Jab Harry Met Sejal – Review

Directed by Imtiaz Ali

Produced by Gauri Khan

Written by Imtiaz Ali

Starring  Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sayani Gupta, Evelyn Sharma, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Aru Krishansh Verma. Paras Arora

Music by Songs: Pritam, Diplo

Background score: Hitesh Sonik

Release date: 4 August 2017

Running time: 144 minutes

Review: Birjis Adeni Rashed

Rating: 2.5/5

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5MZevEH5Ns

(The aim and intention of my reviews is to critique and recommend while not revealing the whole story to enjoy the movie when seen. But minor details have been divulged for a proper review!)

Let me ward off all those under the assumption that it’s a take on the classic Hollywood movie “When Harry Met Sally” because of the name similarity. No it’s far away from that story, let alone has any story! Jab Harry Met Sejal is focused on two characters- Tour guide  Harry- Shahrukh Khan,  and newly engaged  Gujrati girl  Sejal – Anoushka,  who lost her engagement ring,  and the trivial  pursuit  around Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest and Lisbon,  pointlessly  searching…..

Though the heroine says dhundnay say bhagwan bhi miljaatay hain, It’s been sometime our search for a good movie is not answered!

Director Imtiaz Ali seems to have met with disorientation and blankness since the story and direction both fall short of his previous reputation and is plainly lost and undeveloped.  The movie is fluffy with clichéd conversations and clueless ramblings about seeking something yet there is nothingness…maybe that is the point.

The first half of the movie is little cheery with some fun moments but the second half drags with dullness…..  the ring search is an excuse for many alternatives- Sejals trying out her naïve idea of independence and seeking fun and freedom before she gets tied down to practical and boring married life! This fun and freedom obviously involves full scale flirting with the tour guide, irrespective of the Harrys vague efforts to warn her about his apparent brazen reputation with women; Sejals desire to be valued by a man who will romantically  mesmerize the woman making her believe she is the only woman in the world, and of course Shahrukh Khan has a expertise in creating this magical moments just by the look in the eyes;   The search for the ring is supposed to also relate to the characters search for oneself, what they are and what they are seeking in life but  its in-explicit since the depth of characters is not very developed to go into the insight stage of  their inner selves!

In this love story (not sure I can call it that, since it so under cooked) the  relationship is muddled, Harrys  perception of Sejal  as naïve, sweet, sister type, to porcelain untouchable Chinese vase type, and Sejals blatantly flirtatious desire to be perceived as sexy, hot and layak enough to be his  conquests, to  ‘Tum us type ki ladki nahi ho’ to will you be the kind of bad, cheap, ghatiya girl who leaves her fiancée and runs away with her tour guide is  erratically conflicting throughout and  this romance doesn’t give  definition of  love  either…..

There are too many songs and instances of unnecessary story written in to fit a song. The ‘Hawayein’ song was melodious and may be ‘Beech Beech mein’ is little catchy, the rest are pushing it.

Shahrukh khan of course is the king of Romance, he has his works on in the romantic moments but otherwise how much can he do when there is no story. But that aside, he is looking awfully old these days, I saw the movie  up close from the second row in theatre on the first day and saw his skin pores, smoking stained yellow finger nails, discolored teeth, and enlarged veins,  he better take care of his romantic king image.

The character of Sejal with the heavy Gujrati accent in this time and age for LLB grad was overdone. Her fashion sense needed help, her actions and dialog were contradictory and inconsistent, and I guess Anoushka may have been lost in the effort to showcase capricious, stereotyped Sejal.

I guess there is no hurry to rush to the theaters, one can relax and watch better made Shahrukh Khan movies at home.