Love woven with violent struggle is a favourite among Indian audiences. And SonyLiv’s Jehanabad- Of Love & War offers exactly that. Set in the small town of Jehanabad in Bihar, the 10-episode series follows two individuals who fall for each other amid a Naxalite insurgency. The series tries to give us the best of both worlds, but that’s where it remains.
Mimicking Mirzapur (2018) to an extent, creator Sudhir Mishra capitalises on the small-town crime thriller genre, with the writers adding a tinge of romance. Directors Rajeev Barnwal and Satyanshu Singh create an enticing narrative that doesn’t fall flat, but some characters sure do.
Ritwik Bhowmik plays the role of Abhimanyu Singh, a literature professor who becomes smitten by one of his students, Kasturi Mishra (Harshita Gaur). The show tries to imitate Mirzapur’s gore and strong characters but succeeds only to a certain extent.
The series has a problem giving the stage to its characters. Rajat Kapoor seems promising as Shivanand Singh, a shrewd politician, but he fizzles out soon enough. Satyadeep Mishra, too, only dazzles in the initial episodes. Parambrata Chattopadhyay shines in the role of Deepak Kumar, a Naxalite leader whose reactionary followers are conspiring to get him released from prison. But even he doesn’t get the deserved screen time.
So, while the cast sounds like they have something brilliant to offer, they don’t do justice to their characters. There’s nobody you feel like rooting for or anyone whose journey keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Issues of caste-based violence and discrimination continually prop up, making the story clear but not even close to nail-biting.
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Love blossoms, but not enough
As a literature professor, Abhimanyu opens the show in the first episode with a Pablo Neruda quote on love and revolution, alluding to all that’s to come. And while that subtle commentary seems nice at first, it goes a tad too far. In the following episode, Naxalite leader Deepak Kumar recites another verse to a police officer, which seems off-script.
Credit is due to Harshita Gaur for brilliantly fitting into her role as a rebellious, love-struck college student. Her character is well-written as she primarily takes the love story forward, doing most of the courting in her relationship. She is well supported by her on-screen partner, Ritwik Bhowmik, but there’s not much going for the couple. Their romance comes off as half-baked or even forced at times. Abhimanyu’s character demands a certain stoicism out of him, and it hampers the plot.
But even their love story presents its politics. The usual hurdles get in the way of their love, primarily Kasturi’s mother, who is against their union. But at one point, she awkwardly shapeshifts into an advocate championing their marriage, which appears slightly incoherent.
No room for surprise
The screenplay carefully goes back and forth between romantic scenes and insurgents plotting their leader’s escape. It keeps viewers hooked, trying to figure out when the two plotlines will cross paths. But things become a little predictable when it happens, and there is little room for surprise.
Not all is lost, though. The screenplay has vigour, and the storyline does enrapture the viewer. Even though the characters often stumble, Jehanabad-Of Love and War is not a complete waste of time.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)