''Jalsa'' () is an Indian
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
Hindi-language
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
directed by Suresh Triveni. It is produced by
T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment.
The film stars
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fi ...
and
Shefali Shah
Shefali Shah (born Shefali Shetty on 22 May 1973) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Respected for her acting prowess, she works primarily in independent Hindi films and has received local and foreign accolades for her perf ...
.
It premiered on
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
on 18 March 2022.
It received positive reviews, with praise directed towards the cast (particularly Balan and Shah).
Plot
A hit and run of an 18-year-old girl raises many questions only to realise that the truth is rarely pure and never at all simple.
Maya Menon (
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fi ...
) is a successful, rich, hard hitting, truth telling, influential TV journalist, with high morals. She hosts a successful TV show aptly called "Face The Truth" and enjoys celebrity status which is also desired by her competitors, peers and juniors alike. In her private life, she lives with her son, Ayush who suffers from
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
and her mother. She is somewhat in a romantic relationship with her boss. Maya is on great terms with her ex-husband who's now happily married to his current Russian wife and they have a baby boy. All in all, her life seems perfect until one fateful night Maya falls asleep at the wheel of her car whilst driving home late from work. She inadvertently hits a young girl who suddenly appears in front of her car out of nowhere. After the accident she stops and sees another bystander who's fleeing the scene and she gets spooked and flees the scene of the accident not knowing that it's all captured on a nearby CCTV camera.
Maya arrives home deeply shaken. She inspects the damage to her car and covers up the car, again caught on security cameras. Rukhsana (
Shefali Shah
Shefali Shah (born Shefali Shetty on 22 May 1973) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Respected for her acting prowess, she works primarily in independent Hindi films and has received local and foreign accolades for her perf ...
), is her son's carer and cook. Rukhsana had stayed at Maya's for the night, per Maya's request, as she was running late that night. Rukhsana loves Ayush like her own son. She sees that Maya is very upset, but chooses to ignore it.
The next morning, the story starts to unravel. The young girl turns out to be Rukhsana's daughter. Rukhsana is unsure and embarrassed about why her 18-year-old daughter was out so late at night, and what she was doing in the neighborhood where the hit & run happened.
The police officer, assigned to the case, discovers (from CCTV footage) his own indiscretion that took place at the same spot, an hour before the accident. Hence, he is motivated to not disclose the CCTV footage (the only proof of Maya's crime) and suppress the case for his own protection and wellbeing in light of his daughter's upcoming wedding.
The guy fleeing the scene assumed to be the guy the girl was seeing who she had gone out late at night to see. He had tried to make physical advances at her, and the girl was running away from him, when she was hit. So he also chooses to stay silent for his own protection. Only later it is revealed that the girl was there to make videos to post on social media and get more followers. The girl had recently broke up with her boyfriend who works at a mechanic's shop.
Maya's driver who discovers the car damaged and a girl's earring stuck in the broken windshield figures out that Maya was the culprit, but he also remains silent as he needs half a million from Maya to pay for his family's critical expenses.
Maya confesses her crime to her boss, but he encourages her to stay silent, as he is protecting the news station (which is immensely successful due to Maya) as well as himself due to fear of his personal relationship with her coming to light.
The journalist pursuing the case, who discovers all truths, happens to work for Maya, and respects her deeply. She also needs her job and money due to domestic family pressures.
Do any of these folks come forward? How do they suffer in personal guilt, and what toll it takes on them? Can the details of everyone's truth ever be discovered for the case to be fairly solved? Jalsa takes the viewer through this journey and leave an open ending for viewers to decide.
Cast
*
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fi ...
as Maya Menon
*
Shefali Shah
Shefali Shah (born Shefali Shetty on 22 May 1973) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Respected for her acting prowess, she works primarily in independent Hindi films and has received local and foreign accolades for her perf ...
as Rukhsana Mohammad
*
Rohini Hattangadi
Rohini Hattangadi (''née'' Oak; born 11 April 1955) is an Indian actress, known for her work in Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, and Gujarati films, and Marathi soap operas and theatre. She has won two Filmfare Awards, one National Film ...
as Rukmini
* Surya Kasibhatla as Ayush Menon
*
Manav Kaul
Manav Kaul (born 19 December 1976) is an Indian theatre director, playwright, author, actor and filmmaker. He was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the films '' Tumhari Sulu'' (2017) and '' Saina'' (2021 ...
as Anand
* Kashish Rizwan as Aliyah Mohammad
* Shafeen Patel as Imaad
* Vidhatri Bandi as Rohini George
*
Mohammed Iqbal Khan
Mohammed Iqbal Khan (born 10 February 1981), more commonly known as Iqbal Khan, is an Indian actor. He was a contestant on '' Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 6''.
Early life
Khan was born in Kashmir and began school in Tyndale Biscoe School, Sr ...
as Amar Malhotra
* Ghanshyam Lalsa as Pradeep
* Shrikant Mohan Yadav as More
* Junaid Khan as Rizwan
* Gurpal Singh as Justice Gulati
Production
The
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
commenced on 12 August 2021 and
wrapped up on 12 January 2022.
Soundtrack
The music of the film is composed by Gaurav Chatterji and Salvage Audio Collective with lyrics written by Sandeep Gaur and Charan.
Release
The film was premiered on ''
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...
'' on 18 March 2022 coinciding with
Holi
Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
.
Reception
''Jalsa'' received positive reviews from critics.
Renuka Vyavahare of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "Jalsa, a captivating drama with a complex moral center, keeps you on the edge of your seat for most part of the film. This one's a must watch, all the more for its terrific climax". Anna MM Vetticad of ''
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...
'' gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "Half the battle for Jalsa was won when Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah were roped in to share screen space". Rohit Bhatnagar of ''
The Free Press Journal
''The Free Press Journal'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper that was established in 1928 by Swaminathan Sadanand, who also acted as its first editor. First produced to complement a news agency, the Free Press of India, it was a su ...
'' gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "This cat and mouse chase deals with thrill, strong emotions and the harsh realities of a newsroom". Devesh Sharma of ''
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
'' gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "Jalsa means celebration and the film truly is a celebration indeed of good filmmaking". Shubham Kulkarni of ''
Koimoi
Koimoi is a Bollywood entertainment website providing Bollywood news, box-office reports and film reviews. In January 2021, its Alexa ranking in India was 2530.
Origin
On 23 November 2009, Contest2win.com and Komal Nahta's Faith Entertainment j ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "It is a filmmaker evolving and two of the most prolific actors exploring their craft and maybe surprising their own selves as well". Tushar Joshi of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "Jalsa is a celebration of two power house performers - Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah". Mayank Shekhar of ''
Mid-Day
''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian compact newspaper owned by Jagran Prakashan Limited. Editions in various languages were published in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. In 2011, the Delhi and Bangalore editions were ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3.5/5.
Sanjana Jadhav of ''
Pinkvilla
Pinkvilla is an Indian entertainment and lifestyle platform. As of June 2022, Pinkvilla has over 5,00,00,000 visitors on its website and app.
Overview
Pinkvilla covers entertainment and lifestyle stories. Its coverage extends to Bollywood, H ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "Jalsa is a must-watch thriller with top notch storytelling and enjoyable performances. Sukanya Verna of ''
Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah are powerhouse talents and are tailor-made for Jalsa's overwrought premise, notes Sukanya Verma". Shilajit Mitra of ''
Cinema Express
''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika'' weekly as well as '' Din ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3.5/5.
Saibal Chatterjee
Saibal Chatterjee is an Indian film critic, an author of a book on Gulzar, co-editor of a book on films; and a documentary scriptwriter. He was a columnist at BBC News, Business Standard, Hindustan Times and Financial Express. And a staff writer of ...
of ''
NDTV
New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote "Discount the overreach and a flaw here and a blemish there and Jalsa works just fine not only because two wonderful actresses are at their very best".
Stutee Ghosh
Stutee Ghosh is an Indian film critic, political satirist, writer, and award winning Radio personality who works for The quint digital media limited from New Delhi, India. She is also a celeb chatshow host with Hindustan Times Digital.
Care ...
of ''
The Quint
''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Aw ...
'' gavethefilm a rating of 3/5 and wrote "'Jalsa' is a story of inner-conflict, motherhood, and class, portrayed brilliantly by its two lead protagonists". Suhasini Srihari of ''
Deccan Herald
''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printe ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote "The film's narrative does not necessarily cut into the emotional veins of the audience, but allows them to participate in a dialogue of the inner conflicts and learn the difference between reality and truth".
Shubhra Gupta
Shubhra Gupta is an Indian film critic, writer and columnist for ''The Indian Express'' from New Delhi, India. She received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Best Writing on Cinema in 2012. She was a member of the Central Board of Film Certificati ...
of ''
Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah film has one of the most tightly-executed beginnings, which develops the odd bump as the plot progresses, until it reaches a cathartic end".
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
of ''
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides ...
'' gave the film a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote "JALSA boasts of fine performances by Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah with unexpected twists and turns".
Monika Rawal Kukreja of ''
Hindustan Times
''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia.
It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...
'' stated "Suresh Triveni's film stars Vidya Balan as a journalist and Shefali Shah has the caretaker of her son". Anuj Kumar of ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' stated "Director Suresh Triveni delivers a casting coup of sorts with the fantastic ensemble of actors, while also charting a relatable and riveting tale on how a self-righteous approach crumbles under circumstances". Gautaman Bhaskaran of ''
News18
Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...
'' stated "Suresh Triveni's work, despite two good actresses in Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah, falls into the rut of wanting to fill the plate with too much with the result that none of it has any meat".
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 15361028
2022 films
2022 drama films
Films scored by Gaurav Chatterji
2020s Hindi-language films
Amazon Prime Video original films