New Delhi: 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' marks the comeback of actress Neetu Kapoor to the silver screen. Alongside her, Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani and Maniesh Paul feature in a social-comedy drama that is contemporary and addresses an important myth- 'what happens with married and happily ever-after'.
Interestingly, the film's opening credits start with Neetu Kapoor who is then followed by Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani.
The opening sequence begins in the most typical fashion with a song that shows the development of an innocent-school romance to Varun and Kiara getting married.
The palette changes to gray and dark tones as the relationship changes in Toronto, Canada after 5 years until it resumes colour once the film's setting returns to India.
Varun and Kiara ( Kuku and Naina) play a married couple who want to get divorced but want to keep it a secret until Kuku's sister ( portrayed by Prajatka Koli). However, things unwind differently when it is revealed that Anil and Neeti ( Bheem and Geeta, who play Kuku's parents) might get divorced.
Performances
Anil Kapoor is top-notch and always brilliant with his dialogue-delivery. He does look a little unconvinced in parts where we get to see what a different father we see from the general portrayal in films. The writing is a little shabby in parts and his character even though well-sketched out does not look and feel 100% convincing.
Neetu Kapoor who returns after a long hiatus to films gives a solid performance. Her controlled and mature take to the typical mummy character is different and yet convincing.
Kiara Advani also delivers a convincing performance and steals the show when on screen with Varun. Varun's angry, young man, confused boy-man character is also worth mentioning yet in parts his performance slacks and looks tad-bit repetitive.
On the other hand, supporting actors like Maneish Paul lend humour and a much-needed lightness to a text that is heavily loaded but filled with ample music and comedy to lighten the mood of the film.
Music
'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' has a good background score and breaks organically into songs that further the narrative and give a glimpse into the psychological states of its characters.
All tracks look well-choreographed and some sequences are scored so well that they reveal the tensions between the characters and conflicts within their own mind convincingly.
For instance; the 'Duppata' track is a great modern number, a fresh piece of music that intertwines 2 bachelor parties and a mata ki chowki with great balance.
Dialogues
'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' has been written well in terms of dialogues. In some places, a little too much talk is shown like how Neetu Kapoor's character has to justify all her moves( even drinking wine) because how can we question the motives of a righteous mother.
Maniesh Paul and Anil Kapoor lend comic humour to the film.
Calling his wife a 'vegetarian sherni(lioness) jo khayegi nahi lekin dahaadti rahegi' including his jokes are examples.
Pace
The pace of the film is well-tempered. As audiences, you get to enjoy how the controlled hell breaks loose right after the interval, when you expect those moments to come at the climax of the film.
Everytime one expects the film to close, there are so many punctured and broken ends that still have to be brought together and addressed.
Screenplay
'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' has the classic template of a typical comedy drama and yet it manages to uphold and challenge many conventions like the timing of catharsis in the film, expectations of audiences and how we have always seen marriages and relationships in films.
Image
There is not a lot of experimentation in how the image is projected but we do see an interesting sequence when Anil ( Bheem) introduces his girlfriend Tisca Chopra ( Mira) to Kuku. The right and left panning of the camera with the closeups of three faces and intense music plays in the background, a typical comedy element, but used as a narrative device is great.
We also get a vantage point view of the camera everytime the Saini family assembles in the drawing room to sort out conflicts or confront each other about various things.
Design
'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' makes use of the Punjab palette but does not exploit it. The film is a drawing room drama and therefore keeps to that with well-dressed people with well-dressed problems.
Stand-out moments in Jug Jugg Jeeyo
What stands out in Jug Jugg Jeeyo is the equation between a mother-inlaw and her daughter-in-law. Not many times, do we see a mother-in-law, here Neetu, confide in her daughter-in-law( here, Kiara) and support her through thick and thin even against her own son.
There are dialogues that Neetu's character has to say to contradict and challenge the weight of stereotypes that the film silently tries to question.
Questioning marriage as an institution which by nature is so organically fitted into the social fabric are weights that Neetu and Anil's character address with their experience on-screen.
Anil Kapoor as a non-typical non-strong father is an image so different from the kind of fathers we generally get to see. It is a refreshing take on a stereotype that has shown the fatherly figure either strong and conservative or supportive and comic. In 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo', we see a father character from in-between.
Anil as Bheem, a chanchal man who is selfish and worries about himself only is another stand out moment from the film.
The interesting marital equation between Naina and Kuku is also another stand out moment. One sequence that showed them fighting like regular married people, about modern issues of a woman working and becoming successful after marriage, male ego etc., is relatable and relatively new in such genres of films.
The climax of the film does show an arranged marriage coming to an end and love marriage rekindling but after having addressed the problems in both so as to neither judge or favour any.
Perhaps, in that lies the strength of a film like 'Jug Jugg Jeeyo' which employs all the traditional tropes and devices of a social-comedy drama and uses it to present a new dimension and perspective on marriage as we know it.