The Jab Harry Met Sejal Movie Review: Was it any good?

Everything we knew about Jab Harry Met Sejal before the film's release told us to expect something a little hippie and irreverent. Anushka Sharma and Shah Rukh Khan looked like they would be playing chatterboxes, which is good in the sense that it makes both of them seem equally mature (immature), thereby equalising the age disparity. That and the fact that Anushka can be pretty funny and SRK, an intense and slapstick romantic.

The two shared chemistry — chemistry that occasionally threatened to spill over and make the movie fun. But then there were lapses too: a failure to think beyond the chemistry and delightful sights and sounds of Europe.

Setting the scene

Harry and Sejal have actually already met and are set to say goodbye. But she's lost her ring — the family heirloom her brand new fiance gave to her. And so she and Shah Rukh, whose past record a sleazy tour guide makes him rather susceptible to being blackmailed, redo their entire Euro trip. The premise is flimsy, but you can sense in Anushka's character, a person who's just spent a lot of time with their conservative family in a land that's exciting in ways that are not exactly family-friendly.

The Jab Harry Met Sejal film review

It's fair to say that both the stars involved brought their A-game. Sejal's Gujarati accent is perhaps a bit thick, but while that may emphasise the fact that she's a bit scatterbrained, don't be fooled. She's got some party tricks, oh yes! And Shah Rukh, who in this film, like in all films, is Shah Rukh Khan, also has under that tattooed chest, a salt-of-the-Earth Punjabi who's roaring to escape the veneer of European formality. Together the two bring out the best in one another and surprise themselves in the process.  

That having been said, their relationship is a sham. They simply have no reason to make a movie together. All of it is unnatural and contrived, with just enough subtext to suggest that these rather ordinary (if privileged) people each have some deep secret that justifies their actions. Actually, they may just want to get it on and galavant around beautiful places, which they do.

The film meanders all through Europe, passing through the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary and even Portugal. To disrupt the humdrum and add to their Lord of the Rings-esque quest, they even run into some known people randomly. There are gangsters whom SRK defeats with his quick wit and presence of mind. Anushka 'Lawyers' one of Harry's exes. The movie goes on. Harry and Sejal have their ups and downs. And then it ends.

The Verdict

Jab Harry Met Sejal looks like it would've been fun to film, what with all the tourism involved. Maybe they could have visited one less city and devoted time to tighten the story up. Instead, what we have is two big stars embarking on a bloated and thinly disguised Eurotrip from which there's almost nothing meaningful to glean.

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Aru Krishansh Verma

What it nails: Parts of it are fun, no doubts there. Sejal feels like a principally relatable person. 

Where it falls: The film, like its characters, isn't honest about what it wants to be. Is it the wanton adventuring of two people that are attracted to one another? Does it seek to offer some sort of social commentary? Does it make any sense for Harry and Sejal to be on the trip at all? Only the last answer has a definitive answer. 

Stars: 2.5/5