Jagga Jasoos

I think it was the first musical film from Bollywood. I really enjoyed the film. It doesn't seem like Bollywood at all. Anurag Basu has done a fantastic job. But it does have it's flaws. The film was a huge failure at box office and I can see why.

The film is really twisted and strange. The story is hard to understand. It's not really a 10/10 at all but I gave it anyway. This film is only meant for a certain type of audience. It's not everyone's cup of tea. You either love it or you hate it. There is no middle ground.

I really loved the songs, direction Ranveer Kapoor's acting, Cinematography and filming locations. It was a great experience for me.

But Indian audience isn't used to musicals. And the Film's greatest weakness and flaw among many is it's length. Too long. It gets boring at some parts and is really hard to focus.

Jagga Jasoos (2017): When all the filmmakers takes inspiration from Hollywood action films and thrillers,Anurag Basu chose an entirely different path.He got mesmerized by Hollywood comedies and magical adventures and by taking them as inspiration he weaves his own plot.His previous film Barfi! has lot of scenes inspired from several Classic Hollywood films especially Chaplin's.Now Jagga Jasoos is like an Indian adaptation of The Adventures of TinTin. After much complications, several re-shoots and one very public breakup between the lead pair later,Jagga Jasoos came into theaters but became a commercial failure.

Plot: The journey of Jagga (Ranbir Kapoor) who is an amateur detective and someone who has a stammering problem the film essentially revolves around Jagga's search for his father Tutifuti (Saswata Chatterjee) who deserted him at a very young age. Shurti Sengupta (Katrina Kaif) is a senior correspondent who is trying to bust an illegal arms racket and crosses paths with Jagga while both of them are trying to crack the same case.

My Review: For a film industry that got its own certain rules of using music, Jagga Jasoos is an undeniable experiment. The screenplay is structured as chapters from a comic book; the movie uses a classroom full of kids and their teacher, Shruti as its main storytelling device. The films unfolds as she narrates stories from the book, and we're pulled into Jagga's world of makeshift houses, merry characters and rhyming dialogue.

Entire first half is engaging with Jagga's two chapters in his life where he solves two murder mysteries with his detective skills.His musical methods of unravelling mysteries are the most exciting bits.The entire childhood episode of Jagga is dealt emotionally and entry of Katrina at the crucial part and her investigation which was taken into hands by Jagga,all such scenes bring us a real TinTinesque adventure.

But what really went wrong is that Second half which is the main mystery for Jagga is dealt rather childishly than the murder mysteries in first half which was dealt in a mature way.Anurag Basu lost his vision in second half by confusing whether he was making a childish adventure or a matured one because lot of scenes in second half looks outright silly.Even though the film deals with sensible issue like Weapons drop,the way it was dealt looks so rushed.

The major baggage of the film is carried well by music director Pritam. The film is a musical, thus heavily dependent on its music and Pritam has surely justified Basu's hard work with his enchanting scores which is the narration style of the film. It is a standalone success that's cleverly written and perfectly choreographed with foot tapping Bad Lucky, Tukka Laga, Chocolatey Chunnu and Khaana Khaake Daaru Peekey Chale Gaye.The numbers, born effortlessly out of situations in the screenplay, are comical and catchy. Amitabh Bhattacharya, who is credited with lyrics and "rhyming dialogue," is at the top of his game.

Ranbir once again proves his acting prowess as a stammering yet confident Jagga. His animated expressions suit the setup of the film and at no point does he feel too dramatic or over expressive.He manages to make you laugh and tugs at your heartstrings by being goofy and gloomy as suddenly as required.Katrina too is fine as Shruti, and in fact, evoke chuckles as a clumsy yet impressive investigator. Saswata Chatterjee as Tuti-futi Bagchi is brilliant in his role. He is impressive with his emotions and more than his words, it's his eyes that do the talking. Saurabh Shukla as one of the many villains is impressive in his part.

Shining aspect of the film is its cinematography. Ravi Verman's frames feel right out of a storybook and the colours just pop out like any other Hollywood feel-good Disney film. VFX of the film is too bad as I had expected a lot from seeing the trailers.

I think Jagga Jasoos could have been perfect as a TV show with the possibility of Jagga being our own TinTin.

So,Jagga Jasoos is worth watching musical adventure from Bollywood where the music part scores high but adventure doesn't.Ranbir's stellar performance and Ravi Verman's DOP deserves applause.

My rating 6.75/10

I really don't understand what the celebrity critics were smoking when they trashed this gem of a film.

I agree, it's not perfect. It's flawed.

But even then, it's fantastic! Be it the lavish camera, the winding narrative, the incorporation of metafiction, numerous nods to Satyajit Ray, and there's so much more to appreciate in this film.

Saswata Chatterjee and Ranbir Kapoor are at the top of their game. A full fledged musical tossed with a Tintin flavour and grave undertones, sprinkled with elements of espionage, adventure, some hilarious lyrics.. JJ has a lot to offer. Including the beautiful track, Musafir.

Please give it a watch folks.

I have a feeling that it'll become a cult classic in the later years.

In an age of masala garbage and propagandist films, JJ was uniquely wonderful. We as an audience couldn't do justice to this film.

Jagga Jasoos is many things, both good and not-so-good, but 'typical Bollywood' is a tag even the most die-hard detractors will not be able to bestow upon it. In fact, it is the opposite of that tag for the most part. It is a beautifully crafted, melodiously tuned and exquisitely shot story of Jagga that is essentially a comic book brought to life.

Watch it for director Anurag Basu's sheer audacity of attempting a film that is mounted on a scale so lavish and so large that it seems to lose its way here and there for short periods. Make no mistake, it will demand your attention, failing which you might lose track of what's going on. In return, it will reward you with breathtaking cinematography, rich music, a fantastic supporting cast and typical-of-Anurag-Basu-comic-moments. Katrina Kaif's Shruti does enough to carry off the role, but you can't help but wonder 'what-if' and think of other actresses who could have portrayed the role better.

The same can't be said of Ranbir Kapoor. His endearing Jagga has Kapoor in top form and leaves you convinced that no other current actor could have played this part.

On the whole, Jagga Jasoos is a must-watch. It is a film that deserves the large screen, and it is an attempt that, I think, will age very well. As a sometimes-flawed movie that's full of heart, I would take it any day over synthetic, formulaic 'Bollywood' fare that we are served week after week. This is a good sign of the things to come for the Hindi film industry.

9/10 for me.

JaggaJasoos in all sense is a Disney magic movie. You'll find all in it. You'll need open mind and heart to like it.Watch it for Ranbir Kapoor! This has to be one of the toughest films to be made in India.It's a brave attempt in film making, specially in India. Visually stunning, its an alright musical movie. Overall a good treat watching with family and friends!