Jalsa
Official release poster
Directed bySuresh Triveni
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySaurabh Goswami
Edited byShivkumar V. Panicker
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon Prime Video[3]
Release date
18 March 2022[4]
Running time
126 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Jalsa (transl. Bash; Party) is an Indian 2022 Hindi-language thriller film directed by Suresh Triveni.[5] It is produced by T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment.[3] The film stars Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah.[2][6] It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 18 March 2022.[4] It received positive reviews, with praise directed towards the cast (particularly Balan, Shah, and the child actor Surya Kasibhatla).

Plot

Maya Menon (Vidya Balan) 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 has cerebral palsy, 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), 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

Production

The principal photography commenced on 12 August 2021[7] and wrapped up on 12 January 2022.[8]

Soundtrack

Jalsa
Soundtrack album by
Gaurav Chatterji and Salvage Audio Collective
Released23 April 2022[9]
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length16:39
LanguageHindi
LabelT-Series
Official audio
Jalsa - Full Album on YouTube

The music of the film is composed by Gaurav Chatterji and Salvage Audio Collective with lyrics written by Sandeep Gaur and Charan.[9]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Thehar"Sandeep GaurShilpa Rao3:40
2."Thehar" (Male Version)Sandeep GaurGaurav Chatterji3:38
3."Raat" (Music by Salvage Audio Collective)CharanVishwesh Krishnamoorthy2:13
4."Jalsa - Theme"-Instrumental1:48
5."Maya's Guilt"-Instrumental2:40
6."Ruksana's Pain"-Instrumental1:00
7."The Drive"-Instrumental1:40
Total length:16:39

Release

The film was premiered on Amazon Prime on 18 March 2022 coinciding with Holi.[10]

Reception

Jalsa received positive reviews from critics.

Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India 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".[11] Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost 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".[12] Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal 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".[13] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "Jalsa means celebration and the film truly is a celebration indeed of good filmmaking".[14] Shubham Kulkarni of Koimoi 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".[15] Tushar Joshi of India Today 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".[16] Mayank Shekhar of Mid-Day gave the film a rating of 3.5/5.[17]

Sanjana Jadhav of Pinkvilla gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "Jalsa is a must-watch thriller with top notch storytelling and enjoyable performances.[18] Sukanya Verma of Rediff 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".[19] Shilajit Mitra of Cinema Express gave the film a rating of 3.5/5.[20] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV 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".[21] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint 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".[22] Suhasini Srihari of Deccan Herald 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".[23] Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express 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".[24] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama 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".[25]

Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times stated "Suresh Triveni's film stars Vidya Balan as a journalist and Shefali Shah has the caretaker of her son".[26] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu 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".[27] Gautaman Bhaskaran of News18 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".[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Vidya Balan & Shefali Shah Starrer 'Jalsa' Gets A March 2022 Release Date, First Look Posters Out!". koimoi.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Vidya Balan And Shefali Shah Starrer 'Jalsa' All Set To Release In March". Outlook. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah's Jalsa to premiere on Amazon Prime on this date". The Indian Express. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah's first look from Jalsa unveiled; film to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 18". Bollywood Hungama. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Vidya Balan & Shefali Shah Starrer 'Jalsa' Gets A March 2022 Release Date, First Look Posters Out!". koimoi.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Vidya Balan की Jalsa का फर्स्ट लुक आउट, इस दिन होगा फिल्म का वर्ल्ड प्रीमियर". AajTak. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Suresh Triveni's Jalsa starring Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah commences filming". Bollywood Hungama. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Shefali Shah completes 'Jalsa' shoot". The Times of India. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Jalsa – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn. 28 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "New on Amazon Prime in March: 'Jalsa,' 'Upload' Season 2, and more". The Hindu. 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Jalsa Review: A heart-wrenching portrayal of inner conflict". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Jalsa movie review: Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah light up a story of class, happenstance and the human conscience". Firstpost. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Jalsa Review: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah's film is a riveting tale of mirroring conflicts". The Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Jalsa Movie Review". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Jalsa Movie Review: Vidya Balan & Shefali Shah Steal The Show In A Noir Where Moralities Are Put To Test". Koimoi. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "Jalsa Movie review: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah deliver terrific performances in this epic thriller". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  17. ↑ "Jalsa Movie Review: Worth the prateeksha!". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  18. ↑ "Jalsa Review: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah are terrific in thriller that ticks the moral compass". Pinkvilla. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  19. ↑ "Jalsa Review". Rediff. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "Jalsa review: An absorbing, hard-to-slot morality drama". Cinema Express. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  21. ↑ "Jalsa Review: Vidya Balan And Shefali Shah Keep The Film On The Boil". NDTV. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  22. ↑ "'Jalsa' Review: Vidya Balan, Shefali Make the Film Richer With Their Presence". The Quint. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  23. ↑ "Jalsa review: Balan shines in stark portrayal of reality". Deccan Herald. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  24. ↑ "Jalsa movie review: Shefali Shah rescues the film in the final act". Indian Express. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  25. ↑ "Movie Review: Despite fine performances, the length of JALSA diminishes the impact". Bollywood Hungama. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "Jalsa movie review: Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah struggle to engage audience with half-baked characters". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  27. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (18 March 2022). "'Jalsa' movie review: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah shine in this tryst with truth". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  28. ↑ "Jalsa Review: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah's Film Leaves a Trail of Unanswered Questions". News18. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
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