Jugjugg Jeeyo Review - Jhakaas Anil Kapoor Is A Show Stealer In This Outdated & Loud Punjabi Family Drama

Dharma Productions' latest family drama, Jugjugg Jeeyo, has brought big names together— Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor. But does it have enough content to live up to the hype surrounding this cast? Well, somewhat yes, and somewhat no. Raj Mehta debuted with a bang with Good Newwz, which was a fantastic humourous comedy and had a never-seen-before concept. With Jugjugg Jeeyo, Raj Mehta brings another new concept of the simultaneous divorce of father and son, but fails to match the innovativeness of the topic with family drama elements. Jugjugg Jeeyo is indeed a fresh idea and has entertainment value too, but it is not flawless like Good Newwz. It has its ups and downs in the momentum, which could've been avoided easily.The film introduces you to the peculiar Punjabi family of Sainis. Kukoo (Varun Dhawan) and Naina (Kiara Advani) are childhood sweethearts. They marry each other, but the love disappears after marriage. The unhappy couple returns to India for the wedding of Kukoo's sister, Ginny (Prajakta Koli), who also has some outdated story of her love and wedding to bore you. While Kukoo and Naina are on the verge of divorce, Kukoo learns about his father, Bheem Saini's (Anil Kapoor) affair with Meera (Tisca Chopra). Will Kukoo and Bheem manage to divorce their wives when the brand ambassador of togetherness, Geeta (Neetu Kapoor), stands in their way? That's all Jujugg Jeeyo has in its basic story, and then it takes a dramatic turn in the second half.Anurag Singh's story is definitely a new attempt at Bollywood's typical family dramas, but somewhere he surrendered his creativity to soap materials. Half the time, Jugjugg Jeeyo feels like an overdramatic daily soap, and the rest of the time, it's a fantastic comedy with adult as well as family-friendly humour. What works is the comedy, which makes things entertaining for you, and what hurts is the overuse of the same comedy. You can't stop scratching your head in some scenes where a highly dramatic and emotional scene is ruined by forced comedy. Eventually, you start hating the comedy, which you had been enjoying earlier. The screenplay is slow in the first 20 minutes, but then it picks up once we are introduced to Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor and Maniesh Paul's characters. The second half has less comedy as compared to the first half, but it has a lot of emotional drama for the family audience. Overall, the writing is good, but it comes with a few faults of its own.Performance wise, the biggest show stealer in Jugjugg Jeeyo is Anil Kapoor. In one word, he is JHAKAAS! What energy, what comic timing, and what ageless looks he has.. ohh man, how is this even possible for someone at 65? He is bringing the 25s to shame. Varun Dhawan is coming back after the disaster show in Coolie No. 1, and Jugjugg Jeeyo seems like a nice recompense. This man deserves more roles like this rather than those forgettable ones, and he is surely capable of surprising the audience.The leading lady, Kiara Advani, spreads the magic of her glamour yet again, but this time, even her performance is quite pleasant. From sweet eye candy to a performance-driven actress, Kiara Advani should choose more roles like this if she really wants to have a long career. Varun and Kiara are superb in that argument scene, and believe me, it's their biggest highlight in the film. Neetu Kapoor's experience makes the character look mature, whereas Maniesh Paul puts on a great stand-up show of his own. Tisca Chopra is a sight for sore eyes, and Prajakta Koli successfully passes the time somehow.Jugjugg Jeeyo is a very loud film for no reason. Perhaps the second loudest thing I have seen in 2022, after KGF 2. I could understand the songs being loud due to the Punjabi flavour, but it's not just the songs. It's just too many scenes. Rishabh Sharma's dialogues make you forget that. Some are hilarious, while some are a little radical. The music is good, if not great. Nain Ta Heere appears in the beginning when the film is not in the position of pace, Naach Punjaban is loud but a perfect family dance number, Rangisari is for a long time effect, and Dupatta is audibly average but visually brilliant. Elnaaz Norouzi looks like a sex bomb in that song. In 150 minutes, Jugjugg Jeeyo has a few loose moments where you are completely disconnected from the screen, but the other 100 minutes are definitely engaging.Indian family dramas have changed over the years. From the melodrama of Majhli Didi (1967) to a grand wedding affair like Hum Apke Hai Kaun (1994), and to Dharma's own capsule, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), our audience has seen every possible dramatic sequence already. Yet, Jugjugg Jeeyo tries the same melodrama to justify its modernity. Why? Raj Mehta who has a knack for thinking out of the box bows down to the mainstream conflicts, when there was a scope for progressive drama. Has he forgotten that he was the one who changed the face of urban family comedies in Bollywood with his last film? It seems so in Jugjugg Jeeyo. A wannabe, or better said, an almost new kind of topic, is mismatched with old footage, and that's why Jugjugg Jeeyo couldn't jump higher than average heights. Nevertheless, it is still a watchable family entertainer, but just don't expect anything great.