Jaadugar: A Cinematic Trainwreck that Undermines Love and Empathy in the Modern Age

Jaadugar — currently available on Netflix — misses the mark from the very start. Jitendra Kumar portrays “Meenu” Narang, an unbearable and childish man who mistakenly believes he understands love. Meenu proclaims his affection for someone upon their first encounter. (Gross.) He repeatedly proposes marriage, sometimes only weeks after their initial meeting, while being completely unaware of their surname or even their life aspirations. (What is his deal?) Everything Meenu pursues in life seems aimed at “winning” a woman, not out of genuine affection. Additionally, he expects to be rewarded — like receiving a kiss on the cheek — for merely doing the minimum expected of him. Jaadugar mistakenly interprets Meenu’s actions as deep love. In truth, though, he’s simply creepy.

This highlights a significant flaw in Jaadugar — helmed by Sameer Saxena and penned by Biswapati Sarkar (Permanent Roommates) — where the film consistently takes Meenu’s side. Not only does it rationalize his conduct with women, but it also endorses his mindset and ridicules those who become the target of his laughter. In a seemingly crucial moment, Meenu chastises his uncle for being unsuccessful, essentially pushing him towards suicide. Absurdly, a few moments later, the uncle becomes fodder for a joke. Meenu shows no regard for his football family either. Despite their significant assistance, he is eager to betray them, undermining their chances the very next day. Most glaringly, Meenu exhibits a complete lack of empathy towards the woman he claims to love when she reveals her troubled history.

Jaadugar is not just experienced through Meenu’s perspective; it is entirely his universe and revolves solely around his narrative. Other characters hold little significance. In various aspects, Jaadugar resembles an antiquated Bollywood film filled with overused clichés. (Even Nilotpal Bora’s score seems to borrow from overly sentimental ‘80s films.) It evokes memories of those old Shah Rukh Khan flicks from years gone by, where he chased women endlessly, and the storyline continued to excuse his actions. (On that note, Jaadugar’s length is 166 minutes.) Such portrayals may have seemed harmless back then, but it’s apparent to many of us now that they contributed to a culture of harassment. The very existence of Jaadugar feels like a reflection of reality mirroring fiction. This new Indian Netflix film feels outdated, poorly conceived, and profoundly flawed. It’s nothing short of a disgraceful artifact.

Also seeEverything You Need to Know About Jaadugar

Meenu’s narrative unfolds in Neemuch, a small town in Madhya Pradesh that is zealously passionate about football, located close to the Rajasthan border. Though football is in Meenu’s lineage — his father was an excellent goalkeeper — he has no interest in the sport. Instead, he aspires to be a magician, a jaadugar. He even despises football for it led to the loss of both his parents. (Yet, that doesn’t deter him from trying to impress his girlfriends.) Since his father’s demise, his uncle Pradeep Narang (Jaaved Jaaferi) has been striving to fulfill his late brother’s dream of winning Neemuch’s inter-neighbourhood football tournament. Unfortunately, Pradeep is coaching a hilariously dysfunctional team. The goalkeeper is inept with his left hand, one player is solely focused on their image, and another is preoccupied with their musical ambitions.

Naturally, Meenu offers no assistance. He is too busy pursuing the new female doctor in town, Dr. Disha Chhabra (Arushi Sharma). He persists despite her repeated statements of disinterest. Less than a month after first encountering Disha, he appears at her house with an elephant and a marriage proposal. It’s both ridiculous and comical. Disha ultimately informs him that she will only marry with her father’s approval. As if Jaadugar wasn’t ludicrous enough, Disha’s father tasks Meenu with an impossible challenge: to win the football tournament. This shift sparks a change in Meenu. He uncovers a remarkable new player for the team, enlists Disha’s help to create a more effective training regimen, and even showcases a few of his magic tricks.

Nevertheless, the emphasis never truly diverts from Meenu and his efforts to “win” Disha. Despite the lengthy runtime that could compete with The Godfather — only nine minutes shorter than this dreadful Netflix movie — Jaadugar fails to flesh out any of the supporting characters that compose Coach Pradeep’s football squad. Most serve merely as comic relief, which accounts for their exaggerated “quirks.” In some instances, these traits cross into problematic territory. For example, Jaaferi’s character is portrayed with a stutter. Coupled with his depiction as weak and unsuccessful, this sends an irresponsible message suggesting that those with speech impairments cannot achieve success.

Also seeJaadugar, Resident Evil, The Gray Man, and More on Netflix in July

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Arushi Sharma as Dr. Disha Chhabra in Jaadugar
Photo Credit: Netflix

There are additional troubling aspects elsewhere. During the climax match, the opposing team resorts to verbal sexual harassment, a man “defends” a woman by retaliating violently, and this situation is never revisited. This merely serves as a plot device to advance the football storyline. (Speaking of football, Jaadugar displays a lack of understanding of the sport. While I can overlook that in a fantastic series like Ted Lasso, here it simply irked me.) With aimless and intricate twists and turns, Jaadugar edges towards self-parody at times, culminating in outright parody during its final moments.

Throughout, Meenu frequently comes close to gaslighting Disha, betrays his team for love, and fails to acknowledge the support he receives from others. Nevertheless, he emerges as the “winner” by the conclusion of Jaadugar, even earning endorsement from the woman’s father. This occurs despite his lack of any character development throughout the exhausting viewing experience. Jaadugar sets the stage with the concept that Meenu doesn’t grasp love, yet after two and a half hours, he remains — inexplicably — unchanged. He learns nothing throughout the film. The continued production of such originals by Netflix India of this caliber suggests they haven’t learned anything either.

Can someone wave a wand and make this film vanish? Thank you.

Jaadugar premiered Friday, July 15 at 12:30 PM IST on Netflix globally.