Rating:
3.5/5
Star
Cast:
Vidya
Balan,
Ali
Fazal,
Arjan
Bajwa,
Supriya
Pathak,
Anupriya
Director:
Samar
Shaikh
As
a
detective
comedy-drama
Bobby
Jasoos
is
filled
with
furtive
delights
and
the
ambivalent
aromas
of
a
city
and
a
heroine
who
never
sleeps.
If
the
truth
be
told,
and
it's
the
truth
that
our
endearing
Hyderabadi
Nancy
Drew
is
drawn
to,
there
are
two
heroes
in
Bobby
Jasoos.
One,
of
course,
is
Vidya
Balan
and
the
other
more
surprising
hero
is
the
city
of
Hyderabad.
You
can
almost
feel
the
unrehearsed
jostle
of
a
city
always
in
a
celebratory
mood,
the
colours
and
gaiety,
and
yes,
the
biryani.
Oh
yes,
there
is
a
whole
mouth-watering
section
devoted
to
biryani
where
our
lady
snoop
takes
her
extended
family
hand-in-hand
on
an
eating
expedition.
So
may
we
add
another
hero,
cinematographer
Vishal
Sinha
to
the
ravishing
roster
of
achievers
in
this
film
about
a
female
under-achiever,
Vidya
trying
to
impress
her
father
into
finally
giving
her
some
desperately-needed
attention
and
affection.
Vishal
captures
the
bustle,
jostle,
aromas
and
attitudes
of
Hyderabad
with
the
same
affection
of
a
non-tourist
as
he
did
when
he
shoot
Raanjhanaa
and
Issaq
in
Varanasi.
You
can
almost
touch
the
city's
skyline
and
then
willingly
dive
right
into
our
heroine's
over-whelmed
heart,
as
it
searches
for
all
sorts
of
clues
for
what
humans
do
to
and
in
a
city
mired
in
mystery
and
intrigue.
Debutant
director
Samar
Shaikh
is
as
proficient
in
bringing
us
the
sleepless
city's
endearing
as
well
as
unspeakable
transgressions,
as
he
is
in
showing
Bobby's
home
life.
The
protagonist,
Vidya
Balan's
family
life
is
constructed
with
the
affectionate
diligence
of
a
carefully
built
brick-and-mortar
Taj
Mahal.
In
no
time
at
all,
we
know
every
member
of
Vidya's
filmy
family.
That
they
are
played
by
some
superb
actors,
notably
Tanve
Azmi
(as
a
busybody
match-maker)
and
Rajendra
Gupta
(Vidya's
father),
is
just
such
a
stroke
of
luck
for
this
genre-inventing
Bollywood
entertainer.
Bobby
Jasoos
is
that
colourful
kaleidoscopic
surge
of
vibrant
drama
and
humour,
which
we
tend
to
seek
but
seldom
find
in
our
cinema-viewing
experience.
It's
got
the
kind
of
bouncy
effervescent
energy
that
somehow
eludes
today's
cinema.
Vidya
plays
the
inept
detective
trying
so
hard
to
prove
her
worth
to
self
and
her
dad.
With
her
impeccable
comic
timing,
faultless
dialogue
delivery
and
eyes
that
don't
only
speak
volumes,
they
chant
reams
of
poetry
on
the
hurt
and
healing
process
of
existence.
Vidya
just
nails
her
goofy
free-spirited
character.
This
is
her
best
performance
to
date.
Yes,
even
better
than
Kahaani
and
certainly
far
superior
to
the
over-rated
over-sensationalized
The
Dirty
Picture.
In
the
title
role,
she
sparkles,
shines
and
shimmers
providing
us
with
more
proof
of
her
versatility.
The
mystery
that
surrounds
Bobby's
cryptic
client
Kiran
Kumar's
assigments
for
missing
persons
provides
a
kind
of
conspicuous
backdrop
to
Bobby's
free-wheeling
relationship
with
the
world
at
large.
You
will
carry
home
a
wonderful
father-daughter
love
story
between
Rajendra
Gupta
and
Vidya.
It's
good
to
see
commercial
Hindi
cinema
acknowledging
the
father-child
relationship.
Babby
Jasoos
also
will
leave
you
with
one
of
the
most
heartwarming
romances
in
recent
times.
Bobby's
brittle
relationship
with
a
television
journalist
Tssavur
(Ali
Fazal)
grows
in
the
plot
with
nurtured
natural
niftiness.
Not
for
a
minute
does
the
relationship
appear
unreal
or
manipulated.
There
is
this
lengthy
wonderful
episode
in
a
narrow
lane
between
Bobby
and
Tassavur
where
they
discover
their
true
feelings
for
one
another.
This
is
the
kind
of
romantic
writing
that
cinema
today
sorely
misses.
And
when
was
the
last
time
we
heard
the
Santoor
playing
in
the
background
in
a
romantic
sequence?
Slow
clap
for
Shantanu
Moitra's
thoughtful
dreamy
and
fluent
background
music.
That
Vidya
is
partnered
on
screen
by
the
striking
Ali
just
gives
dizzying
spin
to
the
narrative.
Though
the
film
belongs
to
Vidya,
Ali
makes
his
own
space
and
owns
his
part
with
pride
and
confidence.
Make
no
mistake
-
he
is
star
material,
probably
Vidya's
most
confident
co-star
to
date.
Bobby
Jasoos
works
so
well
because
it
creates
a
unique
yet
relatable
world
for
its
female
hero
without
making
her
seem
super-vulnerable.
Bobby
in
her
salwar-kameez,
sneakers
and
various
super
disguises,
is
a
fearless,
unabashed
bundle
of
bumbling
energy.
Her
infectious
gusto
and
irresistible
joie
de
vivre
envelope
this
biryani-flavoured
Hyderbadi
delight
of
a
film.
Like
Vidya's
multiple
disguises,
the
film's
ability
to
surprise
never
flags.
If
Bobby
revels
in
a
sense
of
adventure,
then
the
narration
doesn't
lag
behind.
You
can
find
flaws
in
Bobby
Jasoos,
but
you
won't
hold
them
against
the
film.
That's
a
guarantee.