Jab Tak Hai Jaan

<p>Samar Anand, a expert in the , fearlessly defuses explosives in conflict zones. In , Akira Rai, a spirited filmmaker, nearly drowns in and is rescued by Samar. He offers her his jacket and departs, inadvertently leaving behind his diary, which Akira later discovers and begins to read. The diary recounts Samar’s earlier life in , where he struggled as an performing odd jobs and playing music on the streets. He meets Meera Thappar, a wealthy and devout woman engaged to another man, at an event where he works as a waiter. They form a close bond—she helps him improve his , while he teaches her for her father’s retirement celebration. Their friendship deepens into romance after a night of dancing and emotional revelations. Meera reconnects with her estranged mother, with Samar’s support, and later resolves to confess her feelings and break her . However, after Samar is gravely injured in an accident, Meera, believing she broke her vow to by falling in love, prays for Samar’s recovery and promises to never see him again. Samar, disillusioned, leaves London and joins the Indian Army, defying death daily in his bomb squad work as a way of challenging God. Back in the present, Akira seeks permission to film a on Samar’s unit and becomes acquainted with him during her shoot. She develops feelings for him, but Samar remains emotionally distant. After completing the documentary, Akira persuades Samar to accompany her to London for the film’s release. There, he is struck by a van and suffers , remembering only events prior to his accident a decade earlier. Akira contacts Meera, urging her to help with Samar’s recovery. Meera agrees and pretends to be his wife. As Samar begins to regain fragments of his past, a bomb defusal incident in the restores his memory. He confronts Meera, demanding that she choose between being with him or watching him continue to defy death. Samar returns to duty in . Eventually, Meera realises that her inflicted emotional pain on both herself and Samar. Letting go of her guilt, she travels to Kashmir, where Samar defuses one final bomb before proposing to her. The two are reunited, choosing love over fear. In June 2011, announced a new directorial project by to mark the 50th anniversary of his career in cinema, with a release planned for the weekend of 2012. At the time, the film was untitled—similar to Chopra’s earlier film (2004), which was named only upon submission to the . Several titles were considered before was finalized in September 2012. The title was inspired by a similarly named song from the 1975 film . conceived the story and encouraged his father to return to directing. , who had previously worked with Chopra in three films, was cast in the lead. Due to Khan’s prior commitments, the filming schedule was adjusted to accommodate him. Yash Chopra sought a new on-screen pairing for the film and selected to co-star. , who had appeared in multiple Yash Raj productions including (2008) and (2010), was cast in a supporting role. Khan’s character, Samar Anand, was described as emotionally layered, portraying both a carefree street musician in his twenties and a hardened, duty-bound officer a decade later. In interviews, Khan referred to the role as a blend of “angst, tenderness, and unforgiving rage”. Kaif played Meera Thappar, described as “the archetypal Yash Chopra seductress, an unattainable beauty”. Sharma portrayed Akira Rai, a young filmmaker described as ambitious and driven in her pursuit of a career-defining documentary. began on 9 January 2012 at Yash Raj Studios in , after being delayed by ’s break following and (both 2011). A substantial portion of the film was shot in during a 35-day schedule that began on 22 February 2012 under the working title “Production 45”. Filming locations in London included , the , the Great Conservatory, , , , , and . A dance sequence featuring the song “Ishq Shava” was shot in an underground club and aboard a boat on the . A car crash sequence was filmed in , which required closing multiple streets. The London schedule concluded on 27 March 2012 at an indoor location in . The romantic scenes were directed by Aditya Chopra to ensure a more contemporary sensibility. For the climax, originally intended to be shot in , the crew instead filmed in , reportedly at Khan’s suggestion based on his prior experience filming (1998) in the region. Additional scenes were shot in , , and . Yash Chopra had planned to film portions of the title song in the , a hallmark of his romantic films. However, this shoot was cancelled following his death in October 2012. Aditya Chopra decided against reshooting or adding new material, choosing instead to preserve the film in its original form to honor his father’s vision. The music for was composed by , marking his first collaboration with director . Rahman signed on to the project in May 2011, and completed the first track by December that year. By February 2012, he reported having composed three songs, describing the album as “a combination” of his signature style and the classic romantic sound associated with Chopra’s films. He explained, “They wanted to do my kind of songs at the same time they wanted the old charm and soul of music that the Indian audience would love and which I wanted to do for a long time.” The soundtrack album comprises nine songs, with lyrics written by , except for the title track “Jab Tak Hai Jaan”, which was penned by Aditya Chopra. The album was released on 10 October 2012 under the YRF Music label. The soundtrack was well-received, with songs such as “Saans”, “Heer”, “Ishq Shava”, and “Jiya Re” gaining significant popularity and contributing to the film’s commercial success and promotional appeal. Two weeks prior to the release of , filed a complaint with the (CCI), accusing of engaging in business practices. The complaint alleged that the studio had used its dominant market position to secure a majority of the high-quality single-screen theatres for the release of , thereby limiting screen availability for ’s (2012). Yash Raj Films responded by denying the allegations and expressing surprise at the timing and intent of the complaint. They stated that only 1,500 of the 10,500 available single-screens across India were booked for . Following the rebuttal, Devgn claimed that his film had managed to secure only 600 single screens and asserted that Yash Raj Films had tied up with exhibitors during the release of (2012), obligating them to also showcase on for a fixed period. The CCI later dismissed Devgn’s claim, stating there was no merit or evidence of abuse of dominant market position. Although Devgn appealed the decision, the appellate tribunal upheld the contractual screenings of , while agreeing to re-examine the broader allegations of market manipulation. was theatrically released on 13 November 2012, during the six-day Diwali weekend. In India, the film opened across approximately 2,500 screens, including 1,000 multiplexes and 1,500 single-screen cinemas. In overseas markets, it was released on around 600 screens. The film was also selected for screening at the and the , in recognition of Yash Chopra’s cinematic legacy. The film was released on home media formats on 3 January 2013 by Yash Raj Films. It was made available on , , and , with the latter featuring 96k , 5.1, and 5.1 sound. The release also included over four hours of bonus material, such as footage, , interviews with and , music videos, and premiere highlights from a vintage-themed event held at Yash Raj Studios. was later made available on . grossed an estimated ₹2.36 billion (US$28 million) worldwide, making it one of the top-grossing Hindi films of 2012. The film opened to strong occupancy across India, with reports indicating 95–100% occupancy at both multiplexes and single-screen cinemas on its first day. It earned ₹125 million (US$1.5 million) on its opening day and showed a 50% growth on the second day with earnings of ₹195.4 million (US$2.3 million). Over its initial three-day run, the film netted ₹448.4 million (US$5.3 million), and ₹736.8 million (US$8.7 million) over the extended six-day Diwali weekend. The film earned ₹48.1 million (US$570,000) on the following Monday, bringing its first-week total to approximately ₹780 million (US$9.2 million). After ten days, it had grossed ₹822.4 million (US$9.7 million), and by the end of its third week, it had surpassed ₹1.02 billion (US$12 million) domestically. Its distributor share in India was reported at ₹570 million (US$6.7 million), and declared it a hit. Internationally, grossed over US$1.3 million on its opening day and US$3.5 million by the end of its first three days. It collected US$7.58 million over six days and continued to perform steadily, earning US$11 million by the end of its second week. At the conclusion of its theatrical run, its overseas gross was estimated at US$12.5 million. The film set several overseas records at the time of its release. It became the highest opening-day grosser for a Bollywood film in and , with collections of $100,000. In the , it emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film, earning over US$4 million. ultimately finished as the highest-grossing Bollywood film overseas in 2012 and the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of the year worldwide, after and . received generally positive reviews from Indian critics. of gave it 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as “attention-grabbing from inception till conclusion” and praising the performances and emotional depth. critic Rachit Gupta also awarded 4 stars, calling it “an epic love story” and “a perfect adieu to a hallmark career.” of rated the film 3.5 stars, noting that despite its “lovey-dovey nothingness,” it had more substance than typical Bollywood romances. Meena Iyer of gave 3.5 stars, citing the film’s picturesque visuals and nuanced emotions, though noting its “hackneyed” story. remarked that the film “makes you fall in love with love all over again.” of rated it 3 stars, saying it was “too tangled to transport you,” but recommended it for its heartache and elegance. of also gave it 3 stars, stating that despite script issues, the film “oozes with feeling and real emotion.” ’s Ajit Duara called it “a deeply-felt cinematic perspective from 80 years of living,” while ‘s Raja Sen noted it was a “middling effort” yet sentimental as a swan song. Other reviewers were more mixed. of gave 2.5 stars, praising Khan’s charisma but finding the narrative familiar. of found it “elegant” but critiqued its pacing and screenplay, also awarding 2.5 stars. Piyasree Dasgupta of was similarly critical, stating the film rehashed familiar tropes without standout music. Some reviews were more polarized. of gave the film 2.5 (out of 5) stars, saying “watch this one for Khan, who can still do the dimpled boy wonder and the older, mature lover with a wry smile and wounded wink and sexy nudge.” (also from ) described it as an “elegant, harmless entertainer for [the] most part”, praising the visuals, acting and music. She criticised the screenplay, contending that the film could have been “snappier”, and gave it 2.5 (out of 5) stars. Piyasree Dasgupta of wrote: “You have seen everything has many times before, just in other films. And probably with far better music than A. R. Rahman threw into this one.” The film received a moderately positive response from international critics. Priya Joshi of rated it 3 out of 5, calling it “a healthy dose of Khan” and “the message which [Chopra] lived and breathed.” of Australia’s echoed similar sentiments, describing the film as “a grand cinematic work” with both strengths and weaknesses. critic praised its “freshness” and “certainty of tone,” calling it “a fitting tribute” to Chopra’s career. Lisa Tsering of wrote that the film “reflects a modern sensibility” while retaining Chopra’s romantic touch. ’ Nicolas Rapold acknowledged the film’s melodrama but found clarity in its emotional stakes. described it as a “beguiling romantic film,” praising Chopra’s direction and the emotional resonance of the narrative. The film won four , five and two . received several marketing and business awards for its overseas performance, promotions, distribution, and music. However, Kaif and Sharma were nominated for and awards; some critics felt that their acting was less than stellar. Sharma and were the main award recipients.</p>