Welcome to another session of my movie buff self sharing my takes on the movies that I loved but could not make friends with the box office. In other words, I am relishing some endearing box office duds. While my previous blog was about two lovely movies from the early days of the ’90s, today’s favorite is a recent endeavor, Anurag Basu’s creation Jagga Jasoos.
Jagga Jasoos
I watched the movie Jagga Jasoos 3 years late. Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, and the much-talented Saswata Chatterjee, the movie looked promising in trailers. But, the reviews were so terrible that I decided to skip it for good. Oh, what folly! Then one day having nothing better to do I started watching it and now it has become one of my comfort movies.
The movie
Jagga Jasoos is a movie about dreams, a fantasy drawn on a colorful canvas, and about a young superhero. No, the superhero does not wear a cape nor does he have any superpower. But he has a beautiful heart, sings in lyrical verses, and has a clumsy partner, the investigative journalist Shruti. The hero isn’t intimidating and can’t fire a gun properly, but defeats the villain through his wit. Our hero is not perfect but he can fly a biplane over the desert to search for his father. For the generation who grew up reading Harry Potter, Tintin, Satyajit Ray, and Disney movies, this movie is a trip down the lane of nostalgia.
The positives
If you ask me it is ideal for the kids and all the adults who have still saved their inner child. The movie which moves around a father-son relationship is full of beautiful songs, exquisite locations, sweet characters, and overall a beautiful message. The movie would remind you of Tintin’s adventures and I am sure the director was much influenced by the teen reporter. Occasional mention of the Ray world like Shundi and Feluda is a separate treat for fans like me. The music and song conversations would remind you of the beautiful Disney animated movies. The cinematography was at its best.
Yes, certain references will be difficult for a non-bong to decipher e.g. places named Agapashtola. But, if one is patient enough they would soon be soaked into a fantasy world of Jagga which believes in the goodness of people and dreams of a world without war.
I loved the reference when Jagga stops the war replacing Cakes with Guns. A striking similarity with my all-time favourite movie Goopy Gayen Bagha Bayen made it all the more loveable.
Mentioning the actual incident of the Purulia Arms drop case, the authenticity of the illegal arms distribution is ascertained. The beautiful message – if only more food was distributed instead of arms all wars would end, took my heart away.
What could have been better
The only problem with the movie was its length. A sharper editing would have made it crisper.
Conclusion
The end credits kept the hope open for another installment of the wacky adventure but I guess the abysmal result at the box office dampened the spirit of the creators. Still, I hope against hope some day the teenage jasoos will return to the screen. This time I will enjoy their banter on the big screen.
If you are not one of those intellectual types, and still nurture some innocence then this movie is for you.
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This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2023
A beautiful review of the movie. I like all the cartoon characters you mentioned but some how I was never attracted to this movie. I think with these characters I love seeing love movies with these characters. But, I agree with your critical points.