“Jeev ” Movie Review
“Jeev”, A True Story of Kindness, Struggles, And The Journey of Veljibhai. When Saving Lives Turns Into a Lifelong Mission
Newz Daddy Ratings: 3.5*/ 5
Genre: Drama
Lead Star Cast: Dharmendra Gohil, Shraddha Dangar, Yatin Karyekar, Sunny Pancholi, Aakash Jhala, Hemang Shah,
Writers: Harshdeepsinh Jadeja, Ahbinay Trivedi
Directed By: Jigar Kapdi
Produced By: Vicky Mehta, Nirav Mehta
Music: Kedar Bhargav, Ahbishek Soni
BGM: Darshan Shah
Language: Gujarati
Run Time: 123 minutes, i.e. 2 hours 3 minutes
Recommended: Yes, absolutely
Also Read:
Review of the Gujarati Movie “Jai Mataji – Let’s Rock”
Review of the Gujarati Movie “Shastra”
Critical Review: “Jeev ”
A movie is based on a sensitive subject like compassion towards Jeev. The Jeev movie has now been released in cinemas. The “Jeev” movie is based on a true story. The movie is not made for entertainment; it is made to increase the awareness and feeling of care and love towards animals, “Jeev.”
It gives a strong and powerful message that each “Jeev” on the earth has equal right to live, to be loved, to be cared and to be protected.
The movie is only 2 hours and 4 minutes long and has a U certificate, meaning anyone can watch it.
Talking about the story, we can already guess from the trailer that it is about kindness towards animals. The story starts in the village of Rapar in Kutch and shows a journey of 50 years. It takes us back to the 1970s when a man named Veljibhai, played by Dharmendra Gohil, started working for animal welfare, and the film shows how he carried this mission forward.
Along with his story, there is another parallel plot about a family.
The screenplay felt rather slow to me. Though I personally don’t mind slow films, here the presentation didn’t feel strong enough to keep it interesting. If the presentation had been more powerful, even the slow pace could have worked beautifully. Some parts of the film were shown very well, but a few extra scenes seemed unnecessary and slowed the movie down. Even though it is only two hours long, it still feels a bit lengthy, which usually means the film wasn’t engaging enough. Today’s audience loves engaging moments.
Having said that, the movie is not completely boring. The movie’s message about saving living beings comes across well, though you may still feel something is missing by the end.
The cinematography is good. The village scenes look beautiful from the era of 1970, and even the city visuals are captured nicely. The journey of Veljibhai, his struggles, his fights in court, and all the people he faced have been shown effectively.
Technically, I couldn’t find many faults in the film, but the music didn’t feel very powerful. At the end, one song, “Dairo” leaves a lasting impression and cheers in the audience.
Talking about the dialogues, most of them didn’t impress me much, but a few were indeed impactful, such as “ek jeev ne bachava bija jeev ne marvo a khotu che ne.”
The story itself is impressive, but the presentation somewhat weakens it. It feels like the makers were confused at times. The two-story structure doesn’t really seem necessary. The family story and Veljibhai’s story about kindness run together, and although they connect at the end, that connection doesn’t feel very strong or emotional.
The film gives a deep message that “saving the life of an animal is easy, but protecting it in the long run is very hard. Rescuing cows or other animals is just one step; taking lifelong care of them is the real challenge.” This has been shown beautifully and is one of the major plus points.
However, the film doesn’t explore how funds are managed. When so many animals are taken care of, there must also be some income from milk or dairy products, but that angle is missing from the story.
Performance of the Cast
Speaking of acting, Dharmendrasinh Goyel has done an outstanding job. He impressed me in Kasumboo, and he leaves the same mark here too. Shraddha Dangar, Akash Zala, and Sunny Pancholi have also played their roles exceedingly well. Shraddha’s performance leaves a lasting effect. Sunny Pancholi shines in one particular scene, and Akash Zala — though he has fewer scenes — gives a very strong impression. I personally feel his role should have been given more importance and more screen time in the movie.
A child’s character is also an important part of the film, and the child actor has performed it quite well.
Positive Points
- The story is quite different and unique. It is based on a true story.
- The writing and dialogue are excellent.
- A strong and powerful message to society and to Gen Z for preserving nature and caring of animals.
- All the actors have performed exceptionally well in this movie.
- No profanity or abusive language. A complete family entertainer movie.
Negative Points
- The screenplay has made me unhappy, and I feel it is too slow.
- The two different stories do not connect with each other perfectly.
- Lack of moments or dialogues which keep the audience engaged.
- DOP could have been better; a few shots are extremely close, which I felt was not necessary.
- The presentation of the Jeev movie is also poor.
Final Thoughts
Jeev is a special movie that resonates with everyone living on Earth. It gives a strong and powerful message that each “Jeev” on the earth has equal rights to live, to be loved, to be cared and to be protected.