What Is the Story About?
SonyLIV’s latest original series ‘Jehanabad: Of Love And War’ is centred on the naxalite movement and its intricate workings. More specifically, Jehanabad recounts the audacious jailbreak in 2005 Bihar, when a troop of naxals orchestrated the storming of the Jehanabad prison, helping 350+ of their jailed comrades to escape to freedom. The true-life events are woven into a fictional tale of love between a Jehanabad college professor (Ritwik Bhowmik) and his student (Harshita Gaur).
‘Jehanabad: Of Love And War’ is written and directed by Rajeev Barnwal. Satyanshu Singh is the co-director, while Sudhir Mishra is the show-runner.
Performances?
The performances in Jehanabad are excellent across the board. No actor indulges in over-the-top hamming, despite having to deliver dialogues in the Bihari dialect. Parambrata Chattopadhyay is terrific in his role of the erudite Deepak Kumar, leader of the Naxals. His charisma and powerful screen presence make his Deepak Kumar a memorable character in the series. Ritwik Bhowmik exercises just the right amount of restraint and understated sophistication, to render a refined performance as college professor Abhimanyu Singh. Satyadeep Mishra is efficient as always in his role of Jehanabad SP Durgesh Pratap Singh. He is one actor who melts into the character he’s playing on screen, such that you can no more tell the actor from the character.
Harshita Gaur is sparky and spunky as outspoken college student Kasturi Mishra. She is quite a revelation in the series, and lights up the screen with her effortless, straight-from-the-heart performance. Rajat Kapoor delivers yet another flawless performance as Shivanand Singh, a politician with grey shades to him. He has some of the best dialogues in the series, and he furnishes them with flair. Sonal Jha and Rajesh Jais are adorable as Kasturi’s parents. Poulomi Das is striking as a female leader of the naxals. Suneel Sinha makes an ideal professor and closet naxal, bringing gravitas, and we dare say, a bit of grey to his role.
The rest of the cast lends ample and commendable support to the narrative.
Analysis?
Jehanabad on SonyLIV is that rare show on streaming that gets most elements of filmmaking right – the casting and performances, the story, the direction, the pacing, and most of all, the treatment. Despite being set in the backdrop of the naxalite movement — a largely outdated and done-to-death concept — Jehanabad manages to keep the viewer hooked right till the very end. The narrative moves at the pace of a drama, but the handling of the subject at hand turns it into a compelling thriller of sorts.
The pacing of the show is also just about perfect — except for the bits that depict the romantic angle in the story. To put it in perspective, Jehanabad: Of Love And War would have been a far more thrilling watch, had the ‘love’ angle been chopped off and kept to a minimum. Devoting several opening episodes at a stretch to the blossoming of the love story between Abhimanyu and Kasturi dilutes the impact of the thrilling subject somewhat; even with the eminently watchable and charming pair of Harshita Gaur and Ritwik Bhowmik at the centre of it all. More emphasis on the jailbreak would have delivered a tighter product. The jailbreak episodes in Jehanabad miss that edge-of-the-seat quality — so crucial to a story of this sort.
The characterisations in Jehanabad are a huge plus for the series. Every character is fleshed out well, with distinctive quirks and eccentricities created for each. Shivanand Singh, and his penchant for boasting about the milk and paneer of his ‘ghar ki gaay’ at every given opportunity; Deepak Kumar, and his calm, knowledgeable persona sheathing the steel beneath; Mamaji, and his hint of cruel ruthlessness; Kasturi’s rare female lead in Indian shows who knows what she wants, and goes after it with gusto; and so many more on-point characterisations.
The dialogues in the show are another stand-out element of Jehanabad. Rarely has a show addressed the upper caste – lower caste conflict so calmly and assuredly, without resorting to exaggerated drama, jingoistic dialogue and unnecessary histrionics, and with the use of effective dialogue alone.
However, not everything is on-point in Jehanabad. The story is kind of hampered by the fictional love story at its core. The script takes silly liberties, belittling the intelligence of its viewers – most of it has to do with how easily sundry inmates are able to fool top police officials with ease. Lastly and most importantly, the climax is disappointingly underwhelming, and looks as if it has been shot by a filmmaking amateur. It is laughably simplistic, when it should have been the centre piece of the show.
To sum it up, Jehanabad is a good one-time watch, which could have been vastly better. Hope the makers iron out the wrinkles in Season 2 of the show, which is a foregone conclusion, given the open-ended final shot of the series.
Music and Other Departments?
Choosing Sneha Khanwalkar to compose the music of Jehanabad is the perfect decision. She has risen to the plot admirably, and given a riveting musical score that sits well with the story. Xoaher Musavvir’s cinematography is a winner – it elevates the storytelling in manifold ways. The editing is efficient and fluid.
Highlights?
Casting
Performances
Dialogues
Treatment
Direction
Drawbacks?
Too much focus on the romantic angle
Underwhelming climax
Unwanted loose ends
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Jehanabad: Of Love & War Series Review by Binged Bureau
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