Atul Sabharwal’s story is fascinating and inspired by real-life people and incidents in the film industry. Atul Sabharwal’s screenplay is engaging and keeps the interest going. Some tracks, however, are unnecessary and the writing in the last part could have been stronger. Atul Sabharwal’s dialogues are sharp and also have a vintage feel. However, the phrase ‘Madan Kumar, B******d’ has been used too many times and after a point, it doesn’t induce laughter.
Vikramaditya Motwane’s direction is first-rate. To begin with, he has shown the bygone era beautifully. The series delves not just into the workings of the film industry but also the problems faced by refugees in camps after partition, USA and USSR trying to influence India to their advantage, etc. An interesting aspect that stands out is how piracy used to take place in those days. Thanks to JUBILEE, there will be an interest among the youth to know more about the films and actors of those times. A lot of real-life references to cinema are also mentioned in the film with the one on MUGHAL-E-AZAM [1960] sure to raise laughs and even eyebrows. There are several scenes that are memorable. A few notable ones are Shamsher and Jay’s confrontation after their first meeting, Sumitra Kumari dissuading distributors of her own film, Shamsher and Jay being hailed by audiences in a theatre, Srikant and Binod performing to a duet song to depict playback singing to Jotwani etc. The characters and their love-hate relationship with each other are also quite amusing and interesting. Also, to see Binod continuing to work as a regular employee for Roy Talkies even after delivering a hit makes for an intriguing watch. Lastly, this is a rare web series which mentions ‘interval’ at half point.
On the flipside, JUBILEE consists of 10 episodes and is quite lengthy. The makers could have done away with a few tracks. The first episode is very engaging as a lot happens in the first hour of the show. But a few episodes, later on, are slow and dragging. Hence, it doesn’t have the typical binge-watch factor. Some developments are not properly explained. Niloufer and Walia’s bond after a point gets forgotten. The piracy angle and how Jay’s film made money could have been shown in depth. Jay getting a nightmare of Jamshed seemed forced into the narrative. The USA-USSR track also will leave viewers confused, especially as to who is on whose side. Lastly, the finale might not be acceptable to all.
JUBILEE is embellished with some bravura performances. Aparshakti Khurana has the lengthiest role probably and is excellent. He gets to mouth very few dialogues and nicely lets his silence do the talking. Sidhant Gupta steals the show and is sure to benefit hugely from this series. Wamiqa Gabbi has a terrific screen presence. She nails it with her performance. She’s also fortunate to have been a part of the maximum number of songs in the show. Ram Kapoor is adorable and one can’t help but smile when he appears on the screen. Sadly, he gets forgotten at a crucial point in the show. Prosenjit Chatterjee impresses with his towering personality and suits the part. Aditi Rao Hydari looks gorgeous and gives a first-rate performance. But her screen time is limited. Nandish Singh Sandhu too doesn’t have a long role but has a crucial part and does well. Arun Govil and Shweta Basu Prasad (Ratna Das) lend able support. Chirag Katrecha (Naren Das) is wasted and his track serves no purpose. Sukhmani Lamba (Kiran) is a great find. The other actors who do a good job are Ajay Dutta (Hemant Ganguly; newspaper editor), Narottam Bain (Maqsood), Alok Arora (Raghu Jhalani), Aarya Bhatta (Jotwani), Suhani Popli (Meena; Niloufer’s friend), Vikas Shukla (Asghar Ali) and Ashok Banthia (Pratap Singh).
Amit Trivedi’s music is soulful and reminiscent of the music of the 40s and 50s. ‘Babuji Bhole Bhaale’ is the best of the lot. ‘Voh Tere Mere Ishq’ serves as a nice introduction to the character of Niloufer. ‘Chandu Naacha’ is cute and well thought of. ‘Dil Jahaan Pe Le Chala’ is memorable, and also features Amit Trivedi in a cameo. The other songs like ‘Udan Khatola’, ‘Ke Dekho Na Jee’, ‘Hum Do Kadam’, ‘Dar Ba Dar Fir Raha’, ‘Dariyancha Raja’ and ‘Naren’s Masterpiece’ are also tuned beautifully. Special mention should also go to Kruti Mahesh’s choreography, especially in the first two songs. Alokananda Dasgupta’s background score exhilarates the impact and also is in sync with the era.
Pratik Shah’s cinematography is first-rate and the use of silhouettes adds to the visual appeal. Aparna Sud and Mukund Gupta’s production design is rich. Shruti Kapoor’s costumes are glamorous and reminiscent of the 50s. Vikram Dahiya’s action is minimal and not too violent. Aarti Bajaj’s editing is weak as the show moves slowly. However, the way she has transitioned from one track to another at several places is praiseworthy.
On the whole, JUBILEE boasts of award-winning performances, soulful music, a fascinating plot about the film industry of the 40s and 50s and several well-executed and well-written moments. But it suffers due to the long length and slow pace. Nevertheless, it is sure to ignite discussion and become one of the talked-about shows of 2023.
Rating – 3 stars
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