What Is the Story About?
Prime Video original series ‘Jee Karda’ centres on seven friends who’ve been together since their school days. Now hitting thirty, the friends navigate love, lust, lies, lousy relationships, betrayal, abuse, and everything in between, assured in the knowledge that the safety net of friendship will take them through thick and thin. But how long will it last when the vagaries of life yank them out of their La La Land?
Jee Karda is written by Arunima Sharma, Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal, directed by Arunima Sharma and Homi Adajania (two episodes), and produced by Maddock Films.
Performances?
The performances in Jee Karda are good across the board. Each actor has nailed the parts they essay, despite the sketchily fleshed out roles they’re handed. Tamannaah Bhatia shines in the author-backed role of Lavanya, aka Lavu. Likewise for Aashim Gulati as the cocky-outside-vulnerable-inside rockstar Arjun Gill.
Suhail Nayyar as Rishabh, Sayan Banerjee as Melroy, Anya Singh as Preet, Samvedna Suwalka as Sheetal, Hussain Dalal as Shahid, are well-cast and justify their casting. Simone Singh and Dolly Ahluwalia are great as Lavanya and Arjun’s respective mothers.
Analysis
Jee Karda has a story that has been beaten and done to death, ever since content creators invented the ‘young adult’ brand of content. From Friends to How I Met Your Mother to Dil Chahta Hai to Four More Shots Please to the gazillion other content that tells different versions of similar stories, the eight episodes of Jee Karda only leave you with one conclusion – same old, same old.
Dysfunctional families, far-from-ideal parents, the mandatory gay character, lusty making-out sessions, unrequited love, drunken proposals and/or sex, posh characters living in posh localities — Jee Karda has all these and more, ticking off most of the boxes in the checklist of what makes a young adult show these days. There’s nothing remotely unique about Jee Karda, to distinguish it from the sea of similar content floating around in TV-land.
Lavanya and Rishabh have been together since they were kids. It is probably the longest a girl has stuck around with a guy she begins dating on the rebound. They even get engaged, and then married — the result of a messy proposal at the end of a drinking spree. Of course, such things only happen in glitzy, glittery shows on TV, and not in real life. But then, Jee Karda is as far removed from real life as the Savannah is from the Tundra.
Both Lavanya and Preet have the hots for Arjun, though only one is vocal about it, but it is the other who ends up sleeping with him; and right before her wedding too. Quite predictably, this isn’t the only messy situation that the characters of Jee Karda find themselves in. The series is a motherload of messy situations, of every hue and make. Name a trope and Jee Karda is certain to have truckloads of it.
The characters in the series are also versions of similar characters most of us have seen countless times before. However, two characters do manage to stand out from the rest – Preet and Shahid’s. Preet seems to be flitting through life, from one lover to another, clueless and directionless. She’s a counselor who’s badly in need of intensive counseling herself. The writers never bother to explain to us why she is the way she is. Still, Preet’s is the most intriguing character in Jee Karda, and Anya Singh is excellent in her portrayal of Preet.
Shahid’s is the other character that makes us sit up and take notice somewhat. Self-effacing and cynical, the character reminds one of Nate Shelley in Ted Lasso in many ways. Like the latter, he’s always on the outside looking in, part of the gang but not quite. But it’s all of his own making, mostly because of the massive chip he lugs on his shoulder as he goes about daily life.
Jee Karda also boasts a healthy dose of the much-talked-about lovemaking scenes. Though honestly speaking, none of it is in the least bit arousing or titillating. The sex scenes in Jee Karda have been shot in the most rudimentary way possible, and included only to tick yet another set of prerequisites of modern day “young adult” shows.
To sum it up, Jee Karda is frothy, bubbly and fun, but nothing you’ve not watched before. Watch it if you must, but don’t expect a reinvention of the wheel. Watch it for the good-looking cast, better than average performances, and the glitzy production values. The short 30-minute episodes are a bonus in this age of shows with one-hour-long, snail-paced episodes.
Music and Other Departments?
Sachin – Jigar’s music for Jee Karda is a huge plus. The title track is fun, upbeat and quite listenable, as are the rest of the songs. Mahendra Shetty’s cinematography is superb as always, enhancing the flimsy storyline by notches. Dipika Kalra and Neha Mehra’s editing is efficient.
Highlights?
Cast and performances
Cinematography and production values
Well-paced
Drawbacks?
Predictable, beaten to death storyline
Brimming with tropes
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts.
Will You Recommend It?
With reservations.
Jee Karda Series Review by Binged Bureau
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