Gopal and Anusuya have three children, two children-in-law, and four grandchildren, all of whom gather at the majestic family home in the mountains—initially preparing for Anusuya’s death, but then rejoicing at her sudden regaining of consciousness. It is, against all odds, a cheery household, unaware as they all remain of the grandparents’ private agony.
The only track here that works well is that of Anusuya and Gopal’s youngest son, Dholu (Abuli Mamaji), who has Down syndrome. He is loved and cherished by the family, and he experiences a surprising turn of events in the film’s second half.
The other two children, Parmesh (Samir Soni) and Sujata (Devyani Ratanpal), and their respective spouses, Farnaaz (Nauheed Cyrusi) and Jignesh (Sunil Palwal), don’t get enough time to properly develop their one-note characters. The conflicts between them and their parents are very wishy-washy, and Shukla makes the unwise decision to introduce a brand new upheaval in the film’s final ten minutes.
As a result, Jab Khuli Kitaab, which was already cute and wholesome in its treatment, is rushed into a decidedly twee ending that takes convenient routes to disregard primary plot points.
Both of them put in finely tuned performances and their scenes together are truly a joy, even when they are performing serious disagreements. If Jab Khuli Kitaab remains worth watching, it’s because of Kapadia and Kapur.
The film releases on Zee 5 on 6 March.
(Sahir Avik D’souza is a writer based in Mumbai. His work has been published by Film Companion, TimeOut, The Indian Express and EPW. He is an editorial assistant at Marg magazine.)
