Hostage/Refugee rescue dramas have delivered some of the most compelling cinema ever seen on screen. Be it the cult classic "Schindler's List (1993)" or the Oscar winning "Argo (2012)" or the Korean classic "Escape from Mogadishu (2021)" or if you were to take Indian examples, "Airlift (2016)" and "Take Off (2017)", perilous journeys of humans escaping persecution, especially when based on true events, instantly strikes a chord with audiences. "Jogi" starring Diljith Dosanjh had all the right elements for a compelling drama, being based on the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots, but stops short of greatness due to a bungled final act.
Diljith Dosanjh stars as the titular "Jogi" a simple government servant in Trilokhpuri, Delhi who gets swept into the carnage unleashed by Congress workers in 1984, in retaliation for Indira Gandhi being gunned down by her Sikh bodyguards in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The horror and human suffering of the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots are shown in intricate detail by director Ali Abbas Zafar and Dosanjh is especially terrific in the emotional sequences, playing the pain and helplessness of a man caught between grieving for his dead relatives and still duty-bound to rescue what is remaining of his family.
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Kumud Mishra are such seasoned performers that you are used to them turning in pitch-perfect performances and play able foil to a towering Dosanjh lead performance. The perilous journey the refugees embark on is displayed with elan, with the background score and crisp editing playing no small part in building up the nerves, as you are completely sold into their predicaments and plight.
Director Zafar has given us both era-defining triumphs like "Sultan (2016)" and damp squibs like "Bharat (2019)" and Jogi ends up being somewhere in the middle. A trite and tedious romantic back story, inserted at the fag end of the narrative when you expect the suspense and intrigue to hit fever pitch, creates a jarring effect on what was otherwise a superlative storyline. "Jogi" ends up being a case of what could have been, with the contrived final act spoiling a compelling story that deserved to be told and a Diljit Dosanjh performance for the ages. Watch it for the Diljit performance! The film is now streaming on Netflix!
Diljith Dosanjh stars as the titular "Jogi" a simple government servant in Trilokhpuri, Delhi who gets swept into the carnage unleashed by Congress workers in 1984, in retaliation for Indira Gandhi being gunned down by her Sikh bodyguards in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The horror and human suffering of the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots are shown in intricate detail by director Ali Abbas Zafar and Dosanjh is especially terrific in the emotional sequences, playing the pain and helplessness of a man caught between grieving for his dead relatives and still duty-bound to rescue what is remaining of his family.
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Kumud Mishra are such seasoned performers that you are used to them turning in pitch-perfect performances and play able foil to a towering Dosanjh lead performance. The perilous journey the refugees embark on is displayed with elan, with the background score and crisp editing playing no small part in building up the nerves, as you are completely sold into their predicaments and plight.
Director Zafar has given us both era-defining triumphs like "Sultan (2016)" and damp squibs like "Bharat (2019)" and Jogi ends up being somewhere in the middle. A trite and tedious romantic back story, inserted at the fag end of the narrative when you expect the suspense and intrigue to hit fever pitch, creates a jarring effect on what was otherwise a superlative storyline. "Jogi" ends up being a case of what could have been, with the contrived final act spoiling a compelling story that deserved to be told and a Diljit Dosanjh performance for the ages. Watch it for the Diljit performance! The film is now streaming on Netflix!