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MOVIE REVIEW: Jaane Jaan

By Gitanjali Chak

January 2024

Jaane Jaan

Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

Music Directors: Sachin-Jigar

An official adaptation of Keigo Higashino’s bestselling Japanese novel The Devotion of Suspect X, Sujoy Ghosh’s crime drama Jaane Jaan is not your typical whodunit (we know who from the very outset). But the taut script, with its many twists and turns, deft direction and compelling performances by a disparate bunch of actors, keeps you hooked.

Set in the misty hilltown of Kalimpong in Darjeeling, this Netflix movie revolves around a murder, its cover-up and the intriguing interactions involving the three main leads in the aftermath of that murder. There’s Maya D’Souza (Kareena Kapoor in her streaming platform debut), a single mother who has escaped a troubled past and will go to any lengths to protect her daughter.

Infatuated by Maya is her staid yet mysterious neighbor, the gifted math teacher Naren Vyas (Jaideep Ahlawat), and finally there’s the dogged Mumbai Police detective Karan Anand (Vijay Varma), who is sent to Kalimpong on a mission.

While Kareena’s performance is marked by remarkable maturity and restraint, Vijay Varma lifts his character of the cocky yet charming cop out of the ordinary with a nuanced act. But it is Jaideep Ahlawat as the socially awkward genius who shines just a bit brighter than the other two. The actor is exceptional.

So do watch Jaane Jaan but be warned. The big reveal at the end could leave you a tad disappointed. It is, possibly, the only downside of this engrossing thriller.

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