'Jubilee' review: Well-crafted series steeped in nostalgia, ambition, artistic vision
What's the story
Vikramaditya Motwane's series Jubilee arrived on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, a few hours before its original release date of Friday, April 7.
The first five episodes are now available, while the rest five will arrive next week.
Fronted by Ram Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurana, Sidhant Gupta, and Aditi Rao Hydari, it's an exquisite love letter to the evolution of Hindi cinema.
Here's our review.
Plot
Understand the story of 'Jubilee' before watching the show
Jubilee is about businessman-filmmaker Srikant (Prosenjit Chatterjee) and his superstar-wife Sumitra (Rao Hydari).
They are looking for "superstar material" for their upcoming film, and Binod (Khurana), their employee, eliminates the worthy candidates to rise to the ranks and bag the lead part.
Jay (Gupta), an aspiring director's story runs parallel—he's an ambitious man whose hopes are mutilated as 1947's Partition tears through the nation.
Positive 1
The era gone by has been brought to life
Right from the first frame, Jubilee captures the time and spirit of the years leading up to independence and passionately romanticizes nostalgia.
It's the tale of a time when screen tests and films were stored in large circular boxes and weren't simply a click away—multiple instances such as these make everything feel like a postcard memory, a moment frozen in time.
Positive 2
The show never seems to be in a hurry
There is a relaxed, mellowed-down, calm atmosphere that defines Jubilee, particularly in the beginning.
It's interesting how Motwane has chosen to focus on the beginning of the theater and film industry at a time when India was just trying to find its voice and grow out of the British shadow.
It's an aspect that usually doesn't find focus when the year 1947 is mentioned.
Positive 3
Amit Trivedi's retro music is also a character here!
Singer-composer Amit Trivedi is effortless with retro music, something we saw recently in Netflix's film Qala, and here, too, he comes to life with songs that capture various moods such as Ishq Ka Shaayraa Daur and Chandu Naacha.
His music doesn't exist independent of the series but blends well into the narrative, making it moist with tenderness, sentiments, and originality.
Positive 4
Everyone is hiding something in the drama series
Jubilee concentrates well not only on the world it constructs in front of us but also on the characters who inhabit it.
Everyone has their own ambitions, desires, clandestine plans, scheming ideas, etc.
For instance, when we first become privy to Binod's ambition, it's easy to draw parallels with Icarus—he is aiming for the sun, but his dreams have a predefined limit.
Performances
Watch out for Gupta's and Kapoor's power-packed performances
Even though everyone in the ensemble cast turns in their best performance, my clear favorite was Kapoor, who essays an unapologetically rough and conniving character who has perhaps never known humanity.
He is also blessed with the best dialogues, laced with sarcasm and expletives.
Gupta is another startling revelation and shines effortlessly in this multilayered role that will find more meat in Part 2.
Negative 1
Negative: The episodes are long and test patience
My biggest gripe with Jubilee has to be the length of the episodes (almost one hour long each).
With this length, it becomes somewhat tiring to invest one's undivided attention.
After all, lengthy episodes don't necessarily add novelty to a show, and here, some scenes should have ideally served as the climax but surprisingly do not.
The camera simply keeps rolling.
Negative 2
At times, conflicts reach a convenient, easy end
Another problem with Jubilee is that conflicts, problems, and disagreements don't get enough time to boil and simmer; instead, the solution is offered on a platter almost instantaneously.
When this happens, it becomes almost impossible to care about the muddle the characters are engulfed in, their well-chalked-out arcs notwithstanding.
Additionally, a large portion, that deals with USSR officials in India, is downright tedious.
Verdict
Verdict: We recommend watching this Amazon Prime Video series
The world-building, the well-defined characters, the surefooted performances, and a solid trip down the nostalgia road are the scene stealers.
It's a sure-shot treat for cinephiles who want to go back to the basics and comprehend how cinema became such a large part of the Indian consciousness.
The episode-length bug will bite, but despite that, it remains largely binge-able.
Verdict: Jubilee gets 3.5/5.