Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is one of the most beautiful and popular actresses of the industry. Her presence was definitely missed in these five years when she took a sabbatical from acting. Hence, there has been a huge curiosity surrounding Jazbaa, that marks her return to the big screen. And the film might fail to deliver but Aishwarya makes her presence felt and gives a wonderful performance. She is ably aided by Irrfan Khan who brings a new version of Hindi film herogiri!

The story of the movie: Anuradha Verma (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is a successful lawyer who knows how to win a case, by hook or by crook. She is a single mother and one day, her daughter Sanaya (Sara Arjun) gets kidnapped. The kidnapper doesn’t demand any money. Instead, he compels Anuradha to fight a case as ransom. Her ‘client’ is Niyaz (Chandan Roy Sanyal) accused of raping and killing Sia (Priya Banerjee). Anuradha takes the help of her friend Yohan (Irrfan Khan), who is currently suspended on bribery charges, to get to the bottom of the case and also to help her get her daughter back.

Jazbaa has a very ordinary beginning. Anuradha exercising on a Mumbai promenade doesn’t really give a very exciting start to the tale. But no time is wasted by the makers and from the first scene itself, the principle narrative is set in motion. The kidnapping happens soon and very unexpectedly. Yohan’s entry is hilarious and Irrfan really takes the film to another level. What makes things interesting is Jazbaa doesn’t remain a tale of a lawyer who’s being compelled to fight a case. It also becomes a murder mystery, forcing viewers to think who must be the killer. The intermission point is dramatic and nicely executed. The second half is where a lot of developments take a place and it’s here that the film falls. The storyline is great but it’s not directed well. Too much emphasis is given to style that actually backfires. Few crucial scenes look too filmy and one wonders how the makers allowed something like this to happen. The climax is definitely a shocker and unexpected. But it could have been better directed. The very final scene leaves a smile on one’s face though.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan makes a great comeback with an author backed role. She looks stunning as always and proves her worth as an actor. She leaves a strong mark in some scenes, especially the intermission point. However, it won’t be wrong to state that Irrfan Khan does overpower her. The actor is in top form and looks extremely dashing. And performance wise, he is simply first rate. He sounds damn good mouthing the whistle worthy one liners. Shabana Azmi (Garima) has an important role in the film and she is simply terrific. Chandan Roy Sanyal is over the top. Sara Arjun is fine. Siddhanth Kapoor (Sam) gets to play a very interesting character and he does fine. Jackie Shroff (Mahesh Maklai) is strictly okay. Priya Banerjee is stunning and is promising. Atul Kulkarni and Abhinmanyu Singh are good in their small roles. Kaizad Kotwal (Dr Satish) and Ankur Vikal (Vijay) leave a mark. Others are good.

Music is disappointing. There’s no scope for music in Jazbaa and thankfully, the makers haven’t obstructed the narrative with too many songs. The 2 songs that are there get over in a jiffy. Amar Mohile’s background score is exhilarating. Sameer Arya’s cinematography is spellbinding. Mumbai has been captured beautifully. Javed-Aejaz’s action is realistic. Kamlesh Pandey’s dialogues are smart and are bound to raise laughs and claps. But at some places, the dialogues sound unreal. Shin-Yeon Won’s story (the film is inspired from Korean film Seven Days) is superb without doubt. But Sanjay Gupta and Robin Bhatt’s screenplay is faulty at places. Sanjay Gupta’s direction also doesn’t quite help. He should have opted for a simpler narrative. Too much of style and effects can ruin the show and that’s what happens with Jazbaa. He had a great story and actors in hand. If only he had kept the style in check, Jazbaa would have turned out to be a much better film!

On the whole, Jazbaa is equipped with a nice story, great performances and some nice moments. But the execution isn’t great. Too much emphasis is given on style and effects that doesn’t really help. Few dialogues are very filmy and the makers should have tried keeping the film as realistic as possible for a better effect. It’s an average fare and worth watching especially for Aishwarya and Irrfan fans.

My rating - ** ½  out of 5!