Jhankaar Beats Movie Review

Pritish Nandy Communications' JHANKAAR BEATS, written-directed by Sujoy Ghosh, is nothing short of an experiment. The film has no story worth mentioning as such – it relies purely on treatment.

JHANKAAR BEATS is about three couples, each in a different stage of their personal relationship.

Deep [Sanjay Suri] and Rishi [Rahul Bose] are advertising executives by day and musicians by night. Their sole ambition is to win 'Jhankaar Beats' [J.B.], a competition that they have lost for the past two years.

Deep is happily married to Shanti [Juhi Chawla] and has a daughter Muskaan. Shanti is expecting yet again and to look after her during her pregnancy, her mother [Shashikala] is coming to stay with them.

Rishi, the quintessential brat, is in the midst of a bitter divorce with Nicki [Rinke Khanna].

In their [Deep and Rishi] lives comes Neel [Shayan Munshi], the son of Deep and Rishi's boss. Neel is in love with Preeti [Riya Sen], but doesn't have the courage to tell her so.

JHANKAAR BEATS tell the story of three men with one common dream, coping with successes and failures and facing life with a smile on their face.

First-time director Sujoy Ghosh has merged romance and humour and tried to present it in a format that's different from the formula-ridden stuff, in terms of storytelling and also editing. But what could've been a thoroughly enjoyable fare ends up as a half-baked product.

Reasons? There are plenty –

One, since the title of the film is JHANKAAR BEATS and there's reference to J.B. time and again in the narrative, so much so that the relationship of the two protagonists with their respective wives go through ups and downs due to it, director Sujoy Ghosh should've stressed on the fact that J.B. is a mega event/music competition and that it holds tremendous value for the two singers. An ordinary cinegoer, so used to spoon-feeding, will find it difficult to comprehend what J.B. is all about.

Two, the story vacillates between the personal lives of the three male characters and the music competition, plus the ad campaign. But barring the Sanjay Suri – Juhi Chawla part, neither the Rahul Bose – Rinke Khanna story, nor the Shayan Munshi – Riya Sen affair comes across effectively.

In fact, the Sanjay – Juhi relationship is the only aspect that really manages to keep the interest alive, while the Rahul – Rinke on-the-rocks marriage looks amateurish. The reasons that compel Rinke to seek divorce are feeble.

Even the Shayan – Riya love story is least convincing. Without doubt, this is the weakest link of the enterprise – in terms of scripting as well as the interpretation by the actors.

Besides a slipshod screenplay, the film also suffers in the music department [Vishal – Shekhar]. Since the film is all about music and pays homage to R.D. Burman, one expects the music to be of superior quality. In this case, although a couple of songs are tuneful ['Suno Na' and 'Tu Aashiqui Hai'], they do precious little to elevate the proceedings. In fact, the picturisation of 'Tu Aashiqui Hai' in the church looks completely out of place!

Another aspect that would restrict the film's appeal to a major extent is the usage of English language in dialogues. Had it been a sentence or two in English, it could've been understandable, but in this case, important sequences of the film are in English – in fact, it makes you wonder whether you're watching a Hindi film or an English film starring Indian actors.

Yet, despite the shortcomings, there's no denying that Sujoy Ghosh surprises you as a director. His handling of individual sequences is what sustains the viewer's interest. His handling of the emotional moments in the film as well as some light-hearted scenes proves that he is capable of delivering better stuff provided he gets a good script.

Another aspect that deserves full marks is the dialogue [Milap Zaveri, Sujoy Ghosh, Suresh Nair], which has a feel of today. Witty and easy on the ears, the dialogue enhance the impact of several sequences. They are simply excellent. Cinematography [Mazhar Kamran] is consistent. The editing is another aspect that deserves to be noted. Ditto for the sound quality [Dwarak Warrier], which is of top class quality.

Of the cast, Sanjay Suri and Rahul Bose are the best. Both are natural to the core, especially Rahul who's very likeable. Juhi Chawla is a treat to watch. Her performance is truly an asset. Rinke Khanna is first-rate. However, one misses her presence in the second half. Shayan Munshi needs to work on his overall appearance and performance. Riya Sen is wooden.

Amongst character artists, Archana Puransingh and Dinyar Contractor stand out. Vijayendra Ghatge, Shashikala and Parmeet Sethi lend average support.

On the whole, JHANKAAR BEATS has a few interesting moments but not enough to register an impression. At best, the film will appeal to a select few in metros, with its business prospects looking brighter at multiplexes mainly.