Jab Tak Hai Jaan

This is easily the most awaited film of this year for various known reasons. Yash Chopra’s death a few weeks ago making it his last directorial venture; his coming together yet again with Shahrukh Khan; pairing him for the first time with Katrina Kaif; AR Rahman and Gulzar at the helm of music and poetry and above all, the expectations of an epic romance saga on a Diwali day. And while it is never easy for a film to meet such huge expectations, this one manages to reach your heart albeit with few flaws and hiccups.
It is the story of Samar, who while living in London and doing various small time jobs to make ends meet, falls in love with Mira…..only to then get separated from her. He comes back to India and joins army as a bomb diffuser living a lonely life for ten years till he meets a young and bubbly Akira. And then how caught between his past and present, two love ladies and his destiny, he finds his true love again.
While on paper, there isn’t anything new in the story, it is the Late Yash Chopra’s narrative style with many heartwarming scenes that keeps you engaged in it. It’s his direction and complete conviction in his story and characters that despite a silly reason of separation and unbelievable turn of events later on, this tale of true and unconditional love keeps you emotionally attached to it. SRK’s oozing romance, Katrina’s sensuousness in first half and beauty and elegance in second half and Anushka’s vivaciousness add credibility to this love story.
But the film is not without its share of flaws…. as mentioned above the reason of separation of Samar and Mira looks little silly and unbelievable in today’s times, accidents and amnesia look too farfetched, the story drags in between particularly in the second half and the running length of close to three hours seems way too long. The music is also a letdown considering the high standards that AR Rahman has set in last few years.
In terms of performances, SRK is restrained and very convincing. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that no one romances better than him on silver screen. Katrina Kaif looks very pretty; watch her sizzle in an absolute stunning solo dance sequence in first half. Anushka Sharma is superb in a relatively small but meaningful role. The cinematography capturing two distinct cities of London and Ladakh is top notch.
Overall, it may not reach the heights of some of his earlier classics but this last film of Yash Chopra still manages to make you believe and fall in love all over again. I am being little generous and biased but for this befitting finale from a legendary filmmaker, my overall verdict – Good.