Jawaani Jaaneman
Ratings: 3.5/5
Duration: 1 Hrs 59 Mins
Director: Nitin Kakkar
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
Release Date: 31st January 2020 (India)
Star Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Alaya Furniturewala, Elena Roxana Maria Fernandes, Megan Purvis, Chunky Pandey, Chloé Booyens, Sonia Goswami, Persephone Hulewicz, Farida Jalal, Kumud Mishra
Plot: A 40-something playboy (Saif Ali Khan), high on life, who likes the good life (wild partying and hooking up with girls, half his age) like there’s no tomorrow and lives in a swanky house. Things go swimmingly well, until he finds out that he has a 21-year-old love child (Alaya F) who makes her way into his life.
Review: Film director Nitin Kakkar has catapulted himself into the league of directors who can handle big star cast that caters wider mainstream audience. He has wasted no time in unraveling this quirky plot much of which is revealed in the promo, but still has its moments.
The light and breezy first half of the film is highly entertaining, but with predictable and slightly preachy parts during the second half, the pace drops.
When it comes to performances, Saif Ali Khan who has always been natural at playing the urbane kinds with the right dose of sophistication has managed to bring out the vulnerability of his character despite his unhinged ways. As the desi playboy in London, he slips into the skin of the character with great ease and owns it as only he can and rarely misses a beat here. He will definitely make the viewers fall in love with him all over again!
With other new-age actors like Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday in line, Debutante Alaya F came prepared and it paid off. She is confident, natural in front of the camera and shows potential. Her character and her performance would leave the viewers emotional with several light-hearted moments. Though the film is largely focused on Saif, it is Alaya who steals the heart.
Saif and Tabu come together after a long time and watching Tabu is quite refreshing, but the talented actress barely has any screen time in the narrative. Whereas, among the supporting cast, actress Kubbra Sait has a stunning screen presence, who fills in the slot with utmost sincerity. Her character is bound to resonate with many of those young divorced women looking for a matured relationship. Moreover, Chunky Panday, Farida Jalal and Kumud Mishra also lend good support.
Jawaani Jaaneman, the modern, Hollywoodian, set-in-London though backed by strong performances, suffers from a slow-paced predictable plot and patchy editing. As the constant club scenes to portray the lead character is a party animal, it is just too many. The writing isn't sharp either. Apart from these few glitches Jawaani Jaaneman is delightful and makes for a decent one-time watch. Saif's fans, it's a must for you guys though!
Also, watch Public Review of Jawaani Jaaneman - First Day First Show
