Web Series ‘Jehanabad- Of Love & War’ Review: The first week of February 2023 was very auspicious for writer-director Rajeev Baranwal. His film Vadh came on Netflix as well as his written and co-directed web series ‘Jehanabad – Of Love and War’ also made its OTT debut through Sony Liv. Rajeev himself is a very amazing writer and very merciless story editor, so there is not a single scene in his film Vadh and his web series ‘Jehanabad’ which can be removed or it does not feel that if there were a few more tracks Perhaps the fun of the web series would have increased. Every ingredient is put in the right quantity at the right time to make a perfect dish. Jehanabad is one such series. The pace is a bit slow but the climax is smoky.
Hearing the name Jehanabad and seeing some of the initial scenes, it seems that the story of Bihar will have to be seen once more and the task of catching the bridegroom will have to be faced again, that means there will not be much fun in this series. Then after one or two episodes, there is an entry of some more characters, then it seems that there will definitely be a story of gang war in Bihar or the elimination of goons by the police. The thing that comes out beyond expectation is the entry of “Lal Salam” ie Naxalites. As the fog clears, the real story comes to the fore and then comes an episode with a tremendous climax, which captures you so much from the very first minute that you have to rewind and understand each and every scene. It is amazing to have this happen in a web series. Achievement is for writing and direction. The story that Satyanshu Singh and Rajeev Baranwal have wrapped up in the last episode is commendable.
Ritwik Bhowmick’s lean physique neither matches with his booming voice nor with his acting abilities. Throughout the series, he has been walking like a silent warrior. Even when the audience understands his secrets, they do not hate him. Deep love for his brother, a lecturer’s love for a student, and then Lal Salaam, his face comes with different expressions in all three aspects. Well done. Have seen Rithvik earlier in Bandish Bandits, Maja Ma and The Whistleblower but Jehanabad is the best example of his acting without emotion. When his marriage with his student Harshita Gaur gets confirmed and he still goes to teach in her class, everyone knows that Sir’s marriage is fixed. Ritwik’s facial expressions diffuse the scene and tension very well. Before the climax, when Ritwik explodes in front of his maternal uncle Sunil Sinha, he gets his point across without raising his voice.
The character of Harshita Gaur is well created. They are beautiful. It is too early to say that he is talented, but after Mirzapur, now he has got a big role in Jehanabad. Seeing Rajat Kapoor as an upper caste politician from Bihar, it seems that a good series will sink but Rajat Kapoor’s character is not filmy at all. Because of his character, there is some gentleness and stagnation in the story. Rajat Kapoor, who is always seen in urban roles, also shows cleverness like a Bihari politician, although he is not filmy at all. Satyadeep Mishra’s character as SP is very ordinary but kept on becoming important. Parambrata Chatterjee has finally got a great chance to get rid of his image, which he has done in a very good way. In November 2005, there was an attack by Naxalites in Jehanabad, due to which more than 300 prisoners escaped from the jail. This series is based on this story but the story has been woven very well.
Sneha Khanwalkar’s music is there or not but the title track is definitely strong. This title track composed by Raghav-Arjun will be remembered for a long time. Joaher Musavir, who lives in Stockholm and Prague, has shot the entire series. There is a glimpse of perfection in his cinematography. Every shot is a story in itself. Kamlesh Parui is responsible for editing. In the process of paying attention to every scene and every character, the pace will seem to slow down somewhere, but the climax episode will not let you get up.
There is nothing wrong in Jehanabad. Everything is measured here. The condition is neither more chilli nor less salt. The anti-climax inserted just after the climax, that too just with the hope that the second season would be seen, was jarring. The inspiration source and show runner of this series is Sudhir Mishra who has already made two films on Naxalite problems – Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahi and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. But Rajeev Baranwal and Satyanshu Singh are the anchors of the series. Significantly, Satyanshu Singh himself is a very good writer. In association with AIB, he taught budding writers to write for the visual medium through AIB First Draft. Together with his colleague Ramkumar Singh, he has written a book full of informative and practical suggestions like “How a film writer thinks”. Though the series is written by Rajiv, but Satyanshu gave a chance to spread Rajiv’s writing, due to which this powerful series has come in front of us. Jehanabad of Love and War, watch it immediately.
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Tags: Web Series
FIRST PUBLISHED : February 08, 2023, 22:40 IST