Shekhar Suman's beta finally seems to come into his own with this film from the Mahesh Bhatt camp. Jashnn has been well written and competently directed by the duo of Raksha Mistry and Hasnain Hyderabadwala. Actor Adhyayan Suman gets a truly meaty role and revels in it. In fact, it's not just Adhyayan, but the entire young cast of the film, which puts up a convincing show. Jashnn may not be the most original of films, but it manages to touch a chord. The good thing about this film is that it is has an emotional core which rings true. The screenplay is consistent and if it brings back some memories of Rock On! then that is just inevitable. Finally, Mahesh Bhatt's masterly touch can be felt in the volatile and turbulent nature of relationships in the film.
With youth being the buzzword these days, Jashnn already has an edge as it centres around the dream of a young singer wanting to make it big. The writer of the movie, Shagufta Rafique, manages to go ahead and expertly weave in a touching story about relationships as well into the framework of the main plot, which follows Adhyayan's character on his journey to finding his own voice and realizing his dream.
Briefly, the story of Jashnn is about Akash (Adhyayan), a young singer, who is yet to taste success. He is talented and dreams of becoming a great singer one day, but the stark reality is that his sister Nisha (Shahan Goswami) is the one who is struggling to sustain him and his dreams. Nisha takes the drastic step of becoming the mistress of a wealthy businessman Aman Bajaj (Humayun Saeed) so that Akash can have a decent life. Akash's growth as human being and as an artiste really happens once he learns of the sacrifice that his sister has made. It kickstarts his journey to becoming a singer, a journey wrought with perils, the biggest being the trauma of rejection. But even at this juncture of life, when Akash is down and out, he receives help from the sister of his enemy. Sara, the sister of Aman, a man he detests, is the one who helps him to recognize and respect his talent. Of course, the film ends happily enough in the end with Akash touching the pinnacle of success and making it big as a singer.
The film flows well for the most part, but the most interesting and compelling moments remain the first half of the movie where all the conflicts and emotional turmoils are worked into the script. The second half, once Sara and romance makes their entry into Akash's life, seems to sag a little. It seems to lack the emotional intensity of the first half. But the film manages to recover itself soon enough and moves quite well towards its climax, ending quite satisfactorily.
Music is quite integral to the soul of this movie, especially since it is about music. Jashnn's music has a young and different sound, courtesy mainly to the efforts of brothers Toshi and Sharib Sabri. Their music has soul and melody and each number fits perfectly into the scheme of things, besides being a gem in its own right.
The directors of the movie have acquitted themselves well. Of course, they have been helped to a large extend by a well written script and some well written dialogues. However, what really makes Jashnn come alive is its cast of characters, who have all delivered a very good performance.
The most outstanding performance comes from Shahana Goswami, who was one of the discoveries of Rock On! She is a volcano of talent and believes in playing it straight from the heart as she reveals in the emotional scenes. Adhyayan finally seems to come into his own as an actor as he puts in an honest, heartfelt performance in the movie and justifies his choice as the lead protagonist. Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed is perfectly cast and is good. Anjana Sukhani is quite a revelation and handles her role with a lot of maturity.
Jashnn, a film about youth and youthful dreams, works because it has a story to tell and tells it well.
