Worth Watching on a Rainy Afternoon. Review on Joggers Park

The only reason I rented this film on DVD was Victor Banerjee is in the film. I enjoyed his performance in A Passage to Indian and Bitter Moon. He had stopped making films for a while and just recently started up again. I watched this film on a rainy Sunday afternoon, which to me is the best time to enjoy a film like this.

Cast: Victor Banerjee is retired Justice J.P. Chatterjee and Perizaad Zorabian is Jenny. She is a part-time event planner, model, and part-time hotel services employee. These are the main characters. There is also Chatterjee's family and Jenny's friends.

The Plot: The plot was definitely not your normal Bollywood standard. J.C(Justice Chatterjee)has just retired from 40 years of service. He has spent that entire time dedicated to his work. His family does not want to see him sitting around the house. For his health, they suggest he visit Joggers Park to take daily walks and keep active. He meets Jenny, who had just attended a speech of his at the local college. They start talking. Jenny is a 30 something girl who has a very active, independent life. At first, they simply talk to one another at the park. Then Jenny comes to him for legal advice and he calls her at home. This is when the feelings of love begin. Throughout the movie, Jenny and J.C. become closer emotionally. The problem is, J.C. is married and Jenny is single. She is very cautious about their love, but J.C. keeps getting bolder to see her outside the park.

Conclusions: I will not give away the ending, but I must tell you it was an excellent concept. This film really seemed to capture J.C.'s human side. Here is a man who has built his status for 40 years and now he is retired to stay home. He seems kind of lost. The Joggers Park gives him some goals. He starts out walking and then eventually starts jogging. He changes how he dresses, he becomes more upbeat, and he realises what it is to be in love. I also appreciated that Jenny was a level headed woman. I get tired of women being portrayed as giggling, love-sick, clingy people. This film was by no means the greatest ever made, but it is definitely above the norm as far as script is concerned. With that being said, the music was not as great as in most Bollywood films. I felt that if I heard the Joggers Park one more time I would lose my mind. It was over and over again throughout the film. It was not even a very good song. Do watch this film. The plot alone was worth it.