JL50

Is a sci-fi mystery that revolves around a plane crash and time travel.

Cast- Abhay Deol, Rajesh Sharma, Pankaj Kapur, Ritika Anand

Director/ Writer – Shailendra Vyas

Plot

When CBI team of Shantanu (Abhay) and Gaurango (Rajesh Sharma) start investigating a plane crash, they discover a baffling fact that the crashed plane had flown from Calcutta 35 years ago and went missing! All the evidences and the facts given by survivor pilot (Ritika Anand as Bihu Ghosh) point towards a time travel theory. There’s a Prof Das (Pankaj Kapur) who seems to know something about that plane. There’s another survivor who was found in the cockpit but isn’t the co-pilot. Shantanu has to travel “a really long way” to join the dots and get to the truth!

Analysis

The mystery angle, the central premise of time travel and the story setting was a superb idea with a novelty value. The trailer looked damn intriguing and so is the build up to the story. The locations of Lava and Kolkatta have been captured well to add character and feel to the story. The cast was also a  supreme advantage.

But it’s a pity that the makers were unable to capitalise on the potential. The screenplay is a letdown. Some inconsistencies, scenes, dialogues get noticed for not the right reasons (not mentioning to avoid spoilers).

When the story was supposed to get taut /pick momentum, it seems to find it difficult to change gears. Abhay and Pankaj Kapur try hard but look sand bagged by the script.

Piyush Mishra’s character and the way it pans out is perhaps the worst part. He is over the top, cliched and in fact bizarre if I may say so. Being his ardent fan, I am really pained. 

Recommendation

Despite its flaws, there’s something about the series that is worth a watch. The sci-fi genre, the time travel concept, the intrigue factor, mystery quotient, the predominant Kolkatta frames and Abhay Deol, being reasons enough. It’s OTT after all! It is a good short one time watch even if not awesome!