Joggers Park - 2003

Story

A retired Judge starts going for a morning walk in Jogger?s park where he falls for a young vibrant girl who has set many a heart aflutter. Mukta Art?s ?Jogger?s Park? is a mature love story that defies the Bollywood stereotype.

The movie has newcomer Perizaad Zorabian playing a buoyant girl named Jenny. A beautiful girl with a hypnotic smile, Jenny is a perfect mix of simplicity and sophistication.

She works as an executive in a five-star hotel, and is also a part-time model in Mumbai?s ad world. Having gone through three failed romances in her past, Jenny now desires to stay single.

On the other hand is the retired Judge ? Justice Jatin Chatterjee (Victor Banerjee), a decorous man who has spent last forty years of his life sitting under the roof of various courtrooms. He is also a celebrity, admired by his peers and fawned over by the younger generation. He is a man who believes that one should ?rise in love? instead of falling in it.

Little does he know that his own words would be put to test once he comes across Jenny!

Jenny doesn?t shower Mr. Chatterji with the same adulation that he is used to getting from other youngsters. Rather the young girl gives him jogging shoes with the suggestion that the canvas sneakers that his Honors wears for his morning walk are bad for the ankle and spine.

The conscientious and upright Judge begins to develop a soft corner for Jenny. Then, small incidents bring the two further close ? like Jenny mopping the water of his sweatshirt with her towel or the Judge taking her to a hospital on the day when she was feeling unwell.

In his heart Mr. Chatterji knows that it is a ?forbidden? relationship, but at the same time he is not able to keep Jenny out of his mind. It is only a matter of time before the relationship comes to the notice of people and the Judge?s family. What turn will this relationship take then?

Late director Anant Balani-directed ?Jogger?s Park? takes a fresh look at the complexities of the emotion called love. The relationship between an aged man and a young girl might seem odd to a few orthodox minds, but it is a reality of life.

The movie starts off at a slow pace showing the gradual development of relation between Jenny and the Judge, as the retired man?s adoration for the young girl changes to desire and later on into love.

Perizaad looks stunning throughout the film and fits very well into the role of a vivacious young girl. She is natural before the camera and has a good emotive range too.

Victor Banerji is without doubt laudable in performance as a retired Judge who develops romantic notions for a young girl. The deftness with which Banerji brings about one facial expression after another is commendable.

On the whole, ?Jogger?s Park? is interesting and captures your attention until the very end. The movie will appeal to both youngsters and elderly.