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Saturday, October 12, 2024
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BOLLYWOOD JANNAT 2
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: *** 1/2
There is a memorable moment of flushed pain at the end of this textured film on
arms and the mangled, when Randeep Hooda symbolically throws out his wife`s
memories from the car window.
Life`s life that. Sometimes you need to just roll down the window and throw away
the extra baggage that you carry around in the name of love and commitment.
Shorn of artificial affectations Jannat 2 is easily the best film
from the Bhatt camp since Gangster years ago. Neither as gruesome as
Murder 2 nor as bland as Blood Money, Jannat
2 brings forward some inspired writing and two watchable performances that
lend a blend of the bitter and the biting to the proceedings.
Let`s get one thing straight. Jannat 2 leaves behind the world
created in Jannat 4 years. This is hell, for sure. Shot in the dark
ember hues of a scorching humid sweltering May evening when all things bright
and beautiful shrivel up in the heat, Jannat 2 is not for the
squeamish. Once you stop wincing at the volley of MCs and BCs(some of them quite
unnecessary, I thought) Jannat 2 (ironical title, if ever there was
one) sucks you into its murky world of illegal arms and other soul-bartering
deals with the devil.
Don`t believe the silly promotional trailers of Jannat 2. There is
nothing funny, flippant, flighty or farcical about this film. It`s a brooding
intense study of the troubled relationship - or a bro-mance, if you will -
between a burnt-out alcoholic cop(Randeep Hooda, spectacular in his devastated
avatar) and a gun dealer who turns police informer when love hits him where it
hurts the most.
Emraan Hashmi as Sonu Dilli (whatever!) kind of takes over the film from the
first frame. He loves his character and embraces it unconditionally. He gets to
play all the roles that his fans like to see him in-including the incorrigible
kisser`s part - and he does them all effectively.
But Hashmi is best at expressing the wonderment and self-abnegation of love.
The courtship scenes with the self-important doctor (debutante Esha Gupta) find
Hashmi expressing a kind of bewildered intensity that makes you believe this guy
can give up a life of crime for the girl.
But the film belongs to Randeep Hooda, make no mistake about that. Every word he
speaks is delivered with a sledgehammer`s impact. Playing a cop grieving for his
murdered wife Hooda`s angst spills out of every shot. You can`t take your eyes
off the screen when he is around.
The resonant writing (Shagufta Rafique) restricts the dramatic tension to the
two principal male actors. These two guys love to hate each other. All the
energy that the narration so effectively exudes emanates from the two main
actors and then spills out into various directions. Somewhere in the mid-section
the plot begins to get somewhat predictable and baggy, what with arms dealer
Manish Choudhary snarling his threats so loud, you wonder if villainy in our
films got stranded in the 1970s.
But then comes the end-game. The climax chase shot in a mosque`s courtyard is
absolutely heart-in-the-mouth. And then comes the end-game where Mahesh Bhatt`s
masterly touch comes into play with such luminous alacrity that that you are
left finally with a film that tells us it is easier to live with hatred then
pain.
Director Kunal Deshmukh demonstrates a far firmer grip over his characters and
plot this time than he did in politically correct Jannat and the
soggy Tum Miley.
Besides Hooda and Hashmi who bring to the narrative a rugged immediacy, the film
pitches forward some brilliant supporting performances by little-known actors
like Zeeshan Mohammed Ayub (playing Hashmi`s sidekick) and Brijendra Kala (Hooda`s
right-hand man).
Delhi, the city that houses many Bollywood tales of late, is shot by
cinematographer Bobby Singh in shades of grey and dusty brown.
'Jannat' star Emraan Hashmi and director Kunal Deshmukh will be collaborating again on a new project.'Jannat' clocked 10 years since its release, and the actor-director duo will reunite after four years for a project, details of which have been kept under wraps for the moment.Film critic and trade analyst, Taran Adarsh confirmed the news as he tweeted, "#Jannat celebrates 10th anniversary... Emraan Hashmi and director Kunal Deshmukh reunite... Announce their next film together... Co-produced by NR Pachisia... Written by Shridhar Raghavan."Read More
'Jannat 2' director cuts liplocks for TV"Jannat 2" director Kunal Deshmukh has played it smart. While shooting the 'A' certificate film, he was already prepared for necessary Read More
Success Party of Film Jannat 2 Photo Gallery