New Delhi: Comedy is not an easy genre to break into. However, with a steady stream of dialogues and an engaging story, ‘Good Luck Jerry’ does an excellent job of achieving the correct tone of dark comedy.
The movie is a Hindi remake of Nelson Dilipkumar’s Tamil film ‘Kolamaavu Kokila’ (2018). Directed by Sidharth Sengupta, ‘Good Luck Jerry’ released today on Disney+ Hotstar.
The movie starts with a train announcement and a song about gloomy life. The little streets and local markets are shown with much realism in the film.
Janhvi Kapoor gives the taste of Alia Bhatt from ‘Udta Punjab’. She borrows her style and accent from Alia’s character of Kumari Pinky. Though, we are disappointed as Janhvi’s Bihari accent gets a little out of hand and sounds fake. Maintaining that consistent tone is also difficult for her.
'Good Luck Jerry' centres around a young girl named Jaya Kumari aka Jerry (Janhvi Kapoor) and her younger sister, Cherry who are raised by their widowed mother. Her mother Sharbati (Mita Vashisht) sells momos to make ends meet, while Jerry works at a massage parlour to support the family. Every day is a new struggle for her. When Jerry's mother is diagnosed with lung cancer, her life takes a turn for the worst.
Jerry finds herself at the mercy of a local drug smuggler thanks to a stroke of luck. Thus, she embarks on a voyage of precious opportunism and, at times, hesitant chivalry.
Timmy (Jaswant Singh Dalal), a local drug boss, agrees to engage Jerry for deliveries because he is both enamoured and inquisitive about the young woman. Sushant Singh, Timmy's supervisor, is also in charge of this minacious business.
However, she must learn to negotiate with these guys in order to survive the edge of the knife that cuts her paycheck as they become Jerry's coworkers at his job.
On the surface, Jerry seems calm and innocent, yet she is a master of planning. She gets shivers whenever there is carnage, but she won't bat an eyelid if she thinks she has to protect herself and her family.
Drug smugglers are constantly on the watch for couriers, and are ready to shoot. In addition, there is a gang of police who are following everyone they believe to be a suspect. Against all odds, she manages to deceive the police and steal a package of cocaine for a local drug dealer named Timmy (Jaswant Singh Dalal).
Jerry astounds everyone by stealing 90 kg of drugs and then comes the famous dialogue “Hum Jitney Dikhte Hain Utne Hai Nahi.”
With a dozen goons trying to harm Jerry and her family, she takes everyone on a wild journey. You'll be riveted by every twist and turn. Still, we feel that the climax is unnecessarily stretched.
There are a number of narrative threads that emerge along the way, but the film's pace keeps it cohesive despite having a lot of different characters involved.
Also, Janhvi Kapoor gives a strong performance as Jerry. She is confidently innocent, as required for the role, and manages to do so effortlessly. Her comedic timing is on display for the first time in this movie, and she exhibits the zeal of being a comedic performer.
A genuine joy to see Deepak Dobriyal as Rinku. With his presence, the screen comes to life and he gets some of the funniest jokes in the movie. In his portrayal of a one-sided lover of Jerry, he steals the show.
In terms of acting, Saurabh Sachdeva (as Mallik) and Sushant Singh (as Daler) go over the edge. A strong supporting cast rounds out this entertaining movie.
Janhvi’s biggest flaw comes when a scene requires a too sentimental tone. She couldn’t perform emotional and tragic scenes as her expression doesn't change quickly. But, she worked well enough in comedy. Also, the motives and actions of certain characters aren't always clear.
Overall, 'Good Luck Jerry' is a fun trip, despite a few stumbles throughout the movie. As a result, the film's target audience should be more receptive to dark comedies in general.