“Jabariya Jodi” Review: An Unendurable Viewing Experience

Jabariya Jodi, after facing some delay in its release, enters theatres nationwide on 9^th August. As the title suggests itself, the movie is based on the evil practice of forced marriages which is rampant in interiors of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where eligible grooms are kidnapped by goons and married at gunpoint to girls, whose families fail to arrange the heavy dowry demanded by the groom’s side.

Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra play central characters in the flick directed by Prashant Singh. Here’s my take on the film.

What Jabariya Jodi Is All About?

As mentioned above, Jabariya Jodi revolves around the concept of forced marriages. Abhay Singh (Sidharth Malhotra) and Babli Yadav (Parineeti Chopra) are separated in childhood but their paths cross again in adulthood.

Abhay, the son of powerful politician Hukum Dev Singh (Javed Jaffrey), runs a syndicate of kidnapping greedy grooms and forcefully marries them off to the girl, whose family cannot meet the dowry demands of the groom or his family. When his childhood sweetheart Babli re-enters his life, Abhay undergoes a change of heart. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

Is Jabariya Jodi Worth Your Time & Money?

Jabariya Jodi is a funny take on the evil practice of forced marriages. Director Prashant Singh and writer Sanjeev K Jha do their best to tackle the serious subject with a pinch of humor. To some extent, the duo succeeds in extracting some genuine laughs from you, especially in the first half.

There are some genuinely funny moments and jokes in the first half which keep you invested in the film, despite the fact that what is happening on the screen does not make much sense.

However, as soon as the second half kicks in, suddenly the humor disappears in thin air. The writing becomes laborious and jokes get boring and repetitive. The film goes off on a different tangent as it progresses towards the conclusion. Suddenly, the fun-filled movie becomes supremely melodramatic with several cringe-worthy moments here and there.

Talking about Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra, they look good on the screen. But when it comes to performances, both actors fail to play their parts convincingly. They do not fit the bill perfectly. They do not seem confident enough to pull off the desi look.

Instead of watching Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra in Jabariya Jodi again, I would prefer watching their last outing Hasee Toh Phasee (2014) again and again.

Final Verdict

If you are a fan of Sidharth Malhotra or Parineeti Chopra, Jabariya Jodi was conceived, produced, shot, edited and distributed entirely for you. The rest can choose not to watch this slow, laborious piece of cinema ever. I am going with 2.5 stars.

Movie Credits

Banner: Balaji Motion Pictures, Karma Media & Entertainment
Director: Prashant Singh
Casting: Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra
Runtime: 144 Minutes
STARBIZ Ratings: 2.5 stars

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