Jubilee is hands down the best Indian Web-Series out there. The makers take you to a different era to witness the very inception and evolution of ‘Cinema’ in Independent India. The plot, performances, production value, and the entertainment quotient of this costume-drama make it a MUST-WATCH!

Centred around the evolution of Cinema in India since the time of its independence in 1947, Jubilee tells the story of the Golden Era of Cinema, glamour and how the Show Biz as we call it today, came into play. The narrative revolves around ‘Roy Talkies’ and the rise and fall of the people associated with this Studio. The story also incorporates the themes of dreams, passion, sacrifices, guilt and romance – all set against the backdrop of the film industry.

The plot is entirely fictional drawing loose inspiration from the evolution of the Khanna and Kumar families of Bollywood. It also gets its factual base from the stories of partitions and Sindhi camps as well as the political tension in India regarding Radio and Film during the early 50s. Vikram Aditya Motwane, the creator, also has a family history that dates back to the 50s and a good portion of the main germ of the story seems to have originated from there.

In terms of the writing, the story, screenplay and dialogues are exceptionally written. Multi-linear narrative with a lot of sub-plots and a lot of well layered characters is not very easy to handle and usually leads to unnecessary confusion. The makers in this case, unravel through the complexities very smoothly. The dialogues accurately capture the essence of the 50s. Vikram Aditya Motwane is undoubtedly one of the best filmmakers of Bollywood out there and his grip on his craft is apparent.

Along with exceptional writing, Vikram Aditya Motwane has also cast such a raw yet fantastic ensemble and extracted such organic and effortless performances from all the actors. Jubilee will become a career changing project in everyone’s filmography. While every single one in the cast deserves praise, the ones who steal the show are undoubtedly – Aparshakti Khurana, Sidhanth Gupta, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Wamiqa Gabbi and Aditi Rao Hydari. No one could imagine that Aparshakti was capable of this. He is only going upwards from now and might also surpass the shadows of his brother, Ayushmann Khurana. With his charming portrayal of Madan Kumar, he exactly brings the vibe and aura that the stars of 50s were said to have always carried. Sidhanth Gupta, whom the audience conveniently ignored so far slams this unforgettable performance on everyone’s face. Along with him is Wamiqa Gabbi who excels as Niloufer Qureshi.

However, the best part about this series is not the performances or the writing. It is actually the technicians who deserve a bow! The production design, the costume design, the cinematography, the editing, the soundtrack and the BGM, everything is perfect to another level. Especially, the Production Design. The Bombay of the 50s, the cars, the studios, the sets, the accents and every little thing that has become antique and almost impossible to find is brought to screen so accurately. The little nuances around the film world including the reels, the audio tapes, the sets, the theatres and the way things use to happen back then is captured so beautifully. You actually start living in the world of the show that the makers have created and that’s the level they are able to achieve.

Amit Trivedi has become the Retro master of current times. He gave us a fantastic retro album in Netflix’s Qala and almost all the songs were a hit. And he does it again with Jubilee’s album. With lyrics written by Kausar Munir, every song is noteworthy and will be topping everyone’s playlists soon. Alokananda Dasgupta does a great job with the background score. The music combined with the visuals are sure to transport you to the world of Jubilee! Spoiler – Amit Trivedi’s lovely cameo got me all grooving!

On the whole, everything about Jubilee is too good to be missed. The storyline filled with drama and thrill in equal parts, great performances, stunning visuals and great music, EVERYTHING! All episodes of Jubilee are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and everyone who loves cinema and want to dive into the Retro world to know how the industry functioned back in the day, it is a must-watch!

You can watch the trailer here: