JUGNI is for those who love everything right in their cinema: performance, music and direction.

Shefali’s direction is noteworthy and the film is worth a watch…

hough the soundtrack is consistently ear-wormy, it might have been nice to have artistes from Bhushan’s Beat of India days doing some of the singing. Still, if Bibi Saroop and Mastana can lead curious viewers to seek out Swarn Noora and Dilbahar and the other sources of these sounds, Jugni would have done its job.

Shefali Bhushan has definitely got an enjoyable winner on her cards with ‘Jugni’. It’s light may not dazzle you, but it sure is a shiny little blob gently floating along the path on a cold wintry night! 

The beginning of the movie, the music, the hero’s charming presence, the funny appealing dialog keeps you so happy, you sort of believe that the movie is going to be better than fabulous. But the predictable turns the story takes throw the whole movie down a cliff and it just crashes.

Although an entirely new cast may not be as appealing to the audience, the story is what will lure them to watch it. With a runtime of an hour and 55 minutes, you can enjoy Jugni till the very end.

‘Jugni’ has a lot of sparkle but not enough firepower…

Looking for a film that delivers more than just superficial entertainment? Jugni is the end of your search.

The best thing about Jugni is the ease with which debutant director Shefali Bhushan introduces us to the two dramatically different worlds; the charmingly slow, lingering world of Mastana in direct contrast with the ambitious, swift and somewhat fake urban life that Vibhavari belongs to. Their individual body languages reflect the conflicting worlds that they belong to.

The most effective and affecting thing about the film is, it’s glimpse of the fecund and fertile Punjabi pop/folk industry and how the unassuming kings of that world (who are offered seats by fans in crowded local buses) could lose their identity and get exploited when they head to the city. That story deserves a standalone film.

Shefali Bhushan’s debut feature has a documentary feel to it, which is natural, given her experience with being a collator and collector of folk sounds around the country. But it works for the realistic grain of the film.

Despite its freshness, the film fails to create an impact. It is hard to be affected by it due to its lack of depth.