3rd Anniversary
I was watching Jagga Jasoos once again over the weekend and decided to write a post. When I was looking up the details, I realized that the film released on 14th July 2017. So this post becomes all the more appropriate as yesterday marked the 3rd anniversary of a beautiful film that got marred by controversy and its gigantic ambitions. Nevertheless, I look at Jagga as a film that almost pulled off the impossible. Creating a true-blue musical adventure film for kids. No one else has even come close.
What's so special?
Jagga Jasoos is a spectacle of Anurag Basu's imagination and Ranbir Kapoor's talent. This is what cinema is all about: Painting the canvas with fresh ideas, even the ideas that seem crazy to most people. Hats off to Anurag Basu for going through with a film like this and executing it better than most people would have expected. Ranbir and Katrina are perfect in their respective characters. Katrina is adorable as the awkward but bold journalist. Ranbir is exceptional as the quirky detective with a speech disability. He has almost negligible dialogues in the film. Though, he gets to say much more than he did in his last outing with Basu (Barfi). What he gets in place of dialogues, are songs. Songs that suck you into his magical world and stay with you (even 3 years later). The entire experience gets elevated thanks to superlative lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya and catchy background score by Pritam.
The music is exceptional and is Pritam's best work. From the charm and innocence of 'Biscutta Bunnu' to the musical-theatre-like 'Miss Mala'. From the highly entertaining and popular 'Galti Se Mistake' to the outright experimental 'Sab Khaana Khaake, Daaru Peeke Chale Gaye'. Jagga Jasoos is a complete album and is rounded up with a chunk of melodious songs, 'Musafir', 'Jhumritalaiyya'. The score and quintessential comic book mystery-solving that pays hommage to Tintin make the first half of the film a fantastic experience. Basu gives us breathtaking visuals and great screenplay, setting up the film with charming ease.
What let it down?
Where the film starts to dip is in the second half, especially in the last 40 mins. It is a long film, clocking 2hrs and 40, and the length could be justified if only the film consistently had the clarity in the narrative. Such is not the case as too many things are thrown into the mix like global arms deals, Naxal tribes, etc. All this is completely unnecessary in a film that is otherwise be an outright winner, even more so for the kids.
Final Thoughts
Despite the disappointing climax, It is a must-watch for all the children. They will love it for sure, even if the parents don't love it as much. Jagga is a fantastic character and his world is unforgettable. I can never get enough of the 'Tukka Lagga Tukka Lagga' sequence. That is pure gold. It is little things like this that make it a brave film and it deserves a lot of applause. I hope I can see comic books on adventures of Jagga, and the sequel he very much deserves.
Jagga Jasoos is currently streaming on Netflix. Watch it here