Trailer launch of Jubilee promises an entertainer

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Jubilees are an extinct term today in cinema after the era of the multiplexes, first- weekend business and the 100 or multiple crore cultures. The era of the Silver Jubilee, where a film ran for 25 straight weeks in multiple theatres (sometimes Golden Jubilee, meaning 50 weeks, and even beyond), ended in 2009 when 3 Idiots became the last Hindi film to achieve a Golden Jubilee run.

Amazon Prime video, in its latest series, Jubilee, which will premiere with 5 episodes on April 7, followed by 5 more on April 14, is a tribute to what director Vikramaditya Motwane terms the “best era of Hindi cinema”. And that is a statement that cannot really be contested, despite the great technological progress in showbiz and the advanced film-watching today. Vikramaditya categorically stated that those times were the “bravest” and, of course, in terms of star magic or musical excellence, the eras of the 1950s and 1960s have no equals.

The interesting trailer of the show was officially launched at an event held at Mumbai’s Four Seasons Hotel on March 24, with the director, Amazon Prime Video head honcho Aparna Purohit and the lead cast in full attendance. Present were Prosenjit Chatterjee, Aditi Roy Hydari, Aparshakti Khurana, Wamiqa Gabbi, Ram Kapoor, Sidhant Gupta and Nandish Sandhu.

Shweta Basu Prasad, Arun Govil, Sukhmanee Lamba, Aarya Bhatta, Narottam Bain, Alok Arora and Suhani Popli play other important roles.

The show is written by Atul Sabharwal. Created by Soumik Sen and Vikramaditya Motwane, it is aptly designed as a musical with 12 songs composed by Amit Trivedi. Jubilee has been produced by Andolan Films in association with Reliance Entertainment and Phantom Studios.

Jubilee is a layered drama that chronicles the lives of a studio boss, his movie-star wife, a trusted aide, a rising star, a dancer and a refugee and the gambles they are willing to take in pursuit of their dreams, passion, ambition and love.

Prosenjit Chatterjee stated, “When Vikramaditya first came to me with this story, I instantly connected with my character of Srikant Roy. He is a person who lives and breathes cinema and has dedicated his life to it. As someone who has worked in the industry for four decades, I could immediately relate to that! Jubilee represents a glorious time of Indian Cinema, and as an actor, I, in a manner of speaking, feel responsible for doing right by it. I don’t think there could have been a better series with which to make my OTT debut.”

Aditi Rao Hydari added, “Sumitra Kumari has been an incredibly exciting, challenging and layered character to play. She is a star, she is powerful and has the world at her feet, except for that one thing that she really wants, which you must watch out series to find out. It’s what makes her vulnerable, and eventually becomes her north star. Vikramaditya-sir is such an amazing and sensitive director and he is completely an actor’s director. Atul Sabharwal and he have created a story that is beautiful and compelling and it is a joy and honor to be able to share this with viewers all over the world.”

Aparshakti Khurana shared, “Jubilee for me as an actor was a complete no-brainer. When I heard the story, and especially Binod’s journey, I knew I had to do this. It is not only one of the most challenging characters I have played, but also the most rewarding. Vikramaditya-sir is a maverick, as he has been able to bring out the best in not just me, but in the entire cast and crew. Back in Delhi, I was known only for dark characters on stage, and there was this belief that my eyes lent themselves to such roles. But in Mumbai, almost all my characters have been comic, and that image will be broken now.”

“For me, working with a director like Vikramaditya-sir and playing a character like Nilofer Qureshi has been a dream come true. Her journey in the series is so powerful and inspiring that I knew I had to play this character. Every scene of the series is a work of art, and shooting it has been a surreal experience,” said Wamiqa Gabbi.

Ram Kapoor quipped, “After Udaan, I am the only actor ever repeated by Vikramaditya! And it was he who saw me as this loud, obnoxious, everything-be-damned throughbred Punjabi! And I loved getting that ‘Punjabaa‘ into my character!”

Sidhant Gupta stated, “Jubilee for me is one big emotion. Sure, there’s pain and fear, but there are also love and wonder. Jay Khanna believes in the magic this life has to offer and that is what he brings to the celluloid. He doesn’t know how to give up, no matter what life throws at him, that was the only common thread between him and me. Finding this character within has been fascinating. I hope Jay Khanna makes the viewers fall in love with their dreams all over again.”

Director Vikramaditya Motwane, asked about the most difficult part of re-creating the 1950s era, simply stated, “The budget!” Asked by newsindiatimes.com about other influences in his career, as all his movies have been totally different from the mainstream Hindi cinema, and thus about his motivation behind paying tribute to that era, he reiterated that it was all about the most fascinating times of cinema and that he loved the movies and filmmakers of those times and was motivated by tehri work.