Sony Liv has come up with his latest web series, ‘Jehanabad’. Is the jailbreak story worth your time? Or can you simply skip it? Read the full review to find out.
Show-Runner: Sudhir Mishra
Director: Rajeev Barnwal, Satyanshu Singh
Cast: Ritwik Bhowmik, Parambrata Chatterjee, Harshita Gaur, Rajat Kapoor, Satyadeep Misra, Sonal Jha, Rajesh Jais
Available On: Sony Liv
Duration:?10 Episodes, 30-40 minutes each
The story follows the events of a small town in Bihar called Jehanabad, where innocent love and anarchy of the land are heading towards a collision. Set in 2005, the show has been inspired by real-life incidents. While the Naxals plan the country's biggest jailbreak to free Deepak Kumar, a seasoned Naxal commander; there is love brewing between college professor Abhimanyu Singh and his student Kasturi Mishra. The story is filled with love, loss, betrayal, and ultimately, the resilience of the human spirit. What will happen when love and war cross paths? What fate awaits the people of Jehanabad? Well, for that you'll have to watch the show.
Parambrata Chatterjee, one of the two main leads of the show, has barely any scenes until the climax. It’s a massive waste of his talent. Barring the final climax scene, the entire character doesn’t have enough meat for an actor of the calibre of Parambrata Chatterjee.
Ritwik Bhowmik has decently justified his character. Till about the 6th episode, you’re still wondering about which side his character leans towards. And only when the revelation is done, you are left flabbergasted as now everything he did before starts making sense. Ritwik Bhowmik manages to keep a very innocent outlook and keeps a poker face throughout. Therefore, not giving out much about his character, which in turn, makes his character even more interesting.
Harshita Gaur as the bubbly girl-next-door is the perfect small-town girl who wants to break free of the shackles of a small town and make it big in life. Not only in her looks but even in her body language, she manages to imbibe that spirit, which makes the character bloom perfectly on her.
Even in a smaller character Rajat Kapoor is a class apart. The way he has caught the dialect is simply brilliant. Not to forget how smoothly he switches between the character of a conniving politician and a caring father-like figure to Harshita Gaur’s character.
The rest of the supporting characters have played their parts decently enough. However, there is none who stands out as much as Rajat Kapoor does.
Rajeev Barnwal’s writing is one of the high points of ‘Jehanabad’. While the story looks quite predictable from the outside considering its set up in Bihar in the early 2000s, amidst the gory political situation of the state, but in reality, the story is totally different. The writing makes sure that you’re left with enough high throughout and you’re not able to pre-judge any move made by any character. It remains catchy and engaging till the climax.
Rajeev Barnwal and Satyanshu Singh’s direction too add the perfect spice to an already intriguing story. They’ve not tried too hard to throw it on your face that it was set up in the early 2000s. They have created the necessary feel of that era through the actions and reactions of the characters. Also, they have made sure that the characters remain relatable to every small-town person, not just from Bihar, which is a great trope to have in a web series.
Usually, the music of a web show is kept mostly as a background score, but in ‘Jehanabad’, a few songs like ‘Kahin Kuch Toota’ and the opening title track make the music also stand out on its own. ‘Kahin Kuch Toota’ is a great romantic track to have on your regular day-to-day music playlists. The background score is also decent and manages to transcend you to the era where the story is set.
The cinematography is also top-notch. The usage of a low sepia filter throughout the shoot brings the required feel of ‘Jehanabad’ being set up in the early 2000s. The dusty and rustic feel of the storyline is well-complimented by the cinematography.
The editing is one of the only things that are?slightly weak. Cutting out a bit of the unnecessary smaller plotlines could have easily made this show reduce to 8 episodes instead of 10. Because it is 10 episodes, there are a few scenes here and there where you’re left feeling bored. However, with a taut climax, the web show picks up its pace and ends at a high point.
Yes
‘Jehanabad’ may look like your regular guns and gore kind of show set up in the midst of a rising political battle in the early 2000s, but in actuality, the storyline is more detailed and discusses many social evils, not just of that time, but even of today’s times. The presentation is unpredictable with numerous highs strewn throughout. If the duration could have been reduced a bit to around 8 episodes, this would have been much more effective. Nevertheless, it’s indeed very gripping and keeps you deeply engaged till the very end. It’s a great One Time Watch. I am going with 3.5 stars.