Janhvi Kapoor is almost shoulder-high. Good luck, Jerry, but you’ll always have the feeling that something isn’t quite right. Here’s our verdict.
Janhvi Kapoor leads the cast.
Bollywood and middle-class family stories are mostly successful. Janhvi Kapoor’s film revolves around an unmarried sister, a parent or parents in need of immediate medical attention, poverty, and that paiso ke liye kuch bhi attitude. Jerry is all about good luck. The ingredients in this OTT release are nearly identical, with the exception of the process.
Janhvi Kapoor plays a girl from a lower-middle-class family, and her acting is far superior to her Bihari accent. But after a few hits, misses, and pauses, you get used to it. Janhvi, aka Jerry, works at a massage parlour but is forced to become a drug courier after her mother (Mita Vashisht) is diagnosed with Stage 2 lung cancer.
Jerry then dons her invisible Superwoman cape and delivers narcotics like butter – sometimes in her tiffin ka dabba, sometimes in mom steamers. Why is butter used? Because the cops let her go because she appeared to be innocent. However, her world changes when the police receive a tip, and the action begins.
Throughout the film, Janhvi wears simple salwar suits. We are used to seeing Janhvi all poised and proper, even for her gym classes, so getting used to a basic Janhvi will take some time. But that’s not the worst of it. Not yet.
The first half of the film is spent setting the scene and introducing unnecessary characters. For example, there’s a man who makes three or four appearances in the film and is always dressed as a dulha to marry Jerry. But why is that You’ll never find out.
When it comes to performances, Janhvi Kapoor in Dhadak and Janhvi Kapoor in Good Luck Jerry are a visual report card of her progress thus far. And, yes, there is a distinction. Janhvi carries this film on her shoulders, and we are quite impressed. We have to think about her want tobe Bihari accent, but it’s not all that bad.
another attraction of the film is Deepak Dobriyal. What a performer! His accent and comedic timing were the icing on the cake for Good Luck Jerry. He’s the last-minute secret ingredient your mother adds to a dish to elevate it to delicacy status.
Sushant Singh plays a bad guy who is only seen on the phone threatening Jerry with everything, but kudos to his performance. We love how Bollywood always focuses on the antagonist rather than the protagonist.
The second half of the film is more about action. Jerry is in her full glory as she tricks the goons, the police and anyone else who comes in her way. It does look interesting but forced, as if director Sidharth Sengupta deliberately added it for that last-moment effect.
We only have one question: what did Jerry hope to achieve, money, freedom, or liberation? This needed to be clarified. As the film progresses, you will encounter bizarre plots. As they embark on a mission to bust a drug ring, a gang of goons exclaims, “Humne police ko chaaro taraf se gher liya hain.”
When Singham and Simmba are taking on a hundred gundeys at once, there is also a gang of police who are forced to lay down their weapons by random crooks who watch a helpless girl being tortured by villains like how. If this isn’t implausible, what is?
The good news is, Best of Luck. Jerry doesn’t have many songs. The timing was also nearly perfect. Oh, and did we mention there’s a mini Hungama (2003) moment where goons from various spheres all appear at once? Itne toh film mein bhi nahi.
Overall, best wishes Jerry is a passable watch. If you’ve been doubting Janhvi Kapoor’s acting abilities, this film might just restore your faith in her by an inch. If not, there’s always Deepak and Sushant to fall back on. You know if you know.
Good Luck Jerry receives two stars out of five