Jaaneman | Bengali Movie (2012) | Review

With Jaaneman (Bengali, 2012), director Raja Chanda takes up the challenge of handling the intricacies of making a crafty road flick, a genre that is tricky for even Bollywood film-makers. The movie also features actress Koyel Mullick and Soham together for only the 2nd time after Tarun Majumdar's Chander Bari (2007).

In Janeman, we meet Deba (Soham) - a young man who is on the run, having scorned the evil underworld lynchpin Sridhar. During the course of his journey, Deba comes across the beautiful Ria (Koel Mullick) at a bus terminal.

Ria has secrets of her own – she is fleeing from her home in order to avoid being married off against her will by her domineering father to the brother of his mistress. Along with her sidekick, Ria takes a hike with Deba, and the two decide to go to Cooch Behar. Deba, however, has no inkling of Ria's problems yet and remains smitten by the latter's beauty.
On the way, Deba and Ria stop at a gas station where they divulge their respective predicaments. Learning about Ria's need to get away from goons hired by her father, Deba decides to take her to Kolkata, where she would find some respite. Sridhar's men, who had been chasing Deba for so long, also need to be shaken off.

However, the duo gets a far-from-warm welcome at the residence of a relative of Ria in Kolkata. Will Deba and Ria be able to survive the threats that their respective pursuers pose? Can the love that has blossomed between the two on the course of the journey reach its desirable conclusion? Catch Janemon at the theaters and get all the answers!
Director Raja Chanda deserves praise for having the fortitude and gumption of trying to create the appropriate atmosphere for a road movie in Jaaneman. The action sequences in Jaaneman are at par with the best in the industry. However, he tends to play it safe as far as the incidents in the movie are concerned. The surprise element is weak, and the climax, while stylishly shot, does not defy predictability.
Performance-wise, Koel Mullick as Ria is easily the standout performer in the movie. The actress, who was last seen in the lukewarm 100% Love, does manage to rise above the script. There is a certain spontaneity and zeal about Koel's performance that comes across quite beautifully in the movie. Given her potential, Koel should definitely be more selective in choosing her roles.

Soham is clearly more at ease while essaying characters with romantic or comic flair, and while he did do a stellar job in the intense Amanush, Soham looks a bit outside his elements in an out-and-out actioner like Jaaneman. While it is, of course, not imperative for every leading man of Tollywood to have a Jeet-esque chiseled body, Soham surprises by sporadically coming up rather short as far as his expressions in the movie are concerned. The actor also needs to lose some of his baby fat.
Jeet Ganguli's title track is hummable, while the other tracks are acceptable without being exceptional (with Disco Nachaibo generating polarized reactions). The background score is not that bad, either. Camerawork, by Shailesh Avasthi, is efficient. Dialogs, penned by N. K. Salil, are as trite as possible.
Jaaneman is a fair attempt by Soham to break away from his chocolate-boy image and make his mark in an action road flick. Raja Chanda also makes a conscious effort to make something different. Jaaneman does not completely challenge Koel Mullick's acting prowess. We hope that the script of the upcoming Hemlock Society will take Koel near her limits.

Producer : Shree Venkatesh Films and Surinder Films

Director : Raja Chanda

Music : Jeet Ganguly

Release Date : May 25, 2012

Posted in: Bengali Films,Jaaneman,Jaaneman Movie Review,Movie Review