Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega
Review: Jamtara - Sabka Number Ayega
Guys, a few days ago I talked about Netflix India's first release of this year & for most of the part it was a major disappointment to everyone, which was meant to happen when you have likes of KJ involved. Then after a few days, this new series called 'Jamtara' having new faces in banner started appearing in my feed & anything having new faces (obviously of non-nepo kids) & rural setting catches my eye. So I decided to give it a watch & it was a pleasant watch from start to finish. I'll talk about what I liked, what I did not like about this series as well as whether you should invest your time in it or not.
- Jamtara- Sabka Number Ayega:
''A group of small-town young men run a lucrative phishing operation until a corrupt politician wants in on their scheme -- and a cop wants to fight it.''
~ Netflix
Well, the plot of the series revolves around a group of young kids ranging from age 12-20 who are phishing people from the Hindi speaking belt of India. They are calling people from a small agrarian town of Jamtara, Jharkhand and are tricking people into sharing their credit/ debit card details through which they are clearing these people's accounts off of money. A local politician threatens the group to work for him which causes some complications within the group's dynamics. As the group is divided, a new fresh SP has arrived in Jamtara with the sole purpose of sending the racket runners behind the bars.
The premise of the series is based on the true events happened in the small town of Jamtara, Jharkhand during 2015-2016.
What I liked:
What I liked:
- The Plot:
Without spoiling much, I'd say the series just for the sake of fun binge holds on its own. But for me, the better parts of the series lie in the social commentary provided by director Mr. Soumendra Padhi, which sometimes subtle sometimes not.
The representation of increasing rage of some 'higher caste' Hindus towards the Dalits of the nation because of Dalits finally standing on their own, whether financially or academically in addition with earning more money than the 'Savarnas' or the established people feels very very very close to the reality. Yes, in the cities it may not be that much but anyone who lives in a town or a village can verify. And the news pieces like 'Dalit killed for riding a horse in marriage' or 'Dalit kid beaten for sitting on a chair' are living examples of this hateful caste-class superiority mania.
The series has perfectly shown how caste-based politics work in rural parts, how the said 'lower caste' youth is given false promises of wealth & respect just for them to be used as scapegoats by these 'higher caste' politicians.
The second thing shown is the divide between men & women in the rural part of India, or more specifically the middle belt of India. Female workers still do not get the recognition for their ability or performance but instead are judged & marginalized just because of their gender.
Women in Jamtara are not offered love or loyalty when it comes to marriage, instead, they are offered money, 2 lakhs, 4 lakhs or 6 lakhs. If a girl says no, then naturally it translates into her disapproval for marriage but here it is taken as a sign that she wants more money. And with the right amount of money, any family will agree to literally 'sell' their daughter to anybody. Because according to Jamtara's males each girl has a price.
There is this particular scene in the first episode in which a mother wants her hard-working & educated daughter to earn more money to pay the electricity bills. This mother had already received the money which was later used up by the girl's younger brother (12 yo) to buy drugs & booze. The mother justifies her son's mistake by saying that he is a 'boy' therefore there is nothing wrong with him using up the money.
The series also shows the obsoleteness of our legislation for cybercrime.
The series has nicely summarized the reason as well as the circumstances because of which the youth is choosing to follow such immoral paths.
Lastly, there is this duo of charsi kids who are playing the role of a viewer or an outsider like us but are commenting & bringing out the parallels between the show's story & the great Indian epic Mahabharta. There are a few questions I have in their regards which will be answered in the next season hopefully.
Except for a few faces, the whole cast is filled with fresh new faces mostly consisting of local talent. The performances delivered by the actors playing the kids are raw and realistic. The way they abuse each other, the way they have fun & fights with each other makes the viewer wonder whether they are friends in real life. The female lead has stolen the show here. She has spoken in a few scenes without even uttering a word. Great acting.
Amit Sial is playing the big bad politician here and he has a terrific screen presence that demands your attention in each scene. There is this particular scene of his where I was really on the edge of my seat and was hoping for some unbearable stuff to go down. You will understand when you watch the show for yourself. His performance is going to remain in mind for a very long time.
What I Disliked:
To be honest, there is not much to dislike here, at least for me. If I'm being nitpicky then there are some very obvious continuation errors which even my younger brother caught. The second half the show can feel very slow at times. Sometimes the idea can feel very farfetched but given the facts, it is believable that so many people got conned. Scenes dedicated to the charsi duo have raised a few questions which I hope won't go unanswered.
Should You Watch Jamtara?
If you don't have any other show on your list right now & want to watch some desi stuff then hell yes. Even if you find the themes boring or uninteresting, you'll definitely love the performances & the dialogues filled with humor & abusive slangs. The series has 10 episodes with each one having run time of 28-30 minutes so it's an easy watch.
Do watch Jamtara, even though the show promises to con you it won't con you from your time.
The series has perfectly shown how caste-based politics work in rural parts, how the said 'lower caste' youth is given false promises of wealth & respect just for them to be used as scapegoats by these 'higher caste' politicians.
The second thing shown is the divide between men & women in the rural part of India, or more specifically the middle belt of India. Female workers still do not get the recognition for their ability or performance but instead are judged & marginalized just because of their gender.
Women in Jamtara are not offered love or loyalty when it comes to marriage, instead, they are offered money, 2 lakhs, 4 lakhs or 6 lakhs. If a girl says no, then naturally it translates into her disapproval for marriage but here it is taken as a sign that she wants more money. And with the right amount of money, any family will agree to literally 'sell' their daughter to anybody. Because according to Jamtara's males each girl has a price.
There is this particular scene in the first episode in which a mother wants her hard-working & educated daughter to earn more money to pay the electricity bills. This mother had already received the money which was later used up by the girl's younger brother (12 yo) to buy drugs & booze. The mother justifies her son's mistake by saying that he is a 'boy' therefore there is nothing wrong with him using up the money.
The series also shows the obsoleteness of our legislation for cybercrime.
The series has nicely summarized the reason as well as the circumstances because of which the youth is choosing to follow such immoral paths.
Lastly, there is this duo of charsi kids who are playing the role of a viewer or an outsider like us but are commenting & bringing out the parallels between the show's story & the great Indian epic Mahabharta. There are a few questions I have in their regards which will be answered in the next season hopefully.
- The Acting:
Except for a few faces, the whole cast is filled with fresh new faces mostly consisting of local talent. The performances delivered by the actors playing the kids are raw and realistic. The way they abuse each other, the way they have fun & fights with each other makes the viewer wonder whether they are friends in real life. The female lead has stolen the show here. She has spoken in a few scenes without even uttering a word. Great acting.
Amit Sial is playing the big bad politician here and he has a terrific screen presence that demands your attention in each scene. There is this particular scene of his where I was really on the edge of my seat and was hoping for some unbearable stuff to go down. You will understand when you watch the show for yourself. His performance is going to remain in mind for a very long time.
- Cinematography:
What I Disliked:
To be honest, there is not much to dislike here, at least for me. If I'm being nitpicky then there are some very obvious continuation errors which even my younger brother caught. The second half the show can feel very slow at times. Sometimes the idea can feel very farfetched but given the facts, it is believable that so many people got conned. Scenes dedicated to the charsi duo have raised a few questions which I hope won't go unanswered.
Should You Watch Jamtara?
If you don't have any other show on your list right now & want to watch some desi stuff then hell yes. Even if you find the themes boring or uninteresting, you'll definitely love the performances & the dialogues filled with humor & abusive slangs. The series has 10 episodes with each one having run time of 28-30 minutes so it's an easy watch.
Do watch Jamtara, even though the show promises to con you it won't con you from your time.
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