JAG JEONDEYAN DE MELE LOSES ITS WAY FROM PUNJAB TO VANCOUVER
By R. Paul Dhillon
Georgia Straight
g-jeondeyan-de-mele
Feb 27 2009
Starring Harbhajan Mann, Tulip Joshi, Gurpreet Ghuggi, and Puneet
Issar. Directed by Baljit Singh Deo. In Punjabi with English
subtitles. Rated G. Punjabi movies, with their often unconventional
storytelling, are even more loosey-goosey than song-and-dance-happy
Bollywood films. Jag Jeondeyan De Mele, a locally produced Punjabi
movie, is no exception with this mishmash of a story that stretches
from the villages of Punjab to Vancouver.
Watch the trailer for Jag Jeondeyan De Mele. This tragic tale of doomed
lovers–Abahijot Singh (B.C.-raised Harbhajan Mann), the son of a
wealthy landowner, and Mittro (Tulip Joshi), a "low caste" tribal
girl–is reminiscent of any number of similarly themed Bollywood
films, particularly the memorable Lamhe (Moments) from romance guru
Yash Raj Chopra.
Despite the heavy theme, this is no dissertation on the evils of
India’s caste system, and lacks any meaningful commentary.
The first half shows promise, largely due to the charming and subtle
performance of Joshi, a Gujarati-Armenian Bollywood star making
her Punjabi film debut. Joshi’s Mittro makes you melt every time
she’s on-screen, despite some big holes in the plot and a one-note
performance from Mann.
Veteran actor Puneet Issar also elevates the film as the Singh family
patriarch, who must protect the family honour by barring his son from
marrying outside their caste.
But the second half of the film, largely set in Canada, is a complete
letdown, as the filmmakers lose track of the story and become
preoccupied with product placement.
Music-video director Baljit Singh Deo has a handle on the visuals but
a loose grip on the story, which he loses completely in the second
half with too many unnecessary characters and plots.
Despite the many flaws of Jag Jeondeyan De Mele, lovers of Punjabi
films will find it satisfying, given the good production values. All
they’ll need is a high tolerance for overwrought melodrama (which I,
unfortunately, don’t have).