In this day and age, it’s become rather difficult to find a mainstream Bollywood comedy that isn’t entirely dependent on jokes that have aged horribly, is transphobic, homophobic, and every other phobia you could think of, or which is entirely comprised of WhatsApp forwards. Thankfully, the 2020 release, “Jawaani Jaaneman” is far from an unfunny Bollywood mainstream comedy. It is an entertaining story of a father and daughter and the bond they share, brimming with moments that will make you laugh out loud as well as moments that will make you reach for the tissues.
The movie is set in London and revolves around a broker in his forties named Jazz (Saif Ali Khan) who is quite the man-child and spends his nights partying and picking up women at the club who are half his age, and spends his days trying to sell off his landlady’s building despite her unwillingness to part with her home. However, his unhealthy lifestyle is brought to a standstill upon the entry of a young lady from Amsterdam named Tia (Alaya F) who claims to be his daughter. It also turns that out young Tia is pregnant and without a boyfriend or a family to look out for her in London, so she ends up staying with Jazz. From then on, it is up to daddy dearest to act his age and be a mature, upstanding adult for once.
It was refreshing to watch Saif Ali Khan and Alaya F’s believable chemistry as father and daughter respectfully. Saif is in his element as his charismatic self, and it’s nice to see him branch out and do all these different and amazing roles which showcase his range as an actor instead of sticking to low hanging fruit.
But the surprise package here is Alaya F, making her acting debut and being quite the natural at it. She never tries too hard to be quirky and sweet, and effortlessly slips into the role of the twenty something Tia who is frighteningly more mature than both her middle-aged parents. Alaya also reminds me of one of my favourite actresses, the ‘Queen of being effortlessly bubbly’, Preity Zinta with her mannerisms and her toothy grin.
The ever-reliable Tabu has a short but sweet role as Tia’s hippie mum whose one night stand with Jazz led to Tia’s birth and who is as reckless and immature as Jazz. Her comic timing is pure gold whenever she’s on-screen. Her snarky comebacks and her back and forth with Jazz is hilarious to watch, and this is also because of the clever and funny material the actors have on hand.
Of note, “Sacred Games” fans will be in for a treat as Saif’s co-star from the show, Kubbra Sait, reunites with him here, and she is very good as Jazz’s tolerant hairdresser Rhea. Even Chunky Pandey leaves a mark in his brief role as Rocky, a pub owner who enjoys flying solo; and I guess it’s suffice to say that Ananya Pandey’s father is far more talented and versatile than she is even in the brief time that he has here. The rest of the cast like Kumud Mishra, veteran Farida Jalal, etc., lend ample support.
While I wasn’t a fan of all the tracks in the soundtrack—since a lot of them are just hastily remixed party versions of classic songs, and it’s tiring to see Bollywood fall back on this trend so frequently—I did love the inclusion of original tracks such as “Mere Baabula,” and “Bandhu Tu Mera,” which have some very meaningful lyrics and are soothing to listen to.
My only bone to pick are the nightclub scenes every two minutes, which tend to weigh the first half down. While I understand these scenes showcase Jazz’s affinity for being a reckless party animal, they stretch out the length of the movie a tad, slow it down, and come off as filler and at times could’ve been cut short. Despite this, I absolutely enjoyed “Jawaani Jaaneman;” it is one of those genuinely funny and feel-good Bollywood mainstream comedies which had me invested in the proceedings throughout. It was a surprise, and a rarity to come across nowadays in an industry saturated with unfunny potboilers and cash grabs. Do yourself a favor and catch this flick with your loved ones.
*”Jawaani Jaaneman” is available to watch on Amazon Prime via subscription.
