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By Taran Adarsh, February 18, 2005 - 17:29 IST
Suspense thrillers are a tricky genre to tackle. The director has to handle the plot with gloves, keeping the viewer's interest alive till the last frame.
But if the writing is not taut, the narrative not absorbing, the suspense not nail-biting, the outcome would fall like a pack of cards. That's exactly the case with JURM.
In the initial reels, you think Vikram Bhatt has borrowed from various films, including UNFAITHFUL [wife cheating on her husband], JAGGED EDGE [husband accused of murdering his wife] and PRIMAL FEAR [the relationship between the lawyer and convict].
But, frankly speaking, JURM borrows from two Hindi films, HUMRAAZ [A PERECT MURDER] and the recent FIDA. In fact, JURM is more of FIDA, with Bobby playing the role of the victim [Shahid Kapoor], while Lara and Milind are the ones who indulge in the con game [Kareena Kapoor, Fardeen Khan]. The script is the same, just the players are different!
Nothing wrong with being inspired, but the concoction is so half-baked that the end result seems like one futile effort.
Avinash [Bobby Deol] is a business tycoon who has the world at his feet. In a shocking development, Avinash is arrested for the murder of his wife Sanjana [Lara Dutta].
Avinash's best friend Rohit [Milind Soman], who is also his legal advisor, decides to fight his case. But as the court hearings begin to take place, Avinash finds himself more and more trapped in this case.
The sole person who stands by Avinash during this crisis-ridden phase is Sonia [Gul Panag], who loves him silently, but does not have the courage to reveal her feelings to him.
The mystery deepens. Has Avinash really killed his wife? If the evidence suggests that he has been framed in this case, who then is the real culprit? And how does Avinash prove his innocence?
The problem with JURM is that the suspense is revealed at the intermission point itself. Even then the identity of the villain doesn't quite come as a shock.
JURM takes off very well. The murder of Lara Dutta and the finger of suspicion pointing towards Bobby keep the viewer on tenterhooks. The budding romance of Bobby and Lara [flashback], their marriage, the murder, the courtroom sequences are all truly engrossing.
But Bobby's escape from the prison, his surviving three bullets and his reaching Malaysia is an apt example of the writers taking the viewers for granted. Meaning, the way these sequences have been penned and executed give an impression that a bunch of kindergarten kids were entrusted the responsibility of writing the screenplay.
Even after the intermission, when Shakti Kapoor spills the beans and reveals the story, takes the charm away completely. With everything crystal clear 15 minutes after the intermission, JURM becomes one of those typical Bollywood fares where everything is downright predictable.
Director Vikram Bhatt has shot the film stylishly, but the predictable screenplay as well as the fact that there's nothing new to look forward to takes the graph of the film down. Besides, the characters of FIDA are too fresh in the minds of the viewers and that's another factor that goes against JURM.
Music [Anu Malik, Anand Raaj Anand] is a mixed bag. The best three tracks are placed in the first half of the film ['Nazrein Teri Nazrein', 'Meri Chaahaton Ka' and 'Aksar Ye Hota Hain Pyaar Mein'], while the tracks in the second half are plain gap fillers. Cinematography [Pravin Bhatt] is alright. Action scenes [Abbas Ali Moghal] are striking. Dialogues are commonplace.
JURM rests on Bobby's shoulders and the actor does reasonably well. This is the second time he has enacted a similar role, after HUMRAAZ. Lara Dutta runs through her role mechanically. Milind Soman is just about okay. Gul Panag is efficient.
Amongst character actors, Ashish Vidyarthi [cop] and Vivek Shauq [cabbie] can be singled out. Shakti Kapoor is as usual.
On the whole, JURM has an exciting first half, but a dull second. At the box-office, it will face tough times.
 
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