Jaane Jaan – My Flash Review!

Kareena Kapoor is a single mother living with her teenage daughter and running an eatery in a hilly town in what seems to be a still and peaceful life till an unsolicited guest comes into their life. The guest who is the Ex-husband of Kareena uses the past to create trouble in the present for them. The daughter in a moment of defensive rage, eliminates the man. A dour and maths-loving neighbour offers to help them to get out of the mess. A studious police officer is on the trail. Under the coaching of the neighbour, the mother and daughter duo manage to camouflage all evidence in such a way that the police are unable to pin them down though they have all circumstantial evidence.

This is the story and I am sure it is ringing a Drishyam bell! Yes, this story is eerily similar to the Malayalam super hit Drishyam which got re-made in all possible languages in India. But in reality, is an official adaptation of the Japanese novel – The Devotion of Suspect X. So, Drishyam was the unofficial adaptation of the Japanese novel! But I must say that on all counts, the unofficial one in terms of screenplay is far superior to this official adaptation.
In Drishyam, the motivations of the individuals – the daughter, the mother and eventually the father in doing what they do are all completely relatable. In Jaane Jaan, that’s a clear weakness and a major one at that. Why the neighbour takes all the pains to do what he does is a big question mark. And if it is all for love and in part for the love for problem-solving, it is a big stretch. Discounting these fallacies in the screenplay, if the film is still engaging, it is because of the universal appeal of the “Justice to the Underdog” theme and the performances of the principal cast.
Jaideep Ahlawat as the intense and brooding neighbour once again proves why he is a much sought-after actor for these types of roles in the OTT era. He doesn’t speak much but his body language does all the communication. Similarly, Kareena Kapoor as the troubled mother is a great watch in this film. The other character of substance is that of the police officer. This is played by Vijay Varma who is another guy to watch out for in the character actor space.
Director Sujoy Ghosh who is yet to reclaim the standards of Kahaani (a fine thriller film) does a fairly neat job in the making of the film. But in depending upon the source material too much, doesn’t tweak the screenplay to suit the regional sensibilities, which is a sour point. The lighting for most parts is too dark and is a strain to watch. The film is set in Kalimpong and it would have made for good imagery if the camera ventured out a bit in broad sunlight. At no point, there is a lull in the proceedings and in that sense, the film is engaging.
The film in my opinion would have been received better if we had watched it before Drishyam. Post-Drishyam, we have seen an overdose of the “Drishyam genre” in India. Therefore, Jaane Jaan fails to surprise us at any stage. If there was a Franchise for Drishyam films, this would fit in perfectly. It is a film ideally suited for the OTT medium and is a decent watch. Jaane Jaan is streaming now on Netflix.