REVIEW: Manoj Bajpayee's Jugaad

Manoj Bajpayee is a brilliant actor. It's not that he's incapable of carrying through a solo hero film (eg Shool) but not when it looks like Jugaad. The film like its title, looks like it was made by some sort of 'jugaad' – a tattered film held together with a stitch her and there.

Based on a real life story, Jugaad could have made for a good piece of cinema. But with unreal song and dance sequences and vulgar item numbers, the thought or story is spoiled beyond repair.

What's the story?

On similar lines of the successful Dibakar Bannerjee debut film, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Jugaad is a story of a Delhi advertising agency owner Sandiip Kapoor played by Manoj Bajpayee (notice the fashionable double 'i' in the character's name) who gets affected by the Delhi land ceiling act that happened some two years back. His office gets sealed by mistake. And the story unfolds with him, his friends, co-workers and wife trying to cope with the circumstances.

Why Jugaad?

After losing his workplace, Sandiip is in deep trouble. This is when Bakshi Jugaadu (Sanjay Mishra) comes into the picture. He does some 'jugaad' and gets a new office for him. The audience, if they were not really aware of what jugaad meant, will by this time have a fair understanding of the same.

Jugaad VS 'Karm and Kismat' (Work and Luck)

Sandiip's good friend and VP of the ad agency, Murali (Vijay Raaz) gets influenced by the idea of 'jugaad'. He realises that to get certain things done in a city like Delhi, Jugaad is possibly the best way. But Sandiip does not think so. He still believes that hard work and a bit of luck can achieve much more.

Vijay Raaz and Sanjay Mishra provide some entertainment

Vijay Raaz is exceptionally good in the first half of the film. And so is Sanjay Mishra as Jugaadu. Their banter is probably the only moments where you will feel like waking up and watching. That is only if you survive the initial five minutes of the film and stick to your seat with superglue. The first two minutes will try to throw you out of the theatre with dialogues like 'Zara Jhuko darling, Jhukogi nahi toh upar kaise uthogi?' and 'Jitna Jhukogi Utna Hi Upar Uthogi'. Well…that's our man Anand Kumar's (the director) idea of humour!

NEXT: Alcohol and coffee in same song?