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

13 wins & 19 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
Andrew Bicknell	...	Frank
Susan Fordham	...	Party Guest
Neetu Singh	...	Meera's Mother
Julia St John	...	Catherine (Akira's Boss)
Katy Kartwheel	...	Hula Hoop Busker
Atul Sharma	...	Party Guest
Lee Nicholas Harris	...	Builder / Tramp / Police Officer
Lucy Phelps	...	Lynne
Paul Blackwell	...	Police Officer - BTP
Sarika	...	Dr. Zoya Ali Khan

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:

J.T.H.J.

Filming Locations:

Kashmir

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

Many affair rumors began popping up during the making of the film of Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif being together, as they were seen smoking cigarettes together after shooting very frequently. However, Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif shot these down very quickly.

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Goofs

After visiting Meera's mum, Samar brings cups of coffee for Meera and himself. It is evident as Samar throws the cups in both how he his holding them and how they land upside down that both cups were completely empty.

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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 Rainbow (2015)

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Soundtracks

Challa
Sung by Rabbi Shergill
Composed by A.R. Rahman
Lyrics by Sampooran Singh Gulzar

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan

We see Major Samar Anand (Shah Rukh Khan) being the shining star of the Indian Army's bomb disposal unit, clocking almost close to a hundred IED diffusion and doing so in daredevil fashion. Some call him the man without fear, while others coin the term the man who cannot die, because his job is high risk, but he doesn't take the necessary precautions. The routine involves going off for a little quiet time for himself after having stared death in the face, but this time round got rudely interrupted by the vivacious Akira Rai (Anushka Sharma), who is adamant to get a stint with Discovery Channel, and chanced upon Samar's diary of sorts which got left behind.

And this natural flashback provided a look into the Major's past before his army career, being a multiple job holder in London in order to make ends meet, from shoveling of snow to the waiting on tables, to being a fishmonger, and busking in the streets. Fate allows him to meet poor little rich girl Meera (Katrina Kaif), and before you know it, their constant interaction to exchange tips in the learning of languages form the basis of their relationship, even though Meera is engaged to a rich scion. I suppose no girl can resist the charms of a man who can serenade at multiple London landmarks, and dance the way SRK does.

But here's the catch which I thought was an extremely bold move. Religion comes into play, and this takes on proportions and depth of discussions about how some put religion as priority, having empowerment over their lives, that it could sometimes lead to paralysis of sorts. To save Samar's life, Meera makes a pact with her spiritual father, and I suppose only a bet as big as exchanging one's happiness with the life of another, can bring that prayerful wish to fruition. But this causes bitterness in Samar because how can one do battle with Jesus? It's almost impossible, but if this rivalry of one's heart, toward man and toward god, isn't colossus, then I don't know what is.

I suppose what Yash Chopra's story was trying to say, is that without love, or keeping the faith, one's life can get really inward and withdrawn, losing that fun element with all things going really serious, and at times, reckless. Samar goes back to India and fulfills his family lineage of military men, but chooses the riskiest of professions, if only to tempt the higher being at taking his life away, and in such fashion to put a dent in his ex lover's faith. Akira enters the picture, and finds this old fashion love of the previous decade a lot more meaningful than the present throwaway ones that centers around physical love. The second half after the intermission sees the relentless pursuit Akira has for Samar, only for her constant advances to be continuously rejected, because in essence, Samar's heart was locked in on another, and left for dead.

As if that wasn't enough - with how Samar has turned into a Meera even without his knowledge, in shutting people out - Yash Chopra has more up his sleeves when he has to put everyone together, forming tremendous tension especially when throwing in one of the oldest plot elements in the book for a romance, albeit too with one too many hospital stays. It's decision time, and you'll find yourself taking sides as to who Samar should eventually end up with, after having emotionally invested an hour with each heroine. Characterization here is top notch in making everyone of them rich and real, that you'll probably see shades of yourself, or people you may know, in one or more of the leading protagonists.

Shah Rukh Khan once again shows why he's one of the leading men in Bollywood, with his fine all round performance in being a younger man who is full of zeal, hope and life, with the world ahead of him given his hard work, and yet balancing that out with a more sullen, serious look as the hardened military man with a death wish, nursing a broken heart and resigned to the impossibility of challenging god. Between the two leading ladies, it is difficult to pick who actually had an edge over the other, but if it's a personal choice, I'd give my vote to Anushka Sharma if only for her assured portrayal of a bubbly personality who knows what she wants and is a go getter, being in for a challenge when encountered with emotions she has yet to handle, compared to the more indecisive character that Katrina perfectly portrayed, in what would be a classic Yash Chopra model of the unattainable femme fatale responsible for the total breaking of hearts.

Cinematography is great, as you would come to expect from a Yash Raj production, with lush costumes, glossy production and art design, sets and locales being nothing but the best to put you in the mood for love, and love lost or broken. Music by none other than A.R. Rahman also lifts the film into epic greatness, befitting a contemporary love story of our time. If anything, Yash Chopra's parting gift through his films, and this one in particular, is a reminder to keep the faith, that love will come in good time, and to remember to live life, not be afraid of it. A definite must watch backed by all the right reasons.