juliamonakova Review of Jab Harry Met Sejal

Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017)

Movie for those who can think and feel

[10/10 · 21 September 2017]

So... Shahrukh again starred in the movie "not for box office," and again I'm sooo delighted with his work! As I thought after watching trailers, new creation of Imtiaz Ali has not "Indian colour" - and it's not even because of European locations. Simply, there is nothing here that would be close and understandable by the average Indian audience. Shah one more time made a risky experiment, thinking not about the simple public, but about his own taste (a very good taste, I should note). So it became an excellent, stylish, high-quality and intelligent film. But alas - not for the masses. Not for critics. Not for cash, but for his own buzz. My respect to the King Khan again for his brave heart! To be honest, in recent years all critics praise his acting ("Fan", "Dear Zindagi", "Raees"), and all the negative goes to writers or directors. Same happened this time - the action is not enough, and the culminating scene is rather weak, and too many songs... In JHMS the dialogues are ruling, there are no many events, but lots of emotions, feelings, attitudes, hints and halftones. This is the film about a Man and a Woman, and this is not the case when the story is full of turbulent events and fountains of adventures. Moreover, there is no edifying morality, a social message, patriotic pathos, politics, sports, fights, gays, invalids, feminists, tears, snot and drool. There are even no promises to love "until death and in all rebirths." Nothing is served on a saucer and does not chew. You should read between the lines. Special thanks to Imtiaz Ali for the way he was shooting Shah - it's a real pleasure to see Harry on screen from the very first moments of his appearance with blues SAFAR (my bow to the lyrics and the composer for the luxurious tracks - they are a full part of the plot!). We see a middle-aged wanderer with tired eyes. An Indian immigrant, failed singer, now a guide who does not like his work. His life is a continuous gray and routine. Groundhog Day: groups of tourists, airports, buses, sights, the official comfort of hotel rooms, jokes on duty, regular clashes with the boss for the love affairs with customers, coffee from plastic cups and a snack on the run. The hero does not want to admit this out loud (and the Indian name Harinder was cut to the stylishly European Harry), but he desperately misses his native Punjabi village. You can remember same theme from DDLJ and Swades... String plot is about Harry helps the client find the engagement ring, which she lost during a tourist trip. "What you seek is seeking you," says the film's slogan, and the hero really finds... not the ring, but himself. Shahrukh does not try to flirt and grow young, he is natural at his age and so steep that it is impossible not to envy his intelligent charm in the way he acts. No embraces in the famous pose, no dimples, romantic eyes and other branded clichés, but ... looks and dialogues - that's what makes his character so charismatic. Plus the enchanting transitions from Hindi to Punjabi, English and German. Sejal is also good. One of Anushka's main trumps is her marvelous, modulation-rich voice, capable of conveying the tiniest shades of any emotion and expressing almost everything. Whatever critics write, the chemistry between Shah and Anushka is amazing. They magically complement each other, Harry is a lone wolf, Sejal is a sweet, foolish girl, frivolous and superficial at first glance. But do not rush to draw conclusions, because this is the girl who pulls the hero out of the musty bog in which he is stuck, and fills his lungs with clean fresh air. Very good shows the way when you gradually fall in love. Not love at first sight, but the very process of the origin of fluids. I also felt butterfly fluttered in my stomach! I really liked the final of the story. SAFAR is over, the eternal wanderer has stopped, now he will prepare nest for his family! What can I say in conclusion? Well, of course, this is not a masterpiece of world cinema. Well, of course, it will be not loved and understood by everyone, somebody will be frankly bored during the viewing and will not see anything in the film, except the search for a ring in Europe. But this, of course, is another very very very strong work of Shah, a wonderful acting of his partner Anushka, an amazing job of the operator, director and composer. A movie that you want to savor like a good wine. Which personally left a wonderful aftertaste - something that I wanted immediately to repeat!