Jaadugar review: Jitendra Kumar and Jaaved Jaaferi’s sports comedy doesn't do any justice to football but still makes for a fun watch

While the romantic sports comedy has its heart in the right place, it goes down as yet another movie that fails to do justice to the sport. Jaaved Jaaferi does a great job in the emotional scenes, while Jitendra Kumar shines in the comedy department.

A still from the movie

Jaadugar

Story:

Meenu (Jitendra Kumar) is a magician from a small town who has to win the local football tournament in order to impress the father of his love. But with a team of misfits, will he be able to finally bring home the silverware?

Review:

There have been a number of movies related to sports and football in Indian cinema to date. What most of them have in common is how they all fail to adhere to the realism that surrounds the game. While Jaadugar, starring Jitendra Kumar, Jaaved Jaaferi, and Arushi Sharma, goes down as yet another such romantic comedy served up around football, the movie has its heart in the right place, making it a fun watch.

Meenu (Jitendra) is a magician in the small town of Neemuch, M.P., where the people have an undying love for football. While Meenu’s father was one of the locals who tried and failed to win the coveted local football trophy, he grew up hating the sport but loving magic. Meenu’s uncle (Jaaved Jaaferi) is a working man who is still trying to bring home the silverware even after his father’s passing. However, Meenu has to join the cause unwillingly after the father of the woman he falls in love with sets him a condition: win the trophy and you have my blessings. While winning the local cup would take nothing less than a miracle for Meenu’s team of misfits, he is ready to give it his best shot.

Firstly, the story does not make the most sense, but we have seen stranger things. But what Jaadugar lacks in authenticity, it makes up for with a story and characters with heart and the way that it unfolds on your screen. Director Sameer Saxena gets close to cracking the sports romance genre, but is only let down by a love story that is all too familiar to us. Yet, this does not pull down the movie’s charm, as Jitendra Kumar shines as the main lead. He stands out when it comes to comedy, adds a new element to being the mindless boyfriend/lover boy, and puts up a rather shaky performance when it comes to emotional acting.

Viewers know more than enough to expect some good comedy when they see Jitendra in the cast list, and Jaadugar does not fail to impress. The movie has a foundation set on quirky comedy and salty twists laid over serious moments, which gives the movie a breezy feel, despite being close to three hours long. With a large portion of the movie set around the viewers meeting the main characters and Meenu’s love story, Jaadugar has what it takes to grab the viewers’ attention.

The second half of the movie, however, has a lot of football involved in it as well as emotions. While the emotional side of it is still passable, the footballing side is just the same old story that Bollywood and most mainstream Indian cinema have to offer. It fails to add any realism to the sport and just lets the writer’s creative mind do the talking. While this does allow the "cinematic" side to come into life, it might bore fans who are looking to see some originality associated with The Beautiful Game. While players running free on goal and scoring freely is acceptable, one does have to start asking questions when the protagonist starts using magic to get his way around football games.

The second half also puts the hero through a lot of emotional turmoil, which works out like a double-edged sword. While it does add more elements of a "cinema", it could just be a point of concern for viewers who were just enjoying a breezy, fun sports romance. While Jitendra does not stand out in these emotional scenes, Jaaved Jaaferi most definitely does. He pulls off a rather impressive bit of acting, which might seem on the edge, but still comes out well.

The movie also has an interesting choice of side characters, most of whom are part of the hero’s football team. From a vain wannabe superstar to a man who simply wants to impress his brother-in-law, the football team is full of misfits, minus a few of them who can actually play football and care enough to try. While there is nothing excellent about how they all come together and decide to give it their best shot, it is still a fun watch, thanks to how the writer and director decide to take it.

There are still cliches, such as when we meet the villainous looking opposition team in the final, complete with the impregnable goalkeeper who looks like he is a mob boss's right-hand man. Miracles do happen in football games, from final second goals to teams fighting the odds for a win, but cinema still keeps finding ways to top them all off, going beyond miracles and magic.

Verdict:

Jaadugar is a fun entertainer that revolves around football and has some good laughable moments to offer. However, it is just another movie that fails to do justice to the sport, even though it has its heart in the right place. Jitendra Kumar stands out in the comedy department once again, making it an enjoyable one-time watch.

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Cast and Crew

Navit Dutt

Biswapati Sarkar

Jitendra Kumar

Actor

Saurabh Khanna

Where To Watch