Movie: Jumpu Jeelani
Rating: 2/5
Banner: Reliance Entertainment, Venkateswara Art Productions
Cast: Allari Naresh, Isha Chawla, Swathi Dixit, Posani, Raghu Babu, Kota and Others
Dialogues: Kranthi Reddy Sakinaala
Music: Vijay
Editor: Gowtham Raju
Cinematographer: Dasaradhi
Producers: Ambika Raja, Reliance Entertainment
Director: E Satti Babu
Release Date: Jun 12, 2014
Allari Naresh was always touted as the minimum guarantee hero. But in the past few days, he has had consistent flops and is trying real hard to give a hit with a clean film. So, this time, he has paired up with E Sattibabu who had made some decent comedy films in the past. In Jumpu Jeelani, Sattibabu tries a dual role with Allari Naresh. Let’s see if the experiment is a hit or a flop…
Story:
Sattibabu (Allari Naresh) is the owner of a family-run hotel which is in bad shape. His twin brother Rambabu is a thief and a gambler. The SI (Bharat) of the locality in which Sattibabu’s hotel is situated eyes the hotel site. So, he defeats Rambabu in a game of cards and forces him to write off his share in the hotel on his name. Meanwhile, Sattibabu’s girlfriend Madhavi’s (Isha Chawla) engagement is fixed with a factionist (Posani). The rest of the story shows how Sattibabu lands in Pulivendula to bring back his girlfriend and how he eventually saves his hotel.
Artistes’ Performance:
Allari Naresh attempts dual role with the film as we had mentioned earlier. But barring satisfying his wish, he does nothing much to justify the dual role. Of course, one character is innocent while the other is conniving. But that’s where the variation ends. He does not make any attempts at trying anything different. On the other hand, his leading lady Isha Chawla bores with her expressions throughout the film. Another heroine Swati Dixit relies more on body show than histrionics.
Coming to the rest of the cast, Rao Ramesh’s character is introduced with a bang. But eventually, he is relegated to being a buffoon. Posani’s churns out B-grade comedy while Venu Madhav and Raghu Babu fail to evoke laughs. MS Narayana and Kota Srinivasa Rao are wasted.
Technical Expertise:
The film throws up the need to do away with songs in comedy films, especially those that are neither situational nor melodious. The film has way too many songs that are almost unbearable and totally useless. Naresh should take the example of his father’s Kitakitalu which was a hit despite not having any songs.
Cinematography is decent. Had the director given the editor ample freedom, he would have ensured that there were more scenes when the credits rolled by than during the actual running time. The dialogue writer focused more on rhyming his dialogues than making them interesting.
With due respect to the producers, they did spend good amount for a Naresh film. But it’s the director Sattibabu who failed badly in delivering a comic caper. Just 15 minutes into the film, it becomes clear that Sattibabu gave up midway and simply wrapped up the film unable to deliver a funny product. Of course, there are instances where he tries to ape his guru EVV, but he fails to sustain the momentum throughout.
Highlights:
- None.
Drawbacks:
- Well, the list is way too long.
Analysis:
It has recently been seen that action films with good doses of comedy have been doing well at the box office. Despite the hero showing off his power for two hours, the sudden introduction of Brahmanandam in the penultimate scenes helped a film rake in Rs 50 crore at the box office. Having no other go, the producers are making space for Brahmanandam in almost all the films. Given this situation in the industry, Jumpu Jeelani which is a comedy film fails to make the audience laugh.
For the audience who expect a lot of funny scenes between the twins, this film is a major disappointment. Before the film’s release, expectations were high that Naresh in dual role will finally manage to get a hit film after a string of flops. But it turns out that Sattibabu wasted the opportunity by making an insipid comedy that bores you to the core.
The catchy title and dual role by Naresh both go waste and the film tests the patience of the audience right from the beginning to the end. Some films tend to get better as they progress, but in the case of Jumpu Jeelani, the film consistently fails to sustain the attention of the audience. In fact, as the film enters the second half, one almost feels like walking out without a second thought.
We have a word of caution: stay away unless you have no other option but to watch it. But if you want to test your luck, then do it at your own risk. We sincerely hope Naresh does some homework before doing a film next time.
Bottomline: Naresh miscalculates once again.
(Venkat can be reached at [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
