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Jazbaa: An impressive comeback

Aishwarya Rai is in good form in her return to the big screen in five years in Jazbaa, writes Deepa Gauri

THE START IS clumsy, gaping holes in the storyline gnaw at you as the reels unfold, there are twists galore and there is the Sanjay Gupta's version of the Bollywood-kind gore. But Jazbaa fulfils its mission of delivering Aishwarya Rai back to the audience after a good five years of absence.
For its vigilante angle and being another reiteration of how the judicial system apparently fails in meting out an even keel of justice, there is something disturbingly real about Jazbaa.
Such mainstream films that cry out against rape and violation would definitely help India now. That is the 'message' part of the movie - about rape statistics in the country, how a large number of cases go unreported and how the perpetuators get away almost always.
That is noble for sure Ms. Rai, a co-producer of the movie, and we salute you for taking on a serious issue (even if it is a remake of the South Korean film Seven Days with Lost star Yunjin Kim).
Jazbaa is tautly made, seldom meanders, does not go into typical Bollywood buffoonery and it has steely conviction from its cast. Yet, it never really rises above to justify Ms. Rai's comeback effort. It doesn't tax the actor in her other than to scream at the top of her lungs.
So it is left to Irrfan Khan (who has some clumsy dialogues that he successfully navigates with his inimitable talent) and Shabana Azmi to give the film that gravitas, which would otherwise have been lost. For all practical purposes, it is the casting of these two actors that make Jazbaa not another of those typical Bollywood films.
Sanjay Gupta never lets the film's tempo sag. But where he loses out is the timeline. What should have happened in four or five days seems unending as Aishwarya, playing hotshot lawyer Anuradha, gets into the challenge of defending an accused rapist and killer.
Her daughter has been kidnapped, and saving the man from the gallows is what she must do to get the little girl back. So while she is not muttering 'my baby,' she is scouting the killer's past with the help of her childhood friend and now discredited cop (how convenient) Yohan (Irrfan).
Adding the melodramatic effect to the scene is Prof. Garima (Shabana), the mom of the deceased girl. Few and far between the wild-goose chase to establish the 'true killer' and to save the little girl, there are some poignant moments too.
One such is where Garima confronts Anuradha for taking up the case with the 'aren't you a mother' argument. And that is one moment where Aishwarya truly shines, the pain in her eyes perfect, her expression just right, as she mutters, 'everyone has one's own hell.'
With twists and turns to the plot, viewers will find the Jazbaa ride disturbingly enjoyable. Sameer Arya's slick camera and Bunty Nagi's intelligent editing add to the assets while Amar Mohile on the background score happily goes berserk.
Jazbaa is a slick thriller with the right tempo and a great cast. Sticking true to its genre, it brings female power back to the silver screen joining the league of NH10 and Mardaani, among several others, without making the heroine pick up guns or iron rods to mete out justice.