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
(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.
