‘Jagga Jasoos’ Critics’ Verdict: Mixed Reactions But Ranbir Excels

While critics are giving mixed reactions to the film, there is no doubt that Ranbir is sensational.

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif in Jagga Jasoos.

Film: Jagga Jasoos
Director: Anurag Basu
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Saswata Chatterjee, Saurabh Shukla

Lead actor Ranbir Kapoor’s undeniable gifts power the film. But does Jagga Jasoos hold its avowed course over its nearly three-hour runtime? Not quite. It wanders off frequently, leaving the audience in an extended state of befuddlement. But when it returns to its chosen track, starting with the 1995 Purulia arms dropping case and careening through an espionage operation gone wrong and a pursuit of the world’s most dreaded weapons smuggler, it is fun.                                                                                       Thanks to the peppy music and the bright and varied colour palette used by director Anurag Basu and director of photography S Ravi Varman, Jagga Jasoos is never less than entertaining. If only it had greater consistency as a story, it would have been an unqualified triumph. It isn’t. That’s a shame because in terms of its conception and execution the film does exude warmth and joyful abandon. It is intermittently infectious all right and that might prompt the audience to overlook some of the glitches that stares us in the face.

Saibal Chatterjee, Ndtv.com

There are several moments when <em>Jagga Jasoos</em> appears to be going off the rails, but Basu pulls it back just in time by returning to the trinity that rule the movie. Saswata Chatterjee is wonderful as the director’s alter ego. Among Basu’s many dream projects is a biopic of Kishore Kumar, and in some moments, Chatterjee appears to be channeling the spirit of the legendary singer and comic actor. Kaif too is perfectly cast as a glamorous sidekick who doesn’t have to do too much heavy lifting. Above all, <em>Jagga Jassos</em> is a love triangle, in which Shruti has to fill in for Bagchi’s absence in Jagga’s heart. The mostly asexual relationship, except for a few innocent kisses, fits right into a movie that often feels like a comic book come to life. This is a movie aimed at children and teenagers and the grown-ups who want to escape their adulthood and crawl back under the sheets with their books.

Nandini Ramnath (Scroll.in)

Trouble is, in its zeal to put together novel locations and exotic hot spots, ‘Jagga Jasoos’ forgets to give us a story. The good-looking leads are left to fend for themselves in a sinking plot. What we get, with the exception of a few smiley moments, is a long, dull meander. You get the feeling that somewhere along the way, in their intention to create a fun-filled, quirky ride, the filmmakers lost their way. Because all the elements that would make up a zany Tintin-esque ( Jagga sports a sideways quaff, just the way Tintin does) adventure have been painstakingly gathered – impressive production values, attractive spots, and a real-life event ( the Purulia arms drop, which created such a sensation back in the mid-90s) to give it heft.

Shubhra Gupta (Indianexpress.com)