Jab Khuli Kitaab

Jab Khuli Kitaab Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapur, Aparshakti Khurana, Manasi Parekh, Samir Soni, Nauheed Cyrusi

Director: Saurabh Shukla

What’s Good: The warmth in the story and the characters—and their intensity

What’s Bad: A needless twist in the end

Loo Break: If you need one, you can hit Pause on your TV!

Watch or Not?: Yes!

Language: Hindi

Available On: Zee5

Runtime: 121 Minutes

User Rating:

A saga of love, betrayal, relationships, and realizations. The film follows the story of Gopal Ji (Pankaj Kapur), as he is addressed by his wife, Anusuya (Dimple Kapadia), and their children, Param (Samir Soni) and Sujata (Devyani Ratanpal), with their spouses and kids, and the Down syndrome-afflicted Dholu (Abuli Mamaji).

When the film opens, Anusuya has been in a coma for two years. No one expects her to recover, but she suddenly regains consciousness. She makes a candid revelation of something that happened 48 years ago, and Gopal is so upset that he decides to divorce his wife of 50 years! What’s more, he comes to know that the eldest son, Param, is not his!

The divorce lawyer he employs, R.K. Negi (Aparshakti Khurana), has a crush on the (married) judge, Asha (Manasi Parekh). He is flabbergasted by Gopal’s stand, as he also wants to live on with Anusuya because there is no one to look after her and the children, but for Dholu, all live in other cities.

Technicalities abound: Anusuya must agree to the divorce and report to the divorce court in person. Anusuya begs her adamant husband not to divorce her, but Gopal’s determination is unwavering. In this situation, with the entire clan present and unaware of this ‘development,’ a huge party is held on the date of their 50th wedding anniversary.

By this time, Gopal has developed an aversion to Param, who has a Parsi wife, Farnaaz (Nauheed Cyrusi), and things come to the fore at the bash when another revelation comes forth regarding Gopal’s Gujarati son-in-law, Jignesh (Sunil Palwal), and Param.

Meanwhile, the doctor (Sudarshan Juyal) treating Anusuya has warned Gopal that his medical reports suggest the future possibility of Alzheimer’s disease. And Jignesh brings a wedding proposal for Dholu from a Parsi Down Syndrome-afflicted girl, Gulcher (Natasha)’s family.

Life goes on…even as it takes its own twists and turns.

Warm, intense, and yet simple, the film can be relatable to so many.

Jab Khuli Kitaab Movie Review: Script Analysis

The film graphically shows what happens, or can happen, when petty ego triumphs over matured common sense, and impulsiveness dominates over prior reflection on one’s actions. A very human situation in Anusuya’s life turns her husband’s life topsy-turvy, even as he had looked after her dedicatedly when she was in a coma. She has loved him no end, but…!

Penned and directed by Saurabh Shukla and produced by Applause Entertainment, the film presents an incisive saga about how relationships can be fractured so easily by a single slip. And yet, life’s ironies can help redeem the situation, and, as Anusuya says, “Time is a great healer!”

The masterful and minimalist dialogues help things along. And the characters of Negi and Asha (and her brusque husband, essayed by Himanshu Pathak in a cameo) add pith by showing a potential extramarital relationship that does not fructify, adding a small but humor-laden layer to the film.

Jab Khuli Kitaab Movie Review: Star Performance

This is a character-driven film, and Dimple Kapadia effortlessly tops the game. To say that she becomes Anusuya from deep inside and portrays a married woman deeply in love with her husband and family is an understatement: she owns the film as few do. Her expressions, especially, and her body language are textbook examples of film acting and the art and craft of exploring a character’s psyche and motivations.

The sequences in court where she reveals that she is being forced to sign the divorce papers, the scene where she begs her husband not to file for divorce, and the last sequence with him as they go on a walk are just three examples of monumental histrionic display by this timeless actress. This is one more magnificent essay by a star who can traverse from Bobby to Rudaali to Dil Chahta Hai to Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo with complete and enviable effortlessness.

Pankaj Kapur adds a feather in his cap as Gopal. Though he brings his characteristic cynicism, wry humor, and intensity, we also see his emotional confusion and vulnerability in full force. Aparshakti Khurana and Manasi Parekh dig into their briefer but meaty roles with confident relish. Samir Soni is adequate as Param, but Sunil Palwal as Jignesh scores better. Abuli Mamaji and Natasha are delightful as Dholu and Gulcher, respectively. Nauheed Cyrusi as Farnaaz and Devyani Taranpal as Sujata have brief but interesting roles, of which they take full advantage. The kids are generally adorable.