Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story is a Bollywood crime romance movie
directed by Vinnil Markan, and produced by Kumar Taurani under Tips
Music Films. The film stars Vivek Oberoi opposite Neha Sharma in lead
roles.
His is the love story of a 'bhadotri' (tenant) and her 'padosi'
(neighbour). The 'padosi' is a gangster and she is the jobless and
helpless damsel. Just after the 2G Spectrum expose, Simran Desai (Neha
Sharma) loses her job and her accommodation. And to prove a point of,
"Mumbai mein pass, ya fail', to all and sundry, she shifts into a rented
apartment, and has Jayantabhai (Vivek Oberoi) as her neighbour.
Jayantabhai works for Altafbhai (Zakir Husain) and aspires to be Altafbhai's respected right hand man.
She, on the other hand, is penniless and job hunting.
Love brews in a very unconventional way in the backdrop of a gang
rivalry between Altafbhai and an ex-cop turned gangster Alex Pandiyan.
Initially, the plot and its dramatization seem to be a bit idiotic,
fluffy and weird. What aggravates this weirdness is the use of the
fish-eye lenses. But by the end, you get hooked to the characters and if
you are a die-hard romantic, then this story would surely touch your
heart.
Vivek as the cool, confident tapori gangster and at the same time,
nervous as a wreck before Simran's father, is very convincing. He
carries his swagger with elan, but his accent is a wee bit unconvincing.
He is portrayed as a Maharashtrian with a Hyderabadi accent, which too
is inconsistent. On the other hand, apart from the glamour quotient
inclusive of spunk and style, Neha Sharma does not offer much on the
acting front. Her ability to perform is pretty limited. She is not at
all realistic.
The character Kunal, who Jayantabhai refers as 'kacha nimbu' is cute
and laudable. The other character actors are wasted as they don't have
much to do.
Vinnil Markan, in his directorial debut, seems to have concentrated
more on the writing and has whipped up some good lines from writer Kiran
Kotrial. The dialogues are dramatic and loaded with puns using gangster
lingo. In one scene, which is quite hilarious, Vivek heads into a bar
and addresses the bar singer as ace 'Fata Mangeshkar' before ordering
her to stop singing.
Also, after most of his offending jabber with Simran, Jayantabhai
blurts, "Joking re sense of humourous" in an attempt to crack stale
jokes. Though not funny, the line is laughable and contagious. The icing
on the cake is when Jayantabhai says, "You need to know, - Bhai-logy"
to understand the gangsters.
The songs in the film are simply juxtaposed to appeal to the audience. They do not add to the narrative in any way.
Technically, the production value of the film is average. The frames
and setting give it the feel of a TV production, but of better quality.
Nevertheless, the production department has taken ample pains to capture
the essence of Mumbai, especially the Irani restaurant, where the lead
pair have anda-bhurji with pav (scrambled eggs with bread) for
breakfast.
