Jee Karda review: An overdramatic, unnecessarily dated friendship drama with a sprinkling of nice music

A show on the complexities of modern life, exploring the dark side of the characters' bright world and finding what they really are and want in their lives, is something that we have seen multiple times. Amazon Prime's new show, Jee Karda, falls into this category. The eight-episode series is set in the city of dreams, Mumbai, where no one has time to dream, actually, and everyone is just chasing the clock. It tells the complex story of seven school friends who are in their 30s now and are facing challenges in their respective lives that they all were warned about years ago.

What's the show all about?

The series starts off with a group of seven children at a Christmas carnival at their school, where one of the pals suggests visiting the stall of a magician, who is also a face reader. The friends receive shocking predictions from the magician, who warns the group about things they should keep away from in future. The frame cuts, and now all of them are grown up and in their 30s at one of their friends, Sheetal's third wedding anniversary. Making the most of the moment, Rishab (Suhail Nayyar) proposes to his school girlfriend Lavanya (Tamannaah Bhatia).  

The wedding preparations of Lavanya and Rishab kick-off and is the pole of the show around which the whole story revolves. 

The other focus of the show is rock star AG the OG. Played by Aashim Gulati, Arjun is a Punjabi rockstar and enjoys a massive fan following. His only family is his friends and a single mother (Dolly Ahluwalia). While these three (Rishab, Lavanya, and AG) are the primary focus of the show, in between, the show also touches upon other characters, their fights, struggles, and hardships that they are going through in their respective lives. 

Sheetal (Samvedna Suwalka), who is a NIFT gold medalist and a top-class designer, is fighting to get a space for herself and her husband in the 2BHK apartment, where she's living with her in-laws and husband Sameer (Malhar Thakar). The other is Preet (Anya Singh), a stunning counsellor who is struggling to find an ideal mate for herself. Next on the list is Melroy (Sayan Banerjee), an openly gay man who is fighting with society's homophobic thought process and a toxic relationship. And the last one is Shahid, the underprivileged kid and one of the friends who has always been ignored.

While everything seems perfect in their lives, somewhere inside everyone is going through their own complexities, guilt, and confusion and the show keeps unravelling the stories.

What works and what does not?

The show doesn't have much to offer, and neither does it give a very strong message on friendship. The show catches your interest right away, but it fails to maintain the flow. Co-written by Arunima Sharma, Abbas Dalal, and Hussain Dalal, the story runs back and forth to give the audience a grasp of the individuals' past lives and help them relate to their current scenarios. As you get involved in the show, you might not be able to understand what's happening and where is the story heading.

In between, it seems like the writers and director got confused when it came to choosing the character they were going to explore. While the stories of Lavu, AG, and Shahid took all the focus, the other characters were left unexplored. For instance, Shahid, in the group of privileged and affluent kids, is the one who has always been ignored. He's an ordinary teacher and is living the most troubled life. His character had a good scope in the story.

The show deals with modern life's complications, relationship issues, childhood traumas, and everything in between, but there is something missing that makes the show incomplete.

The cast of the show

The performance of each character in the show is commendable. Tamannaah Bhati as Lavu is the highlight of the show, and she plays the character of the bossy girl with aplomb. Aashim Gulati, who has been in the headlines for his role as Salim in Taj: The Reign of Revenge, has again proven his acting talent as the hip-hop star. His character is entertaining and gripping, and wins every frame he's in. Other actors - Suhail Nayyar, Anya Singh, Samvedna Suwalka, Malhar Thakar, Sayan Banerjee, and Hussain Dalal - have done a decent job.

Sachin-Jigar's music brings modern and quirky charm to the show and sets the vibe of the series in the perfect way. All in all, Jee Karda is the type of show that ends on an annoying note with the question, "What's the motto behind this show?" 

Final verdict - The urban life set-up, peppy music, and cast make the show look good, but the script takes away all the fun.

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