Jab Khuli Kitaab Review: Quirky, Charming and Emotional Depiction Of True Love And Responsibility

Jab Khuli Kitaab Review: Quirky, Charming and Emotional Depiction Of True Love And Responsibility

‘Jab Khuli Kitaab’ - Saurabh Shukla’s tv screen/ott adaptation of his play of the same name where he acted, wrote and directed results in a quirky, charming and emotional depiction of true love and responsibility where the extraordinary brilliance of Pankaj Kapoor and radiantly effortless charm of Dimple Kapadia makes your day and values your love ones with a smile.

Jab Khuli Kitaab movie plotline

In the morning of a picturesque Ranikhet (Uttrakhand) an aged Gopal Chandra Nautiyal aka Gopal Ji (Pankaj Kapur) gets a shock of his life when her wife Anusuya (Dimple Kapadia) wakes up from a coma after two years and confesses a deeply personal secret to her husband, (Pankaj Kapur).

The revelation shakes Gopal ji emotionally and the couple’s fifty-year-old marriage faces danger as husband Gopalji seeks a divorce.

Jab Khuli Kitaab movie review

Saurabh Shukla in his television/ott adaptation replaces Pankaj Kapur in the role of Gopal Ji played by him in the original play and keeps the soul and structure intact.

Saurabh Shukla develops a world/family of interesting characters where we found a dedicated husband Gopal Nautiyal looking after his comatose (in short someone in coma) wife Anusuya (Dimple Kapadia) for two years. Gopal Ji begins his day with a one-sided conversation with his wife, does her daily routine without complain.

Seems to be an ideal ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’ type couple with the twist of wife not physically active, Gopal JI and Anusuya have three children. A special child in Dholu (Abuli Mamaji) who lives with them, the older son Parmesh (Samir Soni) with his spouse Farnaaz (Nauheed Cyrusi), daughter Sujata (Devyani Ratanpal) and son in law Jignesh (Sunil Palwal).

The family keeps visiting and one day on learning that their mother is in deathbed they have stayed there.

Emotionally devasted Gopal ji is seeking divorce after 50 years of marriage and it is not that easy, it gets more complicated in the complicated world of law and a semi caricature like character who is partly funny and partly serious a client-chasing lawyer, Negi (Aparshakti Khurana) wants the case but has a feeling for Anusuya which he expresses and is wondering why Gopal ji suddenly want to ruin it all for an age-old incident.

Like Gopal ji the characters of ‘Jab Khuli Kitaab’ have their struggles outside and within. Aptly titled as the movie progresses, we read, see, observe different pages metaphor of different characters fighting their woes.

Like the district magistrate Asha Ji (Manasi Parekh) having her issues with her husband, Gopal Ji’s children and their family with their issues gets intertwined in the narrative adding layers to human saga and character study.

Saurabh Shukla fills the two-hour thirty-minute movie with bitter, sweet and lovable moments and makes the situations and the characters relatable to the sensible audience.

It brings to us a situation where relationship and love can be challenged even after going steady for fifty long years and how different individuals cope in same/different situations but life goes on and humanity prevails, love can blossom again and its timeless and yes of course the biggest lesson – Time is the biggest healer’.

But the movie comes with its share of flaws – the layers fail to go deeper and the climax was not that uplifting

Performance

Pankaj Kapur displays his extraordinary brilliance once again.

Dimple Kapadia is effortlessly radiant and class apart.

Aparshakti Khurana is entertaining.

Manasi Parekh has her moments.

Samir Soni is good.

Sunil Palwal as Jignesh is fabulous.

Abuli Mamaji as Dholu is adorable.

Nauheed Cyrusi as Farnaaz is good.

Devyani Taranpal as Sujata is fine.

 

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