Jubilee Review: The film industry of yore is quite an interesting subject to present. It has everything - drama, suspense, mystery, romance, deceit, betrayal and more. Jubilee thus manages to take advantage of all that and more. Jubliee will stream in two parts. This review is based on the first five episodes of part one. Jubilee: Vikramaditya Motwane’s Period Drama About the Birth of Bollywood for Amazon Stars Prosenjit Chatterjee, Aditi Rao Hydari, Aparshakti Khurana.

Srikant Roy (Prosenjit Chatterjee) is the co-owner of Roy Talkies along with his wife Sumitra (Aditi Rao Hydari). He believes in making stars out of people and while his wife takes care of the finances. The one who was close to benefitting from Roy's penchant to create stars is Jamshed Khan (Nandish Singh Sandhu). But the greed and desperation to become an actor make Roy's assistant Binod (Aparshakti Khurana) do the unthinkable. Although Binod gets what he wants, he continues to be Roy's sidekick despite being a superstar. Even when he tries to stray by promising to be part of budding director Jay Khanna's (Sidhant Gupta) film, he is bound by his own misdeeds.

First and foremost, I really want to commend the person who came up with the idea of the starting credits. It's the same black and white mould that we see in the movies of the 40s and 50s. That sets the tone right from the first frame. It also gives you the whole Himanshu Rai-Devika Rani vibe with major tweaks to the tales we read online.

Jubilee has one of the finest executions in recent times. Although there are a few hiccups, the narrative structure is quite smooth and doesn't have too many bumps. A few of the characters are deftly written. Wamiqa Gabbi's Nilofer very easily breaks all the stereotypes associated with female characters that fall in the courtesan mould.  She never hides what she is and the means she is using to become an actress. She may not be proud of it but she isn't broken because of it. Sidhant's Jay easily becomes an outsider talent you want to see succeed in the industry. It helps that his character sometimes likens to Raj Kapoor's mannerisms in a few of his movies.

Jubilee also bares, perhaps unintentionally, how the partition impacted people in India. There's one tribe who is actually at the centre of the storm losing everything from their homes to their existence and then there are the others, who managed to stay unscathed and unbothered. It's a subtle theme that many might overlook but it does make you wonder how a country as vast as India insulates its own people from its troubles.

But Jubilee does have a few flaws. Binod's quest to be an actor by hook or crook is vaguely described. It's not compelling enough for you to feel the shock when he commits the crime or becomes the star he wanted to be. The trailer made you believe this is a story of an ordinary-looking man's rise to superstardom but it ingests so many other tropes that you don't know what is the actual purpose here. Are they trying to tell a story of the Hindi film industry's struggle to survive and thrive in Independent India or project a story of a man's desperation to be a star? The intent is confusing. Jubilee: Aditi Rao Hydari’s Look As Superstar Sumitra Kumari Unveiled; Vikramaditya Motwane’s Series to Premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 7 (View Poster).

Watch the trailer of Jubilee

Performances are the biggest asset of the show. Prosenjit Chatterjee fits the role of the owner of a talkie perfectly. He is smart, chic, elegant, manipulative and extremely creative. Aditi Rao Hydari finally gets a role in a series that gives her a lot of agency. While it could have been awarded more screen time, Hydari is absolutely fantastic. She is scheming but keeps it graceful, poised and nuanced. After all, she is the reigning superstar! Ram Kapoor as a crude financier is simply outstanding. He repulses you in the start but rises up to the occasion when needed. Sidhant Gupta is definitely the surprise package here. His Jay is sincere and optimistic in the face of so many adversities. Wamiqa Gabbi is natural and deserves more screen time.

Yay!

-not a flashy series on movie industry

-Impressive starting credit roll

-a few character sketches

-smart weaving of political changes in the story without making a statement of any kind.

Nay!

-loses purpose after a while

- Binod's quest patchily written

Final Thoughts

Very rarely does a series or any content for that matter inspire you to Google and know more about the story it takes inspiration from. Jubilee does that! You would want to learn more about the Hindi movie industry's history. This I think will do a great service in the interest of this defaced industry in the present times. Jubilee streams on Amazon Prime Video.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 07, 2023 12:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).