Good actors in a not so good film, is a scenario all too common in Hindi cinema. Jazbaa is another addition. Sanjay Gupta has brought in all his trademark moves, the green tinge, the slow motion shots and the jumpy editing. But while the visuals look slick, the story is really all too old and the presentation feels jaded. Watch this if you must for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who’s still in top form. Pity her comeback film doesn’t measure up to her efforts.

Jazbaa is yet another testament to commercial Hindi cinema’s obsession with impact over intent, which leads to making films that they think will earn money via razzmatazz and star power, as opposed to adhering to the basics of screenwriting, acting, and direction.

In other words, it’s a perfect addition to Gupta’s checkered oeuvre.

Despite landing a great idea, ‘Jazbaa’ remains a shallow watch, where Gupta indulges his South Korean fetish but never challenges himself or his characters to create a world that could’ve been menacingly gripping.

Gupta takes the plot of the Korean film Seven Days, but there’s none of the tension or ambivalence that has made South Korean crime thrillers so distinctive and popular. The director appears to think that panoramic shots of Mumbai as seen through Instagram will make up for a slack script and absurd lapses in logic.

An fairly interesting plot kicks in. An official remake of Korean film, Seven Days, the screenplay moves fast in a gripping enough thriller mode. Gupta displays his old penchant for slick action and weaves a fairly engrossing tale.

Jazbaa will fail to deliver at the box-office and will entail losses to all concerned. Class audiences may find the film interesting but that will just not be enough.

The plot has all the ingredients for an entertaining potboiler but the director and the dialogue writer do not create empathy for the characters.

Sanjay Gupta’s remake of a Korean hit is designed as a comeback vehicle for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, but Irrfan holds sway all the way.
The movie loses momentum after the interval and the contradictions pile up as in a train wreck, but there is always a scorchingly lit corner in a never before-seen shade of yellow or green to gaze upon.