Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

A woman is made to realize that her prayers and sacrifice to save her boyfriend's life may have led him to a fate worse than death.

Director:

Yash Chopra

Writers:

Aditya Chopra (story and dialogue), Aditya Chopra (screenplay)

Stars:

Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma

15 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Shah Rukh Khan	...	Samar Anand
Katrina Kaif	...	Meera Thapar
Anushka Sharma	...	Akira Rai
Anupam Kher	...	Meera's father
Rishi Kapoor	...	Imran
Sarika	...	Dr. Zoya Ali Khan
Neetu Singh	...	Meera's Mother
Andrew Bicknell	...	Frank
Atul Sharma	...	Party Guest
Julia St John	...	Catherine (Akira's Boss)
Susan Fordham	...	Party Guest
Lee Nicholas Harris	...	Builder / Tramp / Police Officer
Kumud Pant	...	Businessman
Vic Waghorn	...	Party Guest
Steve Box	...	Police Officer - BTP

Storyline

Samar Anand, a hard working young immigrant in the city of London, glimpses upon the love of his life, a gorgeous angelic looking girl, (Katrina Kaif). They meet and their bond blossoms into love with time spent together. Samar however meets with a serious accident, and Meera vows to God she will leave Samar forever if he allowed him to live again, their love affair ends as quickly as it began. Samar angered with God and fueled with his love for Meera, declares War against Him. Samar Anand vows to walk into the jaws of death everyday as a challenge to God to keep him alive. He becomes Major Samar Anand in the Indian Army, a bomb disposal chief, defusing bombs without ever wearing a bomb suit. It is here that Major Samar also known as 'the man who cannot die' meets Akira (Anushka Sharma), a spirited vibrant, 'today's generation' Discovery Channel correspondent with a WTF attitude. Aware of Samar Anand's story, Akira is determined to unravel the mystery of love in this intriguing story,...

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Plot Keywords:

love | army | bomb | indian army | accident | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

13 November 2012 (India)

Also Known As:

As Long As I Live

Filming Locations:

Canary wharf, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$7,217,600 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,435,200 (India), 18 November 2012

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,283,585, 18 November 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,047,539, 23 November 2012

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,524,680, 18 December 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

First Step Productions,Redchillies.VFX,Yash Raj Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

198 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby (Dolby Surround 7.1) DTS Dolby Digital EX (Dolby Surround 7.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In June 2011, Yash Raj Films released a statement announcing a new directorial venture by Yash Chopra coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his Bollywood career.

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Goofs

Samar gets into the Indian army after the age of 25. The Indian army does not hire after the age of 25.

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Quotes

Akira Rai: [Last lines] Samar Anand has diffused 107th bombs without a scratch on his body and right now as we speak he is diffusing his 108th bomb. This is not a story of courage, not a story of miracles, it is just a simple story of love. A undying love that a man had for a woman, an unflinching love that a woman had for a man and an unending faith that God had in their love. I got into this story thinking that this would be my big ticket to Discovery Channel, I am going to discover a story of courage, ...

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits are a montage of director Yash Chopra filming scenes. At the end there is a dedication: "And he lives on... for ever."

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Connections

Referenced in Comedy Nights with Kapil: Deepika, SRK & Rohit Shetty (2013)

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Soundtracks

Jiya Re
Sung by Neeti Mohan and Sofia Asraf
Composed by A.R. Rahman
Lyrics by Sampooran Singh Gulzar

User Reviews

It's a mature old-fashioned love story, told in a young, engaging but slow way.

The film starts off with Yash Chopra's portrait and his own special Jab Tak Hai Jaan poem. And from that moment, you're transported to his magical world to witness his take on love. You see the world from his perspective, and accept anything (whether good or bad) with the most idiotic smile on your face. If you snap out or zone out of that phase, then you probably won't enjoy JTHJ. Otherwise, you're in for the best romantic saga of 2012, where true love is beyond anything, where love defies everything. Yes, even God's will.

The premise of Jab Tak Hai Jaan is simple - almost too common. The framework is similar to Yash Chopra's Veer Zaara - start from present, flashback, 2 lovers, separation for a long time.... then the same questions. Why are they not together? Will they end up together?

It worked for me in Veer Zaara. And it did here as well. If I were to compare, I'd say that Veer Zaara's story had more ''meat'' - and the reason was more compelling and made a bigger impact there. Jab Tak Hai Jaan's twist will meet with a mixed reaction - you'll either approve of it or think it's highly stupid. It will all come down to how you warm up to Meera's character, and agree or disagree with her ideologies. This is another crucial point which determines whether Jab Tak Hai Jaan will work or not for you. And if it doesn't at the interval, then do walk out because you'd certainly not enjoy the second half or the climax.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan works primarily because Yash Chopra manages to make you believe in his vision. As a director, he has that ability to present his storyline in the most innocent, simplistic, convincing way.

The film comes with a fair share of blemishes. The pace & length being the major culprits. In that respect, the editing and screenplay should have been tighter. The writing by Aditya Chopra could have been more imaginative

The love and passion were present, and how. No one does it better than Yash Chopra. And no one portrays it better than Shah Rukh Khan. Lethal combo. I always use this vague term - but Jab Tak Hai Jaan has so much soul and has its heart in the right place. Picturisation and cinematography deserve full marks. Dialogues were simple for most part - and I liked that. There were a few really deep ones which I absolutely loved.

A.R.Rahman's music is apt for the film. It does lack the ''epic'' vibe throughout the film, but then comes the title track at the end, and you're sold.

Shah Rukh Khan, as Samar, was flawless. Every single time. You think he's done it all. You think there won't be any novelty in his approach. And yet he comes and blows you away. The intensity he brings in, and the powerful control of emotions he displays is just brilliant. His outburst scene at the church, is more than enough for me, to declare this as my favourite male performance of the year.

Katrina Kaif went all out for this role, and it's obvious. Her dancing and attitude in Ishq Dance was out of this world!! I take my hat off to you, Kat. And her pole dancing in the tube, major turn on. This was no doubt her best look yet. Acting wise, Katrina does well. It's a sincere performance with many ups and one down. She messes up her breakdown scene before interval -but that aside, she was natural to the core, and this is something she should be proud of.

Anushka Sharma as Akira brings the freshness required to get Samar out of his shell. The chick's energy is infectious - and it's hard not to fall for her character. Her crying scene is one of the most natural ones I've seen so far. Rishi Kapoor & Neetu Singh have a special appearance, but a crucial one. In fact, Pooja (Neetu)'s scene with Meera takes the story forward and those 8 minutes between the four stars were one of the plusses of the film. Rishi is his jolly, flirtatious self, while Neetu has more to play with, and leaves a good impact. Watching Anupam Kher was a delight.

In short, I liked it. While not perfect as a whole, there's nothing to hate as such from Jab Tak Hai Jaan. It's a saga. An almost dreamy one. If you're charmed enough by the premise and the characters, then you'll have a good time.

This will remain the most special film of 2012 - whether you love it, like it or hate it. Go, celebrate Yash Chopra.