Jigariyaa Hindi Movie
In the times when Love is flaunted to the world by changing relationship statuses on Facebook or romance essayed through text messages on whats app, comes a director Raj Purohit who takes you back to the gooey mush of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak times where there was more romance in stolen glances than physical intimacy that's become the need of the hour in romantic films today.
Set in the Agra of the '80s Jigariyaa is the story of Shaamlal Gupta aka Shaamu (Harshvardhan Deo) and Radhika Sharma aka Raadha (Cherry Mardia). Shaamu, the only son of halwaai Ramlal Gupta is a happy go lucky boy. He spends his days writing sheyr-o-shayari admired by his motley group of good-for-nothing friends and his doting mother.
The only daughter of Pandit Shankar Dayal Sharma, Radhika is a miss goody two shoes from Mathura. On a visit to her Nani's house in Agra she stumbles upon Shaamu who literally falls in love with her at first sight and thus begins his quest to find this elusive girl in the streets of Agra.
As the staple star-crossed lovers' story would have it, due to unforeseen circumstances the two are torn apart by the family. However, as love knows no limits, the two elope to Mumbai and are eventually brought back in. And typically so, their love story too ends on a tragic note.
Jigariyaa stands on three things - Acting of the lead pair, the beautiful cinematography and the songs.
Both Harshvardhan Deo and Cherry Mardia make for a fresh pairing and play their parts with aplomb. The innocence that this film demands couldn't have been possible without the lead cast, their charming screen presence, sweet romantic overtures, simplicity and doe eyes all make for an endearing watch.
While performances are laudable, even cinematography deserves to be applauded. Sriram Ganapathy's camera work on the recreated Agra of the '80s leaves you spell bound. The vivid colours, the locations with historical references etc. is almost like painting in every frame. One cannot miss the Holi Song which is a complete delight to watch.
Music too is another key point of the film. Right from the Holi number to the soulful Arziyaan, the composition is soothing, enjoyable, and melodic all at once.
Despite all the merits to it, the film somewhere stumbles miserably. One of the major issues with Jigariyaa is its run time. For a romantic plot which adds no new twist, the films run time of 141 minutes rings dreadful bells. There are moments of boredom and you want the movie to end. Also, owing primarily to the storyline, which is supposedly based on true events, you know literally what's to follow and you are left at the mercy of the director to take you to that point in his own sweet time.
The movie could easily be snipped by 25-30 minutes without affecting the story. And it's that boredom of the stretched run-time which dilutes the impact of the tragic end which could otherwise be truly impactful.
Nonetheless, Jigariyaa has a freshness, innocence and infectious energy which should be given a chance despite its many flaws.
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