. The film gets better in the second half as a cornered Jai decides to fight back. The climax was nail-biting and made for a great watch.
Sadly, the film isn’t devoid of flaws. There are too many songs in the first half. Few things failed to make sense. Why wasn’t Rinky(Daisy Shah) invited to the engagement of Jai’s best friend, since she was a part of family then? Was the move taken by Suman justified entirely?
On the other hand, the direction is incoherent; otherwise the impact could have been much more. And most importantly, the film at several junctures talks about helping others and forming a chain of humanity. No attempt is made to show whether this chain gets public support. Also, Jai’s confrontation with Dashrath Singh and family was like a parallel track and both these track don’t actually converge! If one sees the film in totality, it was more like an action drama instead of a social drama, which it could have been.
Jai Ho has tons of actors but the film rests on Salman Khan’s shoulders. The actor is his usual self – dancing, singing, beating baddies, showing off his body – all of which makes for a great watch. At the same time however, he shows his emotional side and gets into a full-on ‘angry young man’ avatar. This is something that one hasn’t seen much and it makes for an awesome watch too!
Daisy Shah makes a confident debut and has a great screen presence. Sadly, she is relegated to the backseat in some of the crucial scenes of second half. Kabir(Master Naman Jain) is funny and is an actor to watch out for. Believe it or not, Naman-Daisy’s chemistry is much more worth watching than Salman-Daisy’s chemistry!
Tabu(Geeta) gives a wonderful performance and has a very important role to essay. Danny Denzongpa plays his villainous act with elan. Genelia Deshmukh is superb and despite her track being a little unconvincing, she makes an impact. Santosh Shukla(Manik) is truly outstanding and deserves to be seen more. Ashmit Patel and Yash Tonk do a good job as Jai’s buddies.
Aditya Pancholi is effective as the corrupt cop but his aide, played by Sharad Kapoor, doesn’t make the same impact. Fukrey actor Pulkit Samrat however makes his presence felt as the good cop. Sana Khan(Kavita Singh Patil) is fair in the negative role. Mukul Dev(Kavita’s hubby) is fine in his small role. Haroon Qazi(Dashrath’s son) gets limited scope and that too only in the climax. Mohnish Bahl(CM Ashok Pradhan) is adorable.
Mahesh Manjrekar(auto rickshaw driver) and Sameer Khakhar(drunkard) perform very well. Suniel Shetty(army officer) rocks in the cameo sequence and his stint in the climax is worth watching for! Other actors who were quite alright were Nadira Babbar(Jai’s mother), Resham Tipnis(Rinky’s mother), Mahesh Thakur(Rehan), Bruna Abdalah(Jai’s friend), Vikas Bhalla(Suman’s brother), Vatsal Seth, Tulip Joshi, Nauheed Cyrusi, Varun Badola, and Sudesh Lehiri.
Sajid-Wajid, Devi Sri Prasad and Amal Mallik’s music is quite alright. Songs are okay and moreover their execution isn’t great unfortunately and hence the music on the whole doesn’t make quite an impact. Only exception is Tumko To Aana Hi Tha which was well shot. Photocopy, Naacho Re and Baaki Sab First Class Hai make for a nice watch too.
Santosh Thundiyil’s cinematography is decent. Action(A Araskumar, K Ravivarma) was damn effective and it wasn’t over the top or too unbelievable. Sabu Cyril’s production design is awesome in the indoor shots but a bit tacky in the outdoor sequences. Sandeep Shirodkar’s background score is exhilarating in few scenes.
A R Murugadoss’ story is novel. Dilip Shukla’s dialogues are sharp but his screenplay falters at places. Same goes for Sohail Khan’s direction. However, Sohail deserves credit for getting so many actors together in the film and ensuring that most of them help in moving the story forward and are not just added for the heck of it. Also, the climax was quite engaging. But at the same time, the entire ‘help three people’ idea seemed bit out of place vis-à-vis Jai’s fight against the minister. But all in all, a good effort!
Some of the best scenes:
Jai’s entry.
Jai and Rinky meet in the multiplex.
Jai meets Rinky and her mother at her house.
The entire episode of Suman.
The action scene at the amusement park.
The intermission point.
Jai meets Dashrath Singh.
Drunkard helps the auto driver.
Kabir gets kidnapped.
The last 15 minutes.
On the whole, Jai Ho has its moments and Salman Khan takes the film to another level. However, the film is unconvincing at places and the entire ‘help three people’ idea seemed bit out of place vis-à-vis Jai’s fight against the minister.
Jai Ho could have been another OMG Oh My God but eventually, it turns out to be just another Salman Khan masala film with a slight difference. At the box office, the film might not be a huge hit as Salman’s recent blockbusters but still, here’s hoping that the film recovers its costs and makes profits!
