Jazbaa

About the film

Jazbaa (transl. Passion/Emotion) is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Sanjay Gupta. The film's narrative revolves around an attorney forced to defend an unsavory criminal after her daughter is kidnapped. It stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Irrfan Khan, with Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni and Chandan Roy Sanyal in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 2007 South Korean film Seven Days. The film was released on 9 October 2015. The film marked Aishwarya's return on screen after a five-year break.

Rai's performance received nominations for Best Actor in an Action Role at the Big Star Entertainment Awards and the Screen Award for Best Actress (Popular Choice). She won the Power-packed performance of the year at Stardust Awards.

Plot

Anuradha Verma is a prominent criminal lawyer and a single mother who has never lost a case. On the day of a parent-child race organised in her daughter Sanaya's school, Sanaya is abducted. The kidnapper contacts Anuradha and tells her that she has to defend a convicted felon in order to get her daughter back. Anuradha lies to family and friends, saying that Sanaya is safe at her grandmother's house, so that the law enforcement is not involved. The felon is Niyaaz Shaikh, who was charged for the rape and murder of a young woman named Sia, and the case against him is set for hearing in four days. The kidnapper keeps track of Anuradha very closely to make sure that she complies with his demands. All evidence suggests that Niyaaz is the perpetrator, so Anuradha has to work hard to win the case, and with time running out, she tries to get help from her policeman friend Yohan, who has been suspended from the force by other corrupt officers for flouting the rules and regulations too often.

The case against Niyaaz is being closely monitored by influential politician Mahesh Maklai. Mahesh asks renowned public prosecutor Ronit, who has been defeated by Anuradha in the past, to take up the case as rape is a critical issue the current government is fighting. Anuradha tries to gather information by hook or crook, including lying to Sia's mother Garima Chaudhary. Anuradha discovers that Mahesh's son, Sam, was Sia's boyfriend, and Niyaaz was their drug dealer. Niyaaz had raped and killed Sia after delivering drugs to her home, while Sam was intoxicated and passed out.

As Anuradha returns home one evening, she is taken hostage by Mahesh and his henchmen. The politician explains to her that when Sam woke up, he panicked and contacted his father to help him dispose of Sia's corpse. Cutting the gas pipes and planning to set Anuradha's house on fire, the men leave her bound and gagged on the floor. However, she unties herself and escapes.

Production

According to reports, John Abraham was supposed to play the male lead in the film. However, the film-maker Sanjay Gupta dismissed the rumors and said "John was never cast for the role". Irrfan Khan was signed to star opposite Aishwarya and Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Atul Kulkarni and Chandan Roy Sanyal were confirmed as a part of the film's supporting cast.

Aishwarya studied to portray a lawyer in the film. She met lawyers and even went through various court case clippings to get the nuances of her character right. Filming began in January 2015, and the film was shot in and around Mumbai. The shooting of the film was completed in 51 days.

Soundtrack

The first promotional song of the film titled "Bandeyaa" was released on 7 September 2015. The music is composed by Amjad-Nadeem, Arko and Badshah. The full audio album released on 1 October 2015 by Zee Music Company.

Reception

Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated "Jazbaa's narrative has pace and power. Aishwarya is rusty at the start but eventually takes charge of the dual aspects of her character. Once in the groove, her eyes breathe fire. Irrfan breezes past with clap-trap Kamlesh Pandey dialogues and Shabana is flawless."

Daily News and Analysis rated the film with 3.5 stars out of 5 and commented "What makes Jazbaa a satisfying experience is it's fast-paced, taut and has a run time of two hours, allowing you little time to think. The court-room scenes are brilliant, Aishwarya looks gorgeous and gutted as the scene requires her to be, but it is the supporting cast who lift the film several notches above." Zee News gave a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 noted "Overall, 'Jazbaa' is compelling and an ensemble that lived up-to its expectation. For Aishwarya –The age-appropriate role was pulled off impeccably and she also showed a few action stunts".

Sonia Chopra from Sify gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and noted "Despite the story being highly far-fetched, the film is still arresting for its pacy storytelling, actors who perform with conviction, and a few interesting surprises in the finale. Worth a watch!." Filmfare rated 3 stars out of 5, praised the performances of all the actors and noted "The film steams up some good thrills and then throws a bucket full of sentimentality over them and douses them out. Aishwarya performance as a confident lawyer but vulnerable mother is fantastic." The Guardian also gave the film 3 stars, and mentioned "For all the rot Gupta dwells on, there's something refreshing about Jazbaa within the wider Bollywood context: it'll make for brisk, pacy, adult entertainment."

Key details