Review of the Gujarati Movie “Jai Mataji – Let’s Rock”

Newz Daddy Ratings: 4*/ 5

Genre: Family Drama, Comedy

Lead Star Cast:

Malhar Thakar, Neelu Mulhekar, Tiku Talsania, Shekhar Shukla, Vandana Pathak, Vyoma Nandi, Aaryan Prajapati 

Writer, Director, Editor and Co-Producer: Manish Saini

Produced By: Kajal Vadodaria, Siddharth Vadodaria, Ravindra Sanghvi, Manish Saini  

Music: Parth Pandya and Achint Thakkar

DOP: Swathy Deepak

Language: Gujarati

Run Time: 118 minutes i.e. 1 hour 58 minutes

Recommended:  Absolutely, yes.

Also Read

Review of Movie “Shubh Yatra” Malhar Thakar, Monal Gajjar, Darshan Jariwala

Critical Analysis of the Gujarati Movie “Jai Mataji – Let’s Rock”

An 80-year-old woman’s life takes an unexpected turn when a government program distorts her peaceful routine. Faced with newfound freedom and chaos, she must make a bold decision: either take revenge on her estranged family, revive her lost romance, live life in lavish luxury — or hilariously enough, do all three! What follows is a delightful comedy peppered with emotional twists, unconventional characters, and a powerful message about rediscovering life at any age.  There is also a very strong message to the children to take care of their old parents. They have done their part in raising you, and now it’s your turn to take care of them.

The story, as I said in the past during my trailer review, is a bit predictable. The whole movie revolves around an 80-year-old young lady, named “Baa”, played by Neelu Mulhekar. 

The state government announces a new scheme for senior citizens above 80 years of age, a pension of Rs. 1 lakh a month, and that causes changes in the lives of many senior citizens. Two brothers quarrel over keeping their mother at their home out the greed to get the pension to meet their requirements.

The grandson of the “Baa” is emotional and understands the feelings of his grandma, as usually happens in such movies.

There is also one past lover of “Baa” who still loves her and wants to marry “Baa” at the age of 80, wow!!

All these points combine to create a comedy and emotions in between, which makes the story engaging and loving.  There is a twist in the climax, which is surprising but pleasant.

The Performance

This is the first movie, I believe, in which Malhar Thakar has come out of his comfort zone and out of his monotonous acting and dialogue delivery style, which I must appreciate. 

His comic timing and dialogue delivery are impeccable. He is too good in one of the emotional scenes where he cried by putting his head in the lap of “Baa”.  What I felt was that Malhar has not done acting in this movie; he has literally lived this character as a grandson of “Baa”.  

Neelu Mulhekar, steals the show. This is her first Gujarati movie, and she has rocked the Gujarati audience. Her role as “Baa” is phenomenal and has given true colours to the character. She is literally rocking.

Tiku Talsania has played the elder son of “Baa”, and he has also left his “Issshh” and “mmmm” and has performed exceedingly well, as he always does. 

Vandana Pathak has played the wife of Tiku Talsania and has managed to make her mark in the movie, she is too good.

Shekhar Shukla has played the younger son of “Baa” who is accompanied by his wife, played by Shilpa Thakar.  

All four characters are shown in a bit of grey characters, but all four are excellent in their work  

Vyoma Nandi, sorry to say, but she has nothing to do in her role. To be honest, she is there just for the sake of being there. Out of 118 minutes of the movie, she is hardly visible for just about 5 to 8 minutes on screen. However, she has been able to make her presence felt, whatever screen time she has been allotted.

Aaryan Prajapati is very good as a small brother of Malhar and has good comedy punches, and he has delivered quite brilliantly. 

The direction of Manish Saini is quite good and he has been able to take out good work from Malhar and other renowned actors.

This is the second movie of Manish with Malhar, and this jodi seems rocking.  Manish and Malhar have worked together in Shubh Yatra, which was also an excellent movie with new and unique content.

Negative Points 

1. I felt that comedy pouches were a bit less, as there was scope for a lot of it, looking at the storyline. 
2. The emotions shown are not very engaging; only a few scenes made me engage, and touched my heart. I remember one time when Malhar was crying in front of his “Baa”
3. A few scenes shot in the car seem very apparent that it is shot in a studio and not a live location, not looking realistic.
4. There is nothing for Vyoma Nandi, a waste of beauty and talent.

Positive Points

1. A strong emotional family story which we have been seeing for ages, but is still quite relevant to our lives.
2. The movie has all characters from a kid to an 80-year-old young lady.  
3. Very strong performance by all lead actors, especially Malhar, he has performed beyond my expectations and has come out of his monotonous style of dialogue delivery. 
4. Climax is excellent, a bit different from conventional.
5. Good comedy punches by Malhar, Baa, and Aaryan Prajapati.
6. A complete family-oriented movie with comedy, courage, emotions, and a strong message to everyone.

Newz Daddy’s Final Thoughts:

“Jai Mataji – Let’s Rock” is a delightful blend of family drama, comedy, and emotions.  The topic is evergreen.  There are no abusive words, adult or brutal scenes in the movie. Complete family-oriented content and a must-watch for every age.

Also Read:

Review of the Gujarati Movie “Shastra”

Review of the Gujarati Movie “Faati Ne?”