Jetlee Movie Review: Ritesh Rana has earned a reputation of making total nonsense seem like entertainment and it is that same anarchic nature of Jetlee, to his credit and discredit. Satya, like a man who realizes he has fallen into a movie, runs in the film like a man who knows he has been thrown into a movie. He ends up being the factor that keeps the movie entertaining even when the plot starts getting shaky. The theatre bursts, as a jest comes with so wonderful stupidity, that laughter becomes inevitable.
Then there are times when the motion picture throws punch lines so fast that none of them have sufficient breathing room to effectively land. The whole experience is characterized by that imbalance. Jetlee plays along the fourth wall with bursts of humour that is absurd, with a barely thin storyline struggling to keep the whole mess together.
Satya is by far the most powerful weapon that the film has. This is because the energy is immediately changed the moment he enters. Up to that point the set up is slightly humorous, however, the moment he begins to deal with the strange circumstances that surround him, the movie truly comes into its own. His comic timing is as sharp as a razor, and he knows just how this form of humour is to be presented.
The film makes a point of purposefully breaking its own narrative of mystery in some scenes just in order to insert some comedy bits, and frankly, those stretches felt like home far more than the actual story progression. There comes a moment, when the movie seems to be on the verge of launching into the world of suspense, only to suddenly shift to a gag. Just as that one has settled in comes another joke. The comedic effect is unceasing onslaught.
Other of these jokes are outlandishly funny. There was one moment that I was at a loss of words when it happened in the second half. Sagar, a character, is holding a gun and says, “Sagar my cute mountain red flower.” The context of the line makes absolutely no sense, however, the fact that the line was delivered in complete randomness makes it hilarious. This scene is a perfect reflection of the movie. It is perfect when the humour clicks.
The fourth wall breaking bits also passed excellently effectively with me. Satya repeatedly admits the idiocy of the screenplay itself, and in some instances he almost feels like he is arguing with the very fabric of the screenplay. A scene in which he is easily ready to give up and tell him everything directly became one of my favourite stretches in the movie. That self conscious writing is all over the film bearing the signature of Ritesh Rana. Even the spoof references are organically incorporated. Movies such as Agnyaathavaasi and Saaho have playful back references that do not seem forced into the story.
Meanwhile, the movie is plagued with overindulgence. The jests are never ending. A new gag is delivered every several seconds, a new punchline is delivered every several seconds, a new exaggerated reaction shot cuts in. Due to that irresistible walking, a lot of jokes do not breathe. The screenplay is so frightened of silence. Of all the jokes, perhaps four or five actually hit me. The remainder fly by before they have a chance to register properly. The comedy eventually turns out to be tiresome as the film does not even take time to allow the moments to pass.
The biggest problem though is the very storytelling. When the second half starts showing the storyline, it is clear that the real story is only a bit thick. The movie is fundamentally constructed upon a paper thin plot stretched out by improvisations in comedy and the odd behaviour of the characters. Usually, that would not be an issue to me since pure entertainers can solely survive on humour. But here the tonal effects are clumsy. The film at one point informs us that everything should not be taken seriously as it is a comedy. The following instance it abruptly requires emotional investment or strain. A few seconds later it is swung back to the parody once more. The fact that there is a continuous change of identity creates an identity crisis which diminishes the total effect.
The repetitive blind gag between Vennela Kishore and Satya is a perfect depiction of this issue. To begin with, the joke is humorous. The initial few payoffs really worked out with me. However the movie continues to push the joke long beyond its reasonable limit. I eventually ceased to laugh and began to question what the character could possibly be doing to be that much in the dark after all the events taking place around him. The tonal imbalance is more pronounced when the same character is suddenly taken seriously to the climax by the screenplay, which immediately becomes even more obvious.
Nevertheless, with all these shortcomings, it is evident that a lot of effort has been put into the film. Jetlee never feels comfortable or secure. Ritesh Rana is always trying out structure, humour and character dynamics. When the jokes go wrong, one can see the ambition that goes into the jokes. The effort of writing is evident in nearly all scenes.
The film, technically, is good but not something to marvel at. The production design is of crucial importance since most of the story is set on the inside of a flight. Unluckily, the financial restrictions are rather apparent. A lot of it appears artificial and the flight interiors often appear as constructed sets as opposed to realistic space. Nevertheless, the fact that the team tried to create a contained comic thriller with these limitations deserves praise, however.
Kaala Bhairava gave an effective soundtrack that enables the film to move forward. It might not be a great piece of music, but it fits the offbeat sound rather well. The background music in a few scenes adds to the insanity and preserves the same chaotic atmosphere that is familiar with the filmmaking style of Ritesh Rana.
On the performances, Satya is in the film practically single-handedly. He puts whatever emotional charge the movie has and lifts scenes that, otherwise, might have fallen to the ground. Unfortunately, however, the heroine leaves very little impression as the writing surrounding her character seems underdeveloped. Other characters other than Satya are functional and not memorable.
Finally, Jetlee amused me, at least not as a steady stream of amusement to become a memorable comedy. I laughed a lot during the scenes of Satya, the fourth wall is broken and the ridiculous one liners. However, the stuffed screenplay, the poor grounding of the story, and the bewildered tonal changes do not allow the movie to become a complete satisfaction. It is not the one that fully crashes but it is neither the one that fully takes off either.
I would rate Jetlee 2.75/5.