Despite its moments of persuasive performances and technical virtuoso, Jaane Jaan lacks the cohesiveness needed to leave a lasting impact.

dapted from Japanese writer Keigo Higashino‘s The Devotion of Suspect X, Sujoy Ghosh’s Jaane Jaan is a crime thriller that is a cat-and-mouse game between a brilliantly manipulative mathematician and a determined detective. It has one engaging scene after the other to provide the viewers with a tale where nothing is as it seems at every turn. As one story branches off into another, the slow unraveling of mysteries and the sly withholding of information provide the film with a sense of intrigue until the very end. The story arguably has something to say about the immoral acts that attraction and affection can sometimes make us complicit in. While navigating the complexities of human nature, delving into the depths of desire and the blurred lines between right and wrong. But as the film reaches a resolution, it does not leave the audience questioning their own moral compass and reflecting on the power of desire in shaping our lives. Instead, it simply serves as an entertaining and thrilling storyline that lacks the complexities of a well-organized plot with deep character development and intricate subplots.

Maya D’Souza (Kareena Kapoor) runs a cafe in Kalimpong, a hill town located in the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal. She is a single mother, and her thirteen-year-old daughter, Tara (Naisha Khanna), is a student at a primary school. His neighbor, Naren (Jaideep Ahlawat), a teacher by profession, is a frequent customer at the cafe and orders a parcel of egg-fried rice daily. He has a soft spot for Maya as he never expresses his feelings for her. Maya’s life is turned upside down when her estranged husband, Ajit Mhatre (Saurabh Sachdeva), returns to her life unexpectedly. It causes a drastic situation that ends with a murder committed with Tara as her accomplice. Naren learns about the brutal crime and immediately becomes determined to protect Maya and Tara at all costs. He devises a foolproof plan using his logic as a mathematician to outsmart the authorities and keep the mother and daughter safe from being caught. But as Karan Anand (Vijay Varma), a cop from Mumbai, arrives at the town, Naren and Maya become alert to the increasing surveillance and suspicious behavior of the authorities. Maya has doubts as she feels threatened but Naren provides her with assurance. When a dead body is identified as that of Ajit’s, the stakes become higher than ever as Maya becomes Karan’s only suspect. The rest of the film moves forward with the investigation as Karan and Naren engage in a conflict where one outsmarts the other in every step.