Bobby Jasoos

Bobby Jasoos

Director: Samar Shaikh

Cast: Vidya Balan, Ali Fazal, Supriya Pathak, Rajendra Gupta, Tanve Azmi, Kiran Kumar and Arjan Bajwa

The notion that Vidya Balan is the hero of her films has been around for years. It’s a great sentiment one that lends a sense of justice to cinema. But that trend alone can’t be enough to make a film worthy of the price of its admission ticket. There needs to be a balance between the star and the content. Bobby Jasoos lacks wit and the right kind of punch. But where the film and its narrative dodder, Vidya picks up the charge and delivers a hit.

While it might not be boring, Bobby Jasoos is also not too endearing with its creative. Vidya Balan plays a simple Hyderabadi girl who has aspirations of being a wily professional detective. But like any rookie, she has no clue about how the profession actually works. While she’s good at changing guises she’s not clued in to the science of investigation. It’s a damn good premise. One that has plenty of room for thrills and drama. But director Samar Shaikh and his writing partner Sanyukta Chawla have a long way to go at learning the ropes of good story telling. Emotions are best left sublime. In your face family sentimentality works in soap operas not in cinematic plots that require genuine tact and guile.

Despite short comings on what is his debut film, Shaikh is a promising filmmaker. He knows how to sneak in references and homage. And he certainly knows how to work with his actors. Pity he was working with such a pat script and screenplay. Ali Fazal as a not-too-cocky and sufficiently-charming young man is the best part of Bobby Jasoos. His performance though limited, rakes up the right kind of energy. He’s not as old as he should be to have a comfortable pairing with Vidya Balan. Yet, he makes it work and that’s nothing short of a compliment. Vidya’s performance shows you why she’s considered ‘the’ actor. Most of the times she’s hidden behind disguise, but in the times she’s not, she shows how subtlety can steal the show.

The songs in Bobby Jasoos are a departure from the EDM inspired tunes you usually get in Hindi movies. It’s a welcome relief to see these melodious numbers unfold on the screen. It’s a shame that their placement within the film’s timeline is so jarring.