Jugni Hindi Movie
A music producer from Bombay leaves everything behind and goes in search of music to a village in Punjab. This is so amazing you think you have struck cinematic gold. She finds the music and it changes her life, bringing her accolades back in Tinseltown. The music also changes the life of the young man who sings for her. You know the sheen has gone and the story has taken the turn for the predictable. The music makes up for everything though.
The beginning of the movie is so stunning, you will fall in love with the young girl who travels to a remote village in Punjab seeking out traditional melodies. She stumbles upon Jeeta Jazbati and Master Mastana and their fun, practically lewd songs. You begin to enjoy the clever puns that cross the language barriers. She says 'she's grateful' for the offer of a home to rest. He says it would be great even if it were half, not full...
He's loud, she's not. He thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread, she wants him to sing songs that his mother sings: traditional Sufi songs. Of course there's chemistry. And there's Gulabo. The alcohol content in Gulabo is responsible for the two making love. That's when everything goes downhill. The lad is overcome with guilt and feels awful (he has a Preeto he's in love with!) The city girl seems to not worry too much about the one night stand, but is secretly 'Indian heroine' wracked by 'did I do wrong'. She comes back to the big city...
Alas it turns out to a role reversal type of the 70s movies where the 'shehri babu' promises to come back and doesn't... Here the lad comes in search of success (and the girl) and is obviously disappointed and goes back... She feels terrible about what she has done to the village bumpkin with a golden voice and her life falls apart, despite the accolades. Both pick up pieces (thank god they are not shown to be getting married!) separately and hope they will meet again some day...
The beginning of the movie, the music, the hero's charming presence, the funny appealing dialog keeps you so happy, you sort of believe that the movie is going to be better than fabulous. But the predictable turns the story takes throw the whole movie down a cliff and it just crashes.
The music is fabulous and it elevates the movie from commonplace indie to something more. I wish they had kept the story cutting edge as well and not slipped down to the banal: no one will hear the sample CD you leave behind... this industry is not kind to newcomers...
MOVIE REVIEWS