Jaane Jaan Review: Kareena Kapoor, Vijay Varma, Jaideep Ahlawat step up in tedious film

Director Sujoy Ghosh’s latest release Jaane Jaan features Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlwat, two of the most exciting actors working in the industry at the moment. However, it’s the presence of Kareena Kapoor with them that elevates the anticipation for the film. 

Kareena, who recently entered her 24th year in the film industry, has managed to reinvent herself consistently in the last few years while opting to do a healthy mix of drama and comic roles. Her decision to headline an OTT project like Jaane Jaan only emphasises the actress’ zeal to discover more. So, does the Jab We Met star deliver in her OTT debut? How does her chemistry with Vijay and Jaideep play out? Let's find out.

3 things you need to know

• Sujoy Ghosh effectively uses the secluded backdrop of Kalimpong to weave his narrative.
• Although there is not much complexity in Jaane Jaan narrative, there are enough tense moments and sequences that hold your interest. 
• Jaideep Ahlawat steals the show in an author-backed role. 

Hot Take

The story of Jaane Jaan starts off by setting up its three central characters against the backdrop of a quaint town before it arrives at its core plot point. A devious man is accidentally murdered one night. From that point onwards, Sujoy Ghosh manages to keep the ball rolling with numerous twists and thrills forming the larger part of the film. He occasionally loses control but never makes a mistake big enough to derail the narrative. 

Does Jaane Jaan live up to the hype?

Sujoy Ghosh's 2012 Kahaani is one of the most popular thrillers in Hindi cinema. He later went on to direct Kahaani 2 and Badla. So, the director clearly has a penchant for the genre. Jaane Jaan does a fine job of building a tense narrative, and delivers a handful of thrills, while also doing justice to its lead cast. At the same time, Sujoy also hesitates to go beyond the surface and explore its full potential. His direction is the movie's strength, but his writing is also its weakness. 

Jaane Jaan offers plenty of intrigue and tension

Jaane Jaan doesn't take much time in establishing its three protagonists and is pretty nifty with its sense of tension and intrigue. The main conflict-causing incident arrives pretty early on, so after a point, it only remains to be seen if and when the criminal act will come to light. This gives Sujoy a lot of ground to play around, and he crafts his narrative with plenty of unexpected developments that keep steering the narrative in a different direction. 

(Jaane Jaan is streaming on Netflix | Image: X)

The director knows how to constantly build and relieve the tension. He sets up minor incidents that become triggers for big revelations. We are always on the edge about the proceedings, never too sure who will emerge as the winner in this cat-and-mouse chase. 

Sujoy knows his backdrop (Kahaani sequel was set in Kalimpong) to weave the town, its people, its cuisines and other local flavours effectively into the narrative. The teacher’s after-work dojo classes look believable, and so does the well-meaning waiter at an Asian restaurant who advises an outsider against trying a hot sauce. Almost everything from a sympathetic assistant policeman to a karaoke bar becomes a character that helps the narrative.

Surface-level thrills

The persistent issue with Jaane Jaan is that it remains content with its surface-level thrills and doesn’t attempt to scratch beyond the surface or delve into the moral complexities that could be borne out of a situation it sets up.

Kareena Kapoor plays Maya, a single mother who is made aware at a point about the "sexual power" she could hold over men and how that could be helpful in luring them in so that she can stay out of trouble. However, we never learn of Maya’s inner dilemmas when she faces these moments, or how she feels when she figures out people's true intentions. Early on, the film also establishes Maya as a character obsessing about organisation and meticulous maintenance. But eventually, the narrative refuses to dig deeper or see Kareena’s character as a whole. 

Initially, we feel invested in Maya’s turmoils and troubles as a single mother, but Sujoy doesn’t manage to sustain a similar level of emotional investment throughout the narrative. If Drishyam’s success proved anything, it was how integral emotional investment can help a thriller. However, Jaane Jaan fails to make a similar impact emotionally.
 
Karan, played by Vijay Varma, has moments when his desire for Maya comes in the way of his responsibilities. Except Narendra (Jaideep Ahlawat), Jaane Jaan doesn’t tell us much about its protagonists for us to stay invested throughout. The film is stuck between its zeal to follow the cat-and-mouse thread, and the need to dive deep into a psychological terrain. 

(Vijay Varma plays a cop investigating a murder in Jaane Jaan | Image: X)

It’s just like how one of the characters in the film tells their friend, “sometimes we are blinded by the truth, and refuse to see the logic.” The fodder for an engrossing psychological thriller is all there - except Sujoy doesn’t want to see it, and the audience has to make peace with it.
 
 

Jaane Jaan is a Jaideep Ahlawat show all the way

One thing that remains indisputable is the weight Jaideep Ahlawat single-handedly brings to the film with his powerhouse act, portraying a character that remains mysterious despite telling us everything about him. Jaideep bites deep into the character, brilliantly capturing Narendra's mystique, where, the more we see him around others, the more we feel intrigued about his inner thoughts and actions.

(Jaideep Ahlawat plays narendra in Jaane Jaan | Image: X)
 
Kareena Kapoor delivers an extremely measured performance, and even more commendably, never lets her stardom overpower the low-key energy of this narrative. After playing negative parts a bit too often lately, it’s a pleasant surprise to Vijay Varma as the jovial, extroverted cop figure (although there is still an element of grey to his character). Despite the other two protagonists being more author-backed, Vijay never lets himself be overshadowed. He does a rather impressive job despite the limited focus on his character.

Stream it or skip it?

Jaane Jaan deserves a watch for its great performances if nothing else. However, it also delivers plenty of thrills and crafts an intriguing narrative around a rather familiar plot. However, with a little more focus on the psychological complexities of its story and characters, Jaane Jaan could have emerged as a better film. 

Bottomline

Jaane Jaan manages to hold the viewer's attention for most parts. And despite an underwhelming climax, it is worth its 2-hour 18-minute runtime. 

Rating: 3/5