Jubliee Episode 1 To 5 Review: A Visually Appealing But Slow-Paced Tribute To Indian Cinema!
It's a must-watch for cinema lovers!
Just the other day I watched a trailer in 3D and it got me thinking about how things have changed. We’re living in an era where we watch films with fully immersive experiences with 3D and 4D and whatnot but there was a time when all we had were films with no sound and black and white cinema and how we have grown over the years. Cinema has always been a way for people to express themselves. Today, we use cinema to get people talking about social issues and address social evils. But there was a time when Indian cinema did not have much of a voice back during British rule. And India’s independence not only gave a voice to the cinema but also gave a platform to artists to do what they could’ve never done before. I mean, democracy surely helped! And now our booming entertainment industry is all set to transport us back in time to showcase the Bombay film industry in the 1940s and 1950s with the Prime Video series Jubliee.
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Starring Aditi Rao Hydari, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Aparshakti Khurana, Wamiqa Gabbi, Shweta Basu Prasad, Nandish Sandhu, Ram Kapoor and Sidhant Gupta, Jubliee is a 10-episode series created and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. Produced by Reliance Entertainment, Andolan Films and Phantom Studios, Part 1 of Jubliee i.e., episodes 1 to 5 premiere on the OTT platform Prime Video on April 7 and Part 2 (episodes 6 to 10) will release on April 14. Read on to know our thoughts on the series.
The Story Of Jubliee
This show is through-and-through an ode to the Golden era of cinema. It takes a deep dive into 1940s and 1950s evolving Indian cinema while making references to the stalwarts of that era like Himanshu Rai, Devika Rani, Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar and several others. Jubliee showcases the story of a studio, Roy Talkies owned by Srikant Roy (aka Posenjit Chatterjee) and his wife, popular star Sumitra Devi. It tells the tale of the studio boss, his wife and actress Sumitra Devi, his employee Bindo Das (aka Aparshakti Khurana) and a talented refugee from Karachi, Jay Khanna (aka Sidhant Gupta) as well as a courtesan Niloufer Qureshi (aka Wamiqa Gabbi) and the rising star Jamshed Khan (aka Nandish Singh Sandhu). This series showcases the story of the Indian film industry in the 1940s and 1950s. It’s a story of talent, passion, love, ambition and betrayal and how far the characters were willing to go and gamble to achieve their dreams.
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Jubliee takes us into the captivating world of cinema in the Golden era. When star Jamshed Khan decides to return to Karachi and Roy Talkies lands in trouble, Srikant Roy turns to his trusted employee Binod Das for aid. With dreams and ambitions of his own, Binod agrees to become Madan Kumar but his fame takes a toll on his relationship with his wife Ratna Das (aka Shweta Basu Prasad). But where will this story of Indian cinema take us? That only time will tell.
Cast And Characters
Prosenjit Chatterjee As Srikant Roy: Prosenjit aces his role as Srikant Roy, a visionary but ruthless and unlikeable studio boss. He portrays his character with grace and poise and his acting skills, unparalleled.
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Aditi Rao Hydari As Sumitra Kumari: Aditi Rao Hydari is an established actor but her love for period dramas is unmatched. The actress has time and again proved that no one can do period dramas better than her. She slips into the role of the bold yet vulnerable Sumitra Devi with absolute ease and continues to build her character throughout the series.
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Aparshakti Khurana As Binod Das: Aparshakti Khurana is an absolute delight to watch. We haven’t seen the actor’s true potential until now. Binod Das is a character unlike any other he has played in the past and to say that he is impressive would be an understatement.
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Wamiqa Gabbi As Niloufer Qureshi: Wamiqa looks at ease as she portrays the role of a courtesan who moves to Mumbai with big dreams in her eyes. She may not be a seasoned actor but she sure is a nuanced one. She makes you feel invested in her story and her growth.
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Sidhant Gupta As Jay Khanna: Sidhant Gupta has left us all surprised by showcasing his kickass acting skills in this series. Much like Niloufer, one feel invested in Jay’s life as well while he tries to grow and change his circumstances after moving from Karachi to Mumbai. I am totally looking forward to seeing more of him in the upcoming episodes. He steals the limelight like no other and proves him mettle.
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Nandish Singh Sandhu As Jamshed Khan: While Nandish Singh Sandhu’s Jamshed Khan will pique your interest, his character does not have much screen time in the first 5 episodes. But it is safe to say that the actor manages to grab eyeballs with his role.
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Shweta Basu Prasad As Ratna Das: Shweta Basu Prasad portrays the role of a loving and caring wife to rising star Binod Das but fame seems to have turned her husband into someone she does not know. The actress manages to perfectly showcase the emotional turmoil of a wife struggling to keep up with her husband.
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Ram Kapoor As Shamsher Singh Walia: What’s not to love about Ram Kapoor and his acting skills? He plays the role of an annoying, sleazy and shady film financer and the actor delivered a rather memorable performance despite his limited screen time in the 5 episodes.
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Verdict: This Slow-Paced Homage To Indian Cinema Has Potential
To begin with, Jubliee is a rather nuanced and poetic way of telling the stories of the storytellers of the Golden era of Indian Cinema and there’s no doubt that Vikramaditya Motwane has created a cinematic wonder for the cinephiles. The era has not only been scripted and written well but it has also been translated beautifully by the director. The regal vibe of the era is very evident with the warm tones that have been maintained throughout the 5 episodes. Moreover, the story has been woven in a manner to keep the viewers engaged and hooked to the screen as they feel invested in the story of the characters and how it all comes together in the end. The makers have not shied away from showcasing every character as flawed in their own way with shades of grey making them more human.
The cinematography is surely the biggest highlight of Jubliee and the storytelling and plot make it every cinema lover’s paradise. Further, the director has used his art to depict several unsaid things. In several places, the maker replaced a dialogue or a conversation with silence to speak the things that can simply be conveyed with eyes and expressions.
Vikramaditya Motwane uses little things like the sound of the fan and the lights to show the frustration and pain of an actor who is struggling to find his footing in Indian cinema. Instead of using the term “chappal ghisna” in a dialogue, he showcases a character who actually struggles to find a job and ends up with a broken shoe sole while he does it. It’s a vision to watch the reporter as well from that era following public figures with their notepads and cameras to take their quotes.
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The director has managed to portray the old-world charm in a splendid manner. The star cast has added to the series with their acting skills. However, it is essential to note that the story is rather slow-paced and extremely stretchy. Considering it’s not the story of one character but rather of several characters and the evolution of Indian cinema, the narrative is so slow that it makes the viewer feel frustrated. To add to it, it has several loose ends which leave one with questions. Hopefully, the remaining 5 episodes will answer all those questions. And despite the slow narrative, Jubliee has potential. Keeping this in mind, I’m giving Jubliee 3 out of 5 stars.
Episodes 1 to 5 of Jubliee are currently streaming on OTT platform Prime Video and Episodes 6 to 10 are scheduled to release on April 14.
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