Review: 'Jee Karda' will get you to instantly call your friends, get together & mend anything that is broken

Jee Karda

Pyaar dosti hai - A line that was immortalised by the iconic film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Now more than two decades later, Amazon Prime Video's latest series, Jee Karda takes this one line in the centre and goes above, beyond, under, over and literally everywhere. Seven childhood friends who have stood each other through the thick and thin and each of them having their own story to deal with - Jee Karda explores it all. Having had the chance to see the entire series beforehand, here is what I thought about it-

The Friendship & Chemistry

The biggest winner for Jee Karda is indeed the infectious on-screen friendship and chemistry that all these seven actors are able to portray. It might seem rather simple in essence but being normal and relatable is the toughest thing to crack because there is always room to become 'wannabe.' However, to the entire ensemble's credit, their terrific performances and seemingly genuine friendship transpires really well on-screen. 

Right from Tamannaah Bhatia to Suhail Nayyar to Samvedna Suwalka to Saayan Banerjee to Anya Singh to Hussain Dalal to Aashim Gulati - everyone is spot-on. Their love, friendship, fights, bickering, young slangs and so on never seem forced or juvenile. If not for anything else, Jee Karda is a great watch to see how actors, who probably never knew each other earlier managed to get together and seem like they knew each other from ages.

Incorporating Too Much

It has been a constant trend lately where some web shows have been trying to blend the idea of it being a family watch but also taking up a bold subject which might not be possible otherwise (Maja Ma for instance). Jee Karda isn't a family watch in essence at all but is still the light and breezy watch you want to be enjoying at your perusal. Amidst the love, fun and frolic, Jee Karda then ventures into some dark places.

Right from queer romance, child abuse, infidelity, parameters of being modern and so much more is taken into notice here. While this is always applaudable but it also becomes a classic case of biting off more than one can chew. Some of these factors are explored rather intricately and with sensitivity but some of them are only able to scratch the surface owing to giving justice to other parallel points going on.

The Relatability & Cliffhanger

Owing to the increased used of cliffhangers by web shows for the sake of it, the idea of any show having a cliffhanger isn't exciting anymore. Fortunately, Jee Karda manages to present a riveting cliffhanger right as the end credits of the finale episode were rolling. It isn't forced and instead has you immediately wanting to know what happens next.

Yet another point that works immensely in Jee Karda's favor is relatability. As mentioned, the slangs, dialogues, a few songs and some breathtaking situations are expertly woven and performed to keep the relatability factor at its peak. There isn't a single storyline that you don't connect with even though you will have a preference over one more than the other. My special mention to Anya Singh and Samwedna Suvalka for two opposite reasons - Singh for just managing to exhibit the perfect way to use abbreviations, slangs and youth lingo and never being annoying and Suvalka for operating her storyline of Sheetal with utmost sensitivity and subtlety.

The Verdict

Jee Karda is just the kind of a watch that doesn't entirely have you prepared to the places it might be going but when it does, it satisfies you more often than not with the drama, love and humor as well. It might just be that show which will make you want to get your group of friends together once again and not only reminisce your times but in fact do it while you are watching the show itself.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)