Jab Tak Hai Jaan Movie Review

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Tiding over the logical incongruity of an ageing superstar playing a twenty-something lover boy who matches steps with a vivacious actress half his age might take some doing. But once you manage to get that mental holdup out the way, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Yash Chopra’s last film, is a perfectly fitting finale to an eventful life and career.

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Star-Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma

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Director: Yash Chopra

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Producer: Aditya Chopra

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Duration: 3 hours

The screenplay by Aditya Chopra and Devika Bhagat is by no means flawless but, for the most part, Jab Tak Hai Jaan is watchable, if somewhat emotionally manipulative.

Beautifully shot in easy-on-the-eye parts of London and Ladakh, the film, in the best traditions of a Yash Chopra romance, sees the world primarily through a tried-and-tested “love is life” aperture. The view that it provides is generally likable, if not always completely persuasive.

The mushy moments at the heart of the love story might feel a tad pulpy at times. ButJab Tak Hai Jaan leaves a soothing afterglow.

That apart, Jab Tak Hai Jaan resorts to old-school tropes like road accidents, a head injury, a protracted case of retrograde amnesia and a neurologist who recommends some playacting to help the victim regain normalcy.

But when it comes to emotional layering, which was always Yash Chopra’s forte as a storyteller, the director is in complete control. The film has enough simple moments of tenderness to offset the several not-so convincing heavy-handed twists.

Though the focus of Jab Tak Hai Jaan is on the male protagonist, the two women in his life aren’t mere mannequins. They are full-on Yash Chopra heroines, blessed with both grace and intelligence, besides the ability to speak their minds and hold on to their beliefs.

Therefore, despite the lovey-dovey nothingness that drives the plot, Jab Tak Hai Jaan has more substance than most romantic films that come out of Bollywood.

Shahrukh oozes charm and chutzpah and ensures the character remains in the realms of believability.

Katrina plays the grounded Meera with assurance. In the moments when she is egged on by Samar to let her hair down – especially in the sequence with the underground dancers – the actress lets herself go and makes an impression.

But it is to Anushka Sharma that Jab Tak Hai Jaan really belongs. Turning in an infectiously energetic performance, she breathes life into the somewhat flaccid second half.

Surprisingly, one aspect of Jab Tak Hai Jaan that isn’t quite up to scratch is the musical score. The AR Rahman-Gulzar combo that never fails to yield a cracker isn’t quite in its elements here.

The love ditties sound nice while they play on the screen, but they do not stay with you after the hurly-burly is done.

Verdict: Watch Jab Tak Hai Jaan not just for the obvious sentimental reason but for the fact that it shows, for one last time, what Bollywood will miss now that the undisputed master of romantic sagas is no more.
Ratings: 3.5/5