After being critical lauded for her performance in Laal Singh Chaddha, Kareena Kapoor Khan has all eyes on her once again. Not only is everyone hyped about her upcoming film The Buckingham Murders’ debut at London Film Festival this year, fans are also excited for for her streaming debut. Last month, Netflix announced the launch of one of its biggest Indian films this year, Jaane Jaan – a mystery thriller directed by Sujoy Ghosh (of Kahaani and Te3n fame), to much excitement and curiosity from fans and viewers alike. As it happens, the film is now out and so are the reviews and reactions!
Jaane Jaan Receives Generally Positive Reception
Jaane Jaan is a Hindi film adaptation of the Japanese novel, The Devotion of Suspect X, by Keigo Higashino. Khan is supposed to play a divorced, single mother who must attempt to cover up the murder of her abusive ex-husband who shows up at her doorstep to extort money from her and threatening and harming her daughter. She attempts to do all this accompanied by her neighbor, in the midst of an ongoing police investigation. The moment of truth is here, as the critics verdict is now out and generally positive! Check out for yourself.
Anvita Singh, India Today (3.5/5) – When you have a solid screenplay to rely on, it is half the battle won for everyone involved. Then all you need to do is cast the right actors. In ‘Jaane Jaan’s’ case, both these demands were met by writer and filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh ably.
Dhaval Roy, Times of India (3/5) – ‘Jaane Jaan’ doesn’t fit the mould of an adrenaline-fueled, high-speed thriller; instead, it takes its time to weave its tale. The narrative occasionally loses its tight grip on the audience, but the compelling performances hold your attention during these moments.
Shubra Gupta, Indian Express (2/5) – With her unmade-up, unvarnished face, Kareena reinforces our belief that there’s a great deal to her that we haven’t discovered yet. But her presence in the film works both as plus and minus: her being the clearly bigger star, in fact the only star, skews the dynamics of the tale.
Sonil Dedhia, News 18 (3/5) – With nearly 150-minute duration, Netflix’s Jaane Jaan is not as effective as it could have been with the kind of cast it boasts of. Ghosh makes a sincere attempt but it isn’t engaging enough for you to feel the joy of solving a murderous puzzle or detective riddles.
Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV (3.5/5) – Jaane Jaan stays true to the text it is based on (but for minor tweaks here and there and a major departure from how the novel ends) – and to its genre – but it consciously and intelligently waters down the conventional crime drama tropes. With the writer-director, the technicians, the music team and the actors at their very best, Jaane Jaan is an all-round triumph.
Soumyabrata Gupta, Times Now (3.5/5) – Think of Jaane Jaan as an empty canvas that has shades of muted pastel colours, mostly shady, but is crafted so brilliantly that it paints a chilling, believable, and well-directed cinematic picture. A perfect moody thriller, more like an ode to how believable and twisted crime dramas are made with simplicity and art.
Monika Rawal, Hindustan Times – Despite so much unfolding on screen, including some gory details, somehow, you never feel that adrenaline rush a murder mystery or a thriller of this scale and with such a stellar cast, is expected to offer. Watch Jaane Jaan for some of the best acting chops on display, and to figure how Ghosh could have adapted this novel differently to make it more hard-hitting.
Shilajit Mitra, The Hindu – Jaideep Ahlawat shines next to Kareena Kapoor and Vijay Varma in this hillside thriller.
You can also check out the audience review by following this Twitter thread. Jaane Jaan is now available to stream on Netflix.
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