Saturday, August 5, 2017

Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017)

Disclaimer - This post may burn a few hearts.

So, yes, I watched Jab Harry met Sejal - written and directed by Imtiaz Ali starring Anushka Sharma & Shah Rukh Khan and a good supporting cast.

The story goes like this -
A Gujarati Girl, Sejal (Anushka Sharma) goes for a month long Europe Holiday with her family, where she gets engaged but loses the ring at the end of the trip. Looking at Sejal's recklessness her Fiancé gets angry at Sejal as the ring is heirloom. Sejal takes this to her ego and goes back from airport itself to find the ring instead of coming back to India. Obviously, her first and final choice to find the ring is Harry (Shah Rukh Khan) who is her tour guide. After refusing to help initially, Sejal convinces (in a weird way, though) Harry to help her finding the lost ring. A series of funny and romantic incidents make Sejal's traceback journey interesting. At some times, Sejal and Harry pretend to be a real life lovers. In the end, how and where she finds the ring and how the movie ends is better seen on screen.

Its not just about finding the lost ring - its about finding the missing piece of life. and even if its about missing ring, see the way Imtiaz has portrayed it..

I personally believe that there are always two flows in any form of visual art. One is what audience perceive and another, more important is what artist is trying to convey. Imtiaz Ali is totally convinced and firm on his views here too as always! I feel we, as Indian audience, take movies starring superstars very casually and lose out on what exactly the director wants to convey. Story for this specific movie is simple & uncomplicated love story if you see superficially, but there's a strong current of a genuine human tendencies, complex emotions, and cultivated mindsets. Its nice to see Shah Rukh Khan as a normal working professional who can be in anyone's life. I appreciate his efforts to come out of his comfort zone of being in a larger than life role. Anushka is pleasant on screen and does her job perfectly. Side characters are also important and well utilized.

If you've seen Imtiaz Ali's earlier movies, you would have observed a pattern - he always plays with very complex human emotions brilliantly and he can easily make people cry the very next moment they are found laughing. Here also, there are some very typical of Imtiaz painted scenes. When Sejal finds that amazing comfort with Harry, she doesn't hesitate to sleep besides him, cuddled, and audience doesn't find it wrong - how come an engaged girl does like this? - I think all such questions we should leave behind. The director expects the audience to fill some gaps in the story on their own. He expects you to be an intelligent audience and wants you to think beyond what is just shown on screen.

Sejal repeatedly asks Harry - how am I? Don't you find me sexy? Don't you feel like doing something to me - this insecurity of her goes to an extent that she's ready to sign a indemnity bond with Harry that if anything happens between Harry and her, its completely her responsibility and Harry not be blamed. See the undercurrent again - She's not being appraised or appreciated by a man of her ring - her fiancé but craves for words of appreciation from Harry, who finds her cute, sweet and sister type - which she finds insulting because probably its enough of her being sweet girl. Her reaction in the end of the movie when Harry kisses her is fantabulous. By the way, this is first ever on screen kiss from the King of Romance - and Anushka "seals" it beautifully! The women in Indian society have been facing this issue of not being appreciated by their own men, is put forth by the director in a very subtle manner.

May it be arranged marriages or love, the charisma of the relationship can be there forever if taken extra efforts, I strongly feel.

There are some well directed and well thought of scenes in JHMS to make the movie impactful. The scene where Harry saves Sejal from a pub, Sejal fights for Harry in a restaurant against his Ex-girlfriend, are wonderfully portrayed. Sejal strongly makes an impression on Harry and convinces him to go back home, in Frankfurt - as he avoids going there because of his ex-girlfriend. She also attends the marriage of his colleague and when asked about what is the chemistry between her and Harry, she waits for him to answer. He prefers not to open his heart as Sejal is a client afterall and he feels he's a cheap and just a tour guide.

Harry - A person who left his home at very young age, to go to Canada (a lifestyle dream of many people in that region in India) lands up in Europe and works as a tour coordinator. He has some disturbing memories of things back home which make him cry, make him not go back to the concept called as home. A home is a place everyone wants to be at, that's the most comfortable place for us. He struggles there. Big time. Think of a situation where you have a routine nomadic life - and there is a home, but you don't want come back there.

Every one of us has some or the other emotional block and we need to come up with a solution for good. This movie also speaks about speaking out one's emotions about the special person in our life and that too at right time. Life hardly gives us second chances and one needs to be an opportunist to grab the things at right time when it is in front of us.

There have been rounds of debates on Shah Rukh Khan's age and his choice of movies. I don't find this act of his strange, rather the Hero has become a subtle actor here. The scenes where he has shown the emotional turmoil within is worth watching and appreciating.

Overall performance of the actors is excellent. Music could have been better, though, songs are written beautifully. Picturesque locations and edited well, so overall impact comes as expected.

I would have loved to see their after marriage life for some time, though.

My rating - 4.0 on 5.
Direction - 4.5/5
Acting - 4.5/5
Music - 3.0/5
Dialogue -4.0/5

Recommendation - Go for a non glam SRK and Anushka + A good direction by Imtiaz.

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