Director Hitesh Rajpurohit and Aditya Kamle’s latest short film, Jaan-E-Jahaan, is a defiant love story, produced by Vivek Bhadra, Blackeye Entertainment LLP. It features actor Raghav Diwan (Raghav) and actress Dhwani Pawar (Gunja) as lovers fighting the relationships their families forced them into and trying to be with each other. It is compelling to see. How far will they go?
This captivating tale, written by Vishal Nahar, takes us on a journey of love and madness. The ending, questioned us: Is it really that easy to destroy everyone around us and the humans within? The rustic songs and music in the short film bring us close to the tale. Its rooted dialogues give a pensive touch, and the film does not feel foreign.
It opens as a complex love story set in a small town about Raghav and Gunja, two lovers trying to hide their affair from Gunja’s husband, who works in another city. Gunja is now frightened because she is pregnant with Raghav’s child. The talented actor Abhinav P. Pyati was seen as Gunja’s husband, representing the typical man struggling with a loveless life. When he finds out about Gunja’s affair and her baby, he decides not to leave the city for work anymore.
We experience an interesting equation between Gunja and her husband, where he tries to threaten her life and pressurizes her to abort the child. Gunja warns him of social media backlash and police action if he lifts his hand on her and the baby. Abhinav’s melancholic performance always kept the audience wondering: Is he up to something dangerous?
Their twisted fates take a lethal turn when, later on, Raghav agrees to get married under family pressure. His wife, played by experienced artist Veebha Anand, shoots herself on the wedding night because of her strong love for another man. Here, Raghav panics but soon gathers himself, picks up the gun, and goes to shoot Gunja’s husband. After removing blood stains from her face, Gunja runs away with Raghav.
Raghav leaves his mark with an impactful performance. He portrays a man in love, chained by society’s norms. And when he gets a chance to break those chains, he transforms into a toxic, murderous lover. He is shocked to see his wife shooting herself. After those few seconds of panic and confusion, He decides not to call the police, but rather he picks up the gun and shoots Gunja’s husband. Here, we witness the dark shades of humanity when innocence leaves his soul.
The last lines of Raghav in the short film, “Jahaan tak ye rasta leta jayega, jaate jayenge,” stick in our heads. He does not regret an ounce. Now that he has taken this dark road, he won’t be hesitant to do anything, no matter the consequences. Raghav Diwan’s captivating performance keeps the audience hooked throughout the film.
This gripping story portrays how boundaries cease to exist for sinister lovers. There are no limits to what they can do or become to be with each other. It is always fascinating to see them breaking constraints and losing innocence. And questioning: Is there an end to this madness?
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