Jab Harry Met Sejal: Imtiaz Ali makes his first ‘bad’ film

I love Imtiaz Ali’s films. I don’t need to explain why, that is unsaid, but Jab Harry Met Sejal is tough to even like, let alone love…

Sejal is the daughter of a diamond merchant in India and after a happy Gujarati family vacation, she loses her engagement ring and I don’t know how, convinces Harry, who is a tour guide to help her find it all over Europe.

All of us basically know what the gist of the film is supposed to be. There has to be a chirpy character and another who is a little reserved, both of them cross paths and eventually they find their own self. But here, Harry and Sejal don’t really have to find themselves. They already know who they are and where they’re headed right from the beginning. But these are just two confused characters.

Shahrukh Khan is back as the romantic lover and doesn’t fail to create his magic even over Anushka Sharma. At one point in the film, Sejal says that mei koi aisi ladki nahi hu jo tour guide ke saath bhag jae, but all through the film she just wants to prove to Harry that she is sexy and layak. Back to Shahrukh, he plays his part well, but you don’t want Harry to end up falling in love with Sejal. You’d perhaps feel the lack of Geet in this film.

Anushka Sharma’s Sejal is heavily underwritten. She looks really good, and tries her best lift this character, but there is no scope. And it’s not just about how Imtiaz Ali has written the characters, but more because the film just doesn’t have a plot. There is no greater goal of the narrative.

Imtiaz Ali has given us fine films that are like a coming together of stars and a beautiful raw tale about oneself, more than anything. But here, he miserably fails. With actors like Shahrukh Khan and Anushka Sharma there is so much one can do, but Ali just seems to have missed the right chords.

Pritam’s music acts as a good background during this journey, but it’s certainly not his best, mainly because the songs don’t fit into the narrative. I didn’t understand how some of the songs just came up.

And what’s most ridiculous in this film is the ring. Sejal is so dumb that she has searched it everywhere. At one point, in cafe, at another at a town square and once in the bushes. Is this what films have come to?

All in all, no matter how many expectations you have from this film and no matter how much you might have disagreed to my previous reviews, this you’ll agree with.

If I had to rate the film, I could have slept for extra 2 hours 20 minutes this morning!