Film Jazbaa is praiseworthy to watch once for fans of Sanjay Gupta's films. !!

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta, known for reproducing thrillers from International films and adding his own entertainment quotient, is back with another remake in the form of Jazbaa. Based on Korean movie Seven Days, Jazbaa, which stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan Khan amongst others, might not be Gupta's greatest movie, but is surely a treat for admirers of the director.

 

Anuradha Verma (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is a famous legal eagle, who believes in winning a case at any cost. When Verma's daughter gets kidnapped and the single mum is forced to get a convicted rapist and murderer Qureshi (Chandan Roy Sanyal) acquitted as the ransom, she unwillingly turns for help to her childhood buddy Yohan (Irrfan Khan), a nonconformist cop suspended following allegations of corruption.

 

To win the case, Verma and Yohan are compelled to do all kinds of shady and semi-legal things, including deceiving Garima (Shabana Azmi), the mother of the girl raped and killed by Qureshi. Will Verma and Yohan manage to rescue the former's daughter? Will the bereaved Garima get justice?

 

Even with all the uproar raised by the makers about the movie being Aishwarya's comeback film, the light-eyed beauty fails to excite us, despite the efforts of the makers to show Aishwarya as something of a super-mum/super lawyer. Though she seems to have put in an honest effort, she fails to make a strong influence because of her high-pitched screaming and over-the-top acting.

 

The movie however belongs to the trustworthy Irrfan Khan, who simply walks away with all the praise as Yohan, the street-smart cop with a killer gag for every situation. Khan is naturally impressive and comes across as the kind of sidekick you want to have by your side in a dark and risky alley. Shabana Azmi is effective enough while Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni and Siddhant Kapoor are O.K. with their parts.

 

The background score balances the story and though there are quite some weaknesses in the screenplay, it's not a major displeasure as such. The suspense element in the story is fairly thrilling and will keep you on the edge of your seat as you keep guessing who the abductor is.

 

Overall, film Jazbaa is praiseworthy to watch once for fans of Sanjay Gupta's films and Aishwarya’s comeback film.