Bollywood films, particularly romantic dramas, rarely open to universal acclaim. \u201cJab Tak Hai Jaan,\u201d or \u201cUntil There Is Life,\u201d the last film directed by Bollywood\u2019s \u201cking of romance\u201d Yash Chopra, before he passed away in October, is one of the rare films that did.<\/a><\/p>\nStarring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, the romantic drama traces Samar Anand\u2019s (Mr. Khan\u2019s) quest for undying love, from the streets of London to the valleys of Kashmir.<\/p>\n
The film, which released alongside \u201cSon of Sardaar\u201d this Diwali, was hailed by many Indian critics. Here\u2019s a roundup of what they had to say:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere cannot be a better way to portray love on the silver screen,\u201d opined a Zee News review by film critic Ananya Bhattacharya. \u201cJab Tak Hai Jaan has nailed that \u2013 at least for the immediate future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms. Bhattacharya was all praise for the film\u2019s star cast, particularly Mr. Khan, who in her view brought to life a \u201cnewer, better, improved version\u201d of Raj Malhotra, the love-smitten protagonist in Mr. Chopra\u2019s 1995-produced classic \u201cDilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf as Raj Malhotra he [Mr. Khan] had managed to woo half the population of the country; as Samar Anand, this man can make many more smitten by him. The slight stutter, the little hint of a tear in the eyes, the arms-outstretched pose \u2013 Khan knows how to make his ladies fall for him \u2013 be it that they are almost half his age!\u201d Ms. Bhattacharya wrote.<\/p>\n
The critic went on to applaud Mr. Chopra for his direction. \u201cOnly somebody like Yash Chopra could have made those mesmerising locales of Pehalgam and Ladakh come alive on celluloid\u2026 The film doesn\u2019t really have the sarees flying slo-mo in the air, but what it has is sheer, pristine beauty,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Overall, Ms. Bhattacharya was highly impressed with the film, though she felt it was \u201ca tad too long\u201d and its background score, composed by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, had been \u201cunderused.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, she concluded by giving the film four stars out of five. \u201cYash Chopra, you made sure that you will live on and that your last film will be remembered – jab tak hai jaan,\u201d or until there is life, she wrote.<\/p>\n
Jab Tak Hai Jaan \u201cis the best romantic film made in this generation.\u201d That\u2019s how Bollywood critic Rachit Gupta summed up the movie in a Filmfare review.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike any piece of commercial cinema, it has its cinematic liberties and plot holes. But the sum of it is an old school love story that weaves its magic on the tender hearts of die-hard romantics,\u201d Mr. Gupta opined.<\/p>\n
The critic was all praise for the film\u2019s star cast, its \u201cmaster class\u201d script and its \u201creal, uncomplicated\u201d dialogue. The film\u2019s plot, though \u201ca run-of-the-mill love triangle\u201d in Mr. Gupta\u2019s view, set itself apart from other romantic dramas, largely owing to its \u201cphilosophy, poetic love and honest emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jab Tak Hai Jaan \u201cis the perfect adieu to [Mr. Chopra\u2019s] hallmark career,\u201d the reviewer concluded, giving the film four stars out of five.<\/p>\n
An NDTV review by Saibal Chatterjee concurred. \u201cJab Tak Hai Jaan, Yash Chopra\u2019s last film, is a perfectly fitting finale to an eventful life and career.\u201d<\/p>\n
The film\u2019s screenplay \u201cis by no means flawless,\u201d but the romantic drama \u201cleaves a soothing afterglow,\u201d Mr. Chatterjee opined.<\/p>\n
The critic was also impressed with the film\u2019s theme and character sketches. \u201cThough the focus of Jab Tak Hai Jaan is on the male protagonist, the two women in his life aren\u2019t mere mannequins.\u201d Instead, they are blessed with \u201cgrace and intelligence, besides the ability to speak their minds and hold on to their beliefs,\u201d a rare treat in Bollywood romances, he noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch Jab Tak Hai Jaan not just for the obvious sentimental reason but for the fact that it shows, for one last time, what Bollywood will miss now that the undisputed master of romantic sagas is no more,\u201d Mr. Chatterjee concluded, giving the film three-and-a-half stars out of five.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn contemporary times when love stories have more or less turned into instant make out and instant breakup\u2026. it\u2019s heartening to see a full-blown romance saga which has good old values and yet a very modern outlook,\u201d film critic Gaurav Malani wrote in The Times of India.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike most love stories, even Jab Tak Hai Jaan has sacrifice and sanctity at its footing yet at no point is it depressing or disheartening,\u201d he added. The critic went on to praise the film\u2019s \u201cimpeccable\u201d screenplay, \u201cstrikingly beautiful\u201d cinematography and \u201cscrumptious\u201d chemistry between Mr. Khan and Ms. Kaif.<\/p>\n
\u201cJab Tak Hai Jaan is a sublime story about love and life. They don\u2019t make them like that anymore,\u201d Mr. Malani concluded. His verdict? \u201cVery Good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Writing for the Hindustan Times, film critic Anupama Chopra was notably disappointed with the film\u2019s plot but on the whole enjoyed the film, largely due to its \u201cheartfelt performances.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn any case, you don\u2019t go to a Yash Chopra movie to delve into realism or the messiness of relationships. You go to partake in a fantasy of swooning, idealised love \u2013 and Jab Tak Hai Jaan delivers plenty of that,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
So despite the film\u2019s \u201cwobbly narrative,\u201d Jab Tak Hai Jaan\u2019s \u201cgorgeously shot locations,\u201d \u201clavish songs,\u201d \u201cinherently noble lead characters,\u201d and \u201ctop-notch\u201d star cast performances, makes it work \u201cas an ode to epic romance,\u201d the critic wrote.<\/p>\n
Ms. Chopra\u2019s review gave the film three stars out of five.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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