Jai Ho Review

2013 was an unusual year for Salman Khan fans. It was probably the first time that the Dabangg superstar didn’t have a release in a whole calendar year. So when he returns after 13 months with Jai Ho, you expect the film to be really good since it took so much time for them to make it. Salman’s last film was with Arbaaz Khan and now he is being directed by his youngest brother Sohail Khan. So does Jai Ho quench the thirst of all Salman fans? Will neutral cinegoers enjoy it too? Let’s find out.

Story: Jai Ho is a remake of the 2006 Blockbuster Telugu film Stalin which itself was a remake of the 2000 Hollywood film ‘Pay It Forward’. Jai Ho is about an ex-army officer Jai (Salman Khan) who gets suspended from the army because he refused to follow his senior’s orders. After his army stint he becomes a car mechanic and helps people in his city left, right and centre. He is the typical good samaritan who doesn’t care about the views of others. He has his sister (Tabu), his mother (Nadira Babbar) and his girlfriend (Daisy Shah) which makes life hunky dory for him. But life takes a turn when he is confronted with an evil politician (Danny Denzongpa) who spells doom for him and his family. The all out confrontation between the good and the bad culminates in the climax. You don’t need to think hard to know who wins!

Jai Ho Review

Jai Ho Movie Review

Screenplay and Direction: As Jai Ho is the remake of an already successful film like Stalin, the writers needn’t have tinkered much with the story of that film. And they don’t. They only spruce up the action sequences by putting in typical masala, gravity defying action involving Salman. This was probably done to please Salman loyalists but the action sequences feel a little overdone even though the climax action sequence is well worth the build up. Sohail Khan does a decent job with Jai Ho because he has been entrusted with the difficult task of telling a meaningful story in the form of a typical Salman Khan film. It will be wrong to say he succeeds completely. But he doesn’t fail at it either. Sadly Jai Ho feels and looks a lot like Salman’s previous films. There is a déjà vu of been there, seen that.

Miscellaneous and Music: The technical aspects of Jai Ho are expectedly not as top notch as a Dhoom 3 or Ek Tha Tiger. It does not look as gloosy as those aforementioned films and it is not supposed to. The production design of Jai Ho is just about okay, the camera work is also fine but the action sequences have been choreographed well. The music of Jai Ho is a huge disappointment. The soundtracks of Salman’s last few films have all had major charbusters and Jai Ho doesn’t even have a single charbuster song. How and why did Sajid-Wajid go wrong this time around? Having said that – Photocopy, Baaki Sab First Class Hai and the two romantic songs can be enjoyed by few segments of the audience.

Acting: Jai Ho is all about Jai which means Jai Ho is all about Salman Khan. He makes the character of Jai charismatic and makes Jai Ho not just watchable but also enjoyable in parts. He rises above the film. If you are a Salman fan, you will of course love seeing him beat up baddies and stand up for the right things. Tabu makes a comeback with Jai Ho and she has a good role. Predictably she shines as Jai’s sister Riya. Daisy Shah doesn’t get too much to do and she looks okay. Danny Denzongpa is very good as the villain. The other ancillary characters have been played by known faces and they all put in good performances. The casting of the film is a highlight of Jai Ho since almost every scene has a famous person sharing screen space with Salman Khan.

Conclusion: Jai Ho is what happens when Rajkumar Hirani meets Prabhu Deva. The intentions of Jai Ho are very noble and that needs to be applauded but it could have done without those long drawn out action sequences. Lastly, Jai Ho will be loved by Salman’s loyal fans and audiences but the neutral cinegoers might not totally warm up to it. I enjoyed the film, give it a try you might enjoy it too.

Box Office: Jai Ho is not expected to open with record breaking numbers like Salman’s last few films but the opening will still be very good. Just don’t expect Chennai Express or Dhoom 3 type of numbers. Will it sustain after a good initial? It should, but crossing the 200 crore mark should prove to be difficult.

Positives:

  • Salman Khan, Salman Khan and Salman Khan
  • The noble and simplistic storyline
  • The acting by other cast members like Tabu and Danny
  • The climax is worth the admission price

Negatives:

  • The overstretched action sequences
  • The music is disappointing

Rating: ★★★☆☆

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41 Comments

  • @Indicine, when I first saw Rowdy Rathore, I felt the action was too heavy, but then the audience loved it, and watching again I didn’t feel anything and enjoyed it more.

    So, whether people would love too much action of Jai Ho is waiting to be seen.

  • The overstretched action sequences can’t come under Negatives if it is a Salman starrer movie.It will always come under Positives.Anyways i will see it by myself tomorrow.

  • I don’t agree with rating. It an Awesome movie. It gives a good message. It’s heart touching. I saw people clapping, whistling & shouting for Salman. Tabu was wonderful in the film. Daisy supported very well. Music is not great but on screen they are energetic. Salman was simply BRILLIANT. One of his finest acting ever. His acting 7 the concept of the movie will win hearts for sure. My rating is 4.5/5
    Go & experience it!!

  • Kamaal R Khan, who claims to be one of the top critics, has said:
    .
    “#JaiHo is Rajive Gandhi Rozgar Yojna for all the bhoole Bisre actors actresses of Bollywood. You will be able to see each n every1 in Jai Ho. It’s interval n #JaiHo got 90 out of 100 from me.
    .
    “#JaiHo is best film of Sohail Khan till date. I give 4* to #JaiHo. Bhai Jaan @BeingSalmanKhan #JaiHo is good and 1-2 jagah aap film main Gando lage ho. Hahahaha
    .
    “I watched #ChennaiExpress n #Dhoom3 also with public but today I agreed tat Salman’s fans r totally crazy. They do full HUD Dang in theatre.
    .
    “If No.1 critic KRK has given 4* to #JaiHo n you still have doubt about success of the film then undoubtedly you are no.1 idiot of this world.”

  • Sajid wajid lacks versatility.they have same kinda songs in most of their composition.
    Tumko toh ana hi tha is a western romantic track which is composed by another composer.that sounds good.

  • I am no Salman fan but I must say this is Salman’s most honest effort since the past 6-7 years. I couldn’t believe that this man was the same fellow who made trash like Ready and Bodyguard. If this film doesn’t become a big hit then Salman cannot be blamed for doing only masala films after this. Of course this film is not perfect (terrible actress and music) but for once Salman is not just beating up goondas for no reason.

  • Very good review! Just watched the movie, its a full on Salman film with a simple message to bring change in the society. Response was mixed from my center (as expected), Salman fans loved it. It has all the ingredients of Salman films like emotions, action, romance, music(not very good), comedy, dance, and his shirtless body, etc. Its going to rule the mass centers.

    Story is simple, its a political drama, and about one man, a former Army officer, Jai (Salman), who is a common man (well at least until you don’t poke him otherwise he would turn into an Avenger), who wants to bring a change in society, he wants to change people’s mentality and inspire them to help others by forming a chain who’s motto is to help 3 people if you are helped by someone, and tell them to help other 3 people. By doing so, he must also overcome the political system and the leaders who abuse their power.

    Acting wise, Tabu stood out as Salman’s sister, she had the biggest impact and role in it besides Salman himself, and she played her part beautifully. Salman was as usual solid and entertaining. His presence was enough to carry any scene. Danny was good as a villain. Newcomer and Salman’s love interest Daisy Shah seemed average to me, it had a huge starcast, so many people who’s career didn’t go well, and Salman lived up to his ‘Being Human’ persona by giving them some screen time.

    There isn’t too much logic in the film (especially in action scenes), but you don’t expect it to be in a Salman film either. It has the entertainment value which many people look for, especially Salman fans, and Salman didn’t disappoint.

    I’d say its better than some of his recent films which were blockbusters, and also better than some of the blockbusters of previous year, so it should go even further. If you liked his recent films, then you should go and watch it, you won’t be disappointed.
    Overall, it was a good entertainer for me, with a very good message, I wish they cut out the songs though, they affected the pace of the movie.
    3.5 stars from me!

    Positives –

    1. Salman Khan
    2. Message in it
    3. Tabu’s performance

    Negatives –

    1. Music is a big letdown
    2. Over the top actions

  • Outstanding movie…
    superb job done by salman khan..after seeing all his crap movies which he has done in past , this one is far better.. kudos to salman n “jai ho” team..

  • Seems like Salman has acted a bit in this movie. Finally. But if this movie doesn’t cross 200 cr then that definitely puts a question mark on his stardom as SRK, Hrithik, and Aamir have all crossed that mark with mixed WOM for their respective movies.

  • agree with indicine review…but few points i want add the whole episode of genelia and war sequences are shot very well…

  • Your review is good and simple…. Logic says this film will inevitable be labelled as a ‘masala pot boiler’ so I for one will not be expecting much freshness in the story as for me it will still be all eyez on bhai jaan ONLY…

    I’ve read few reviews now but positive feedback is that the action sequences are well done and have a simplistic realism to it. I will be happy to watch the film tomorrow but Im going in knowing that the film is as you say Indicine all about “salman khan, salman khan and more Salman Khan” and that for me is All that matters. Jai Ho

  • regarding B.O my take i believe boi.co.in
    It was expected to be a phenomenal opening, considering the film was expected to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. But Salman Khan-starrer Jai Ho took even distributors by surprise with a jaw-dropping opening of 90 per cent, all-India.

    Directed by Sohail Khan, the film is expected to enjoy an extravagant first day and a monster weekend. The film released with Khan’s fans eager to watch him on the big screen after his outing in December 2012.

    In Mumbai, Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines says, “Jai Ho took an opening of over 90 per cent and it’s also house full in many centres across India and in Mumbai as well. The film has opened with excellent numbers and we expect a very good report for the evening shows as the morning shows have shown a fabulous response. The response is outstanding especially in Saurashtra and Gujarat, where the film opened to more than 90 per cent.”

    In Delhi-UP, G D Mehta of Bobby Arts International adds, “The response to the film is spectacular despite the cold weather here. It has opened to 80 per cent in Delhi-UP, and being a Salman Khan film, it will work wonders at the weekend too.”

    In East Punjab, Jaspal Dhingra of Nanaksar Pictures adds, “Although the morning shows opened at 60 per cent, I am expecting the collections to grow by evening as the reports of the film are very good. The weather is very cold here. Hence the morning shows took a slow start but during the noon shows the film will have fantastic numbers.”

    In Rajasthan, Gaurrav Gaur of O’Real Imagination says, “Jai Ho has opened to an impressive response in Rajasthan. The film has garnered a more than 70-per cent opening and has impressive advance bookings for the evening shows. Khan has definitely returned with a bang. I won’t be surprised if the film enters the Rs 100-crore club in its first three days.”

    Ravi Machchar of Sahyog Films in Nizam says, “Here, Jai Ho is a super-hit. The film opened to a decent start at 9 am, but by noon, it grew to 80 per cent in Nizam. The next few shows are almost house full. We expect the movie to clock fabulous numbers by the end of the day.”

    In West Bengal, Debashish Dey of Aum Moviez reveals, “Salman Khan is back with his larger-than-life movies and, with Jai Ho, he reaches out to the aam admi with a different approach. The film has opened to 65 per cent and we are expecting business to grow. Word-of-mouth is very positive and hence it is going to be a sure-shot super-hit.”

    Bh Basha of Bahar Entertainment concludes, “The film has opened to 80-per cent occupancy in most centres in Mysore. It will continue to gain momentum during the day. Salman Khan is back with a film that appeals to his audience in a grand way.”

  • Just coming back from jai ho. Film is not bad. Starting 15 mins was a big bore but after that film turned out to be an okay film with an impossible message. Action sequences are the highlight of the film. Normally I tend to get away with action scenes but for first time I waited for an action scenes to come
    Salman khan is good in the movie. Salman is as convincing as Sunny deol in Gadar when he confronts countless goons. Salman is always good in serious roles be it karan arjun, garv or Veergathi. Even die hard haters would like Salman’s performance in the movie. Salman is indeed a king of masses.
    Overall Jai ho is an okay movie filled with many great scenes and many boring scenes as well. Film could do great in single screens but i guess multiplex audience won’t like the movie much

  • Never expect this movie to cross 200 crores..It will end up with 130 crores like almost all salman movies ends… The biggest reason why it won’t cross 200crores is 1) non holiday 2) remake movie so no collections from south. 3) very bad fatty heroine4) very bad songs

  • just came back watching jai ho.. its awesome.. even the haters will love this movie.. outstanding.. just one advice to salman khan stop doing charity work n casting heroines like daisy shah.. not good looking at all n not so good acting either.. i can bet she will never get a movie after this with anybody

  • jai ho rated 4.5 by taran adrash no offence to salman but it deserve 2.5 or 3
    really he is such blind kind of critics let me show you some movies rated by him
    1:chak di india(one of the best bollywood movies and meaningfull movie)=2stars
    2:Swades(one of the best bollywood movies and meaningfull)=1.5stars
    3:rab ni banadi jodi(one of the best masala movies and meaningfull)=2stars
    4:Dev d(one of the best)=1star
    5:Rang di basanti(one of the best&meaningfull)=2
    6:dil chahta hai(one of the best)=2
    7:Life in a metro(one of the best and meaningfull)=2.5
    8:Black(one of the best&meaningfull)=2
    and now check reviews of these movies
    1:kabhi alvida na kehna(average)=4.5
    2:jai ho(average)=4.5
    3:chennai express(average)=4
    4:singh is king(crap)=4
    5:Welcome(average)=4
    6:karzz(one of the worst bollywood movies)=4
    7:Toda pyare toda magic(average)=3.5
    8:heyy baby(average)=4
    he thinks that movies should have only entertaiment not logic Like @navin
    Only two movies he have rated well which deserve which i have seen from him are
    my name is khan(average rating from all critics are 3.75/5)=4.5
    3idiots(Average rating from all critics are 3.69/5)=4.5

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