Movie Review: Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai

First published: Follo.in 

Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai is the story of woman’s journey through the trials and tribulations of life till she achieves glory. And it is one hell of a long journey. So long that you would feel slightly aged by the end of the ordeal. 

Featuring Manjari Fadnis in the lead, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai sketches the story of Alia Patrick, a resident of Rajasthan. The eldest child in a middle-class family, Alia is never given priority by her 'son loving’ parents. As she grows up into a bright young adult, she is married off to a chauvinistic prince, who believes beautiful girls should not use their brains. Alia moves from strength to strength, grows as a person and makes it big as a writer in the United States.

The story is said to be loosely inspired by the life of the producer Purnima Mead. At the conceptual level, this must have looked like a great idea. The screenplay, however, is a complete mess. The director chooses to tell the story in a flashback, killing any possible element of surprise or apprehension. 15 minutes into this 170-minute long film, the story starts feeling like a drag. A little later, it threatens to put you to sleep with scenes that do not have any bearing on the story.

But unlike most films, the biggest culprit in the endeavour called Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai is not the script. It is the director. Labeled as ‘Indo-Canadian’, Keshhav Panneriy, debuts as a feature film director with this movie. He may have got super awed by the opportunity to make a film to actually look at details while making it. His lackadaisical attitude towards detailing adds laughter at the most inopportune moments. My favourite is the way he used the daughter of the protagonist Alia. In one scene the daughter is there and then he forgets about her. When Alia walks out of the place after landinng in the US the daughter is not with her. But when she is picking up her luggage the daughter is with her, only to disappear forever as soon as she is out of the airport. Alia in the meantime romances her newfound love on Manhattan streets.

The discrepancies are way too many to count. The film also fails on technical grounds. This is one film that is not ailed by budget constraints, unlike other films with similar stars. The budget shows in the huge establishing aerial shots. However as soon as the need to use technology comes in, the film looks abysmal. Chromas are badly done and the songs are tackily shot. The director also ruins the period looks. One moment you feel the characters are in the 70s and the next moment you see swanky modern cars on the roads and the junior actors contemporary clothes.

If there is one thing that is watchable in the film it is Ashutosh Rana, who valiantly holds on to his character. He is menacing as the all powerful Kunwar Saheb. Rana as an actor has barely been used by Bollywood. The rest of the cast is forgettable, including the seasoned Supriya Pathak who seems to be stuck in her ‘Hansa from Khichdi’ character. Arbaaz Khan looks lost and Himansh Kohli needs to work on his delivery. Manjari Fadnis fails to shoulder the film as she is inconsistent. Also, marvelously, she never ages.

To call Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai boring would be an understatement. It could bring tears to your eyes, as you yawn ceaselessly.