Film review: Jigariyaa
Film: Jigariyaa
Rating: **½
Director: Raj Purohit
Actors: Harshvardhan Deo, Cherry Mardia, Virendar Saxena, K.K. Raina, Navni Parihar
Certification U
1989. Rich girl. Poor boy. This time, the star-crossed lovers’ tale is set in Uttar Pradesh, between Shaam (Deo; likeable) and his sheyr-o-shayari life in Agra, and Raadha (Mardia; fleeting) and her stately TV-serial family life in Mathura.
There is much to like about Jigariyaa, an earnest attempt to take us back to the days of small towns and young love in the time of dial phones, directed by Raj Purohit of Sixteen fame. It is unapologetically old-fashioned, from the shy setup to the freshfaced couple down to the Taj Mahal as a perpetual symbolic backdrop. The director handles his inexperienced lead actors smartly with minimal dialogue, instead letting their expressions sink in at a romantic 1000 fps. The cinematography (shallow depth of field), title song and supporting cast, especially Shaam’s wannabe-actor friend, further lend credibility to proceedings.
Unfortunately, this is a film you desperately want to love, before being let down by moments of filmmaking indulgence. Scenes are constructed to be epic, but more often than not, end in a whimper. Reaction shots are made to linger and invariably cut five seconds too late, with heavy reliance on a dramatic background score. An entire Mumbai-elope portion looks superficial, and their chemistry is interrupted by random inserts of Shaam’s introspective brooding. Despite its design as a timeless saga, one ends up feeling most of the 135 meditative minutes. Nevertheless, there is something about this film, perhaps an oldworld charm and innocence missing in today’s flashy love stories.
Rating: **½
Director: Raj Purohit
Actors: Harshvardhan Deo, Cherry Mardia, Virendar Saxena, K.K. Raina, Navni Parihar
Certification U
Raanjhana and Juliet
1989. Rich girl. Poor boy. This time, the star-crossed lovers’ tale is set in Uttar Pradesh, between Shaam (Deo; likeable) and his sheyr-o-shayari life in Agra, and Raadha (Mardia; fleeting) and her stately TV-serial family life in Mathura.
There is much to like about Jigariyaa, an earnest attempt to take us back to the days of small towns and young love in the time of dial phones, directed by Raj Purohit of Sixteen fame. It is unapologetically old-fashioned, from the shy setup to the freshfaced couple down to the Taj Mahal as a perpetual symbolic backdrop. The director handles his inexperienced lead actors smartly with minimal dialogue, instead letting their expressions sink in at a romantic 1000 fps. The cinematography (shallow depth of field), title song and supporting cast, especially Shaam’s wannabe-actor friend, further lend credibility to proceedings.
Unfortunately, this is a film you desperately want to love, before being let down by moments of filmmaking indulgence. Scenes are constructed to be epic, but more often than not, end in a whimper. Reaction shots are made to linger and invariably cut five seconds too late, with heavy reliance on a dramatic background score. An entire Mumbai-elope portion looks superficial, and their chemistry is interrupted by random inserts of Shaam’s introspective brooding. Despite its design as a timeless saga, one ends up feeling most of the 135 meditative minutes. Nevertheless, there is something about this film, perhaps an oldworld charm and innocence missing in today’s flashy love stories.
