Some films, in spite of the fact that they have been made with the very best of intentions, go wrong; weak script and unconvincing execution are often to blame in this regard. Salman Khan’s latest release Jai Ho, which has been directed by younger brother Sohail Khan, unfortunately falls in the above-said category. The film attempts to deal with the widespread problem of inequality—between the rich and the poor, or let’s just say between the powerful and the powerless. There is also a social message embedded here; that which posits that those who are in the position of helping others must do so to help create a better world, one in which the common man can make a huge and uncommon difference. 

A remake of the 2006 Telegu hit Stalin—which draws its basic plot premise from the American drama film Pay it Forward (2000)—Salman Khan’s latest box-office offering sees him portraying an ex army officer. Jai Agnihotri has been suspended from military service and works as a motor mechanic who is acutely aware of and troubled by the injustice that prevails in society. Jai comes up with the concept for a ‘change chain’, an idea he hopes will bring an end to social injustice, by prompting people to return the goodness they have received not in the form of a verbal ‘thank you’ but a more useful and effective act of goodness, kindness or help. The idea, as in Pay it Forward, is for the recipient of such an act to him or herself help three other people, who in turn will help nine more (three to each person). Meanwhile, Jai himself is embroiled in a struggle against the film’s resident baddie, home minister of the state Dasarath Singh (aka Danny Denzongpa) for the sake of his family.

Jai’s ‘change chain’ becomes quite popular and its originator soon comes to be regarded as the ‘ultimate’ hero. And while the concept itself seems very inspiring in the first place, it gets quite irritating when each character in the film is shown repeating it to the point of travesty by the end of the film. Also, Daisy Shah, who has been paired opposite Khan, is a complete disaster. Neither her appearance and screen-presence nor her acting skills are worth mentioning. The talented Tabu, however, is good in her role as Jai’s supporting sister. 

Honestly speaking, I don’t watch any Salman Khan film for its story and performance. But this one, unlikely a number of his previous releases, has at least some good points to its credit. I would’ve loved to have been able to see a bit more convincing approach to the message embedded in the film being taken. But sadly, the makers overdo the message and this happens to be Jai Ho’s biggest failure. Had the ‘love angle’ been chopped off altogether or had there been fewer moral lectures being thrown about, the film would have definitely been better off. The editing too is shaky, and many unwanted sequences have been left as is.

Having said all of the above though, I will also mention that Salman Khan fans are going to love seeing their hero’s ‘good-hearted’ image manifest on the big screen. Even for those who aren’t Salman fans (like me), there’s a chance you’ll find 

the film to be a lot better than his previous flicks. Still, it’ll leave you craving for something better.