New Delhi: Be it the cynical book lovers or the ardent self-proclaimed cinema addicts—all are going to live the two-hour journey with our desi version of the international counterparts – Bobby Jasoos. The somewhat active and agile Bobby aka Bilkis Ahmed played by Vidya Balan makes you want to watch her move from one place to another in search of something.
Débutante director Samar Shaikh’s ‘Bobby Jasoo’ is an out-and-out Vidya Balan film. Right from the time when the casting rolls, one look at it and you know what the film is going to offer. The audience is not left in lurch like it happens in many detective/suspense genre films. The plot is simple to understand and you can relate.
The city of Nizams—Hyderabad plays a pivotal role other than the lead actress. Once the film takes its pace, the viewer knows that though it is Samar Shaikh’s first offing but that has not stopped the director from doing his homework on the subject precisely. When the audience is let inside the typical Hyderabadi middle-class household, from proper ‘kaiyko aisa kartei’ accent to the famous mouth-watering biryanis, you get it all there. The mention of famous 80s show ‘Karamchand’ and her secretary Kitty does bring a faint smile on your face, if you belong to that generation. Humour too has been kept subtle and understated by the makers.
A detailed eye has gone in deciding on the release date of the film as it captures the whole festive season of ‘Ramza’ too. The city is shown to be engulfed in the festivities of ‘Eid’ and the Hyderabadi delights are given full screen space. For artistically pulling off the works, credit must be given to cinematographer Vishal Sinha.
The screenplay puts forward the unsaid, unspoken strained relationship between Bobby and her father, here played by senior actor Rajendra Gupta does make you want to sort out the differences between the two. The turmoil in father-daughter relationship is well depicted. Class actress Supriya Pathak, who plays the ever-loving mother to Bobby (Vidya) has been characterised as ‘my-daughter-is-the-best’. The characters have been well-picked by the makers. Kudos for that. We wish Tanzi Azmi and Zarina Wahab had more screen space though. Surprisingly, Arjan Bajwa, who played Lala has drastically improved his acting skills. This film saved the face from over-acting syndrome of newcomers and use of unwanted slapstick comedy. Even the side-kicks, Prasad Barve as Shetty and Aakash Dahiya as Munna did their job well.
Apart from the director, the male lead opposite Bobby, Ali Fazal too is perhaps just two-film old. However, the actor who is way too less experienced than the female lead doesn’t come across as one even for a second. The light romance brewing between super busy Bobby and a handsome TV anchor Tasawur Shaikh, played by Ali makes you want to just enjoy watching them. There are no over-the-top lines to create unnecessary air around the characters. Even though Bobby does slog her self out to get into a detective office, she never seems to be out of work.
One man who commands a special mention here is none other than yesteryear villain Kiran Kumar. With his entry, the tale of ‘jasoosi’ gets interesting. He brings to the plot what usually a grey shade character is expected to, but there is a catch. Bobby hits off her career with his help no doubt, but Anees Khan, played by Kumar does have a past which brings back the memory of riots in Hyderabad. It`s good to see him play roles which suit his calibre after a long time.
The only disappointment, however is the music of the film. Shantanu Moitra has tried his best to fit melody in this detective story. Although, the background score running across the length and breadth of the two-hour something movie stands true to the genre, but other songs are hardly hummable. While ‘Jashn’ song by Shreya Ghosal and Bonnie Chakraborty still has got some freshness, the other tracks are just average.
Bobby Jasoos co-produced by Dia Mirza, Sahil Sangha and Reliance Entertainment seems like a safe bet taken by Dia after her initial failure with Love, Breakups, Zindagi in 2011.
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