Jazz City
| Jazz City | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Written by | Soumik Sen |
| Directed by | Soumik Sen |
| Starring | |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | India |
| Original languages | Bangla Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Arpita Chatterjee |
| Production location | India |
| Cinematography | Ron Mukherjee Vishal Verma |
| Editor | Amit Ray |
| Original release | |
| Network | SonyLIV |
| Release | 19 March 2026 |
Jazz City is an Indian Bengali language Historical spy thriller television series created and directed by Soumik Sen.[1][2] The series star Arifin Shuvoo, Sauraseni Maitra and Shataf Figar.[3] the series premiered on SonyLIV on 19 March 2026.[4][5]
Premise
[edit]Set in 1971 Calcutta, a jazz club becomes the stage for a revolutionary awakening, where music intertwines with language, identity, and the struggle that culminates in the birth of Bangladesh during a defining historical moment.
Cast
[edit]- Arifin Shuvoo as Jimmy Roy
- Sauraseni Maitra as Sheela
- Shataf Figar as General Hanif
- Alexandra Taylor as Pamela
- Santanu Ghatak as IB officer Sinha
- Sayandeep Sengupta as Rambahadur
- Soumen Chakraborty as Manash
- Tanika Basu as Kaberi
- Vinay Sharma as Alvarej
- Shahir Raj as Ramiz
- Amit Saha
- Aniruddha Gupta
Production
[edit]They started shooting in 2024. [6][7] The trailer was released on 16 February 2026.[8]
Release
[edit]Earlier it was scheduled to release on 6 February 2026, but it was postponed to 19 March 2026.[9][10]
Episodes
[edit]Having 10 Episodes
Reception
[edit]Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India observed that it is "All decked up with nowhere to go."[11] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 1.5 stars out of 5 and said that "There was potential here, but it is let down by the length and laxity, a rare misfire for SonyLIV, which has mastered the art of creating and presenting solid period drama."[12]
Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com rated it 2.5/5 satrs and said that "Jazz City could have been enjoyable had it not been so densely over-plotted and unevenly executed."[13] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in observed that "Sen’s adda approach to the plotting results in a rambling, muddled and repetitive series that takes 10 episodes for what could have been explored in half the duration."[14]
Vinamra Mathur of Firstpost gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and said that "Jazz City tries to tick too many boxes at once. It wants to be a political thriller, it wants to be a commentary on politicians and the people in power. It also wants to be a swanky web-series brimming with style and sass."[15] Santanu Das of Hindustan Times gave 2 stars out of 5 and said, "Jazz City means well, but how long can it survive just on the basis of that? It is a show that sinks under its own weight and is never fully able to commit to the danger, restlessness, and anxiety of a troubled socio-political climate. It is too neat, too calculated, and sadly, too eager to reach a resolution."[16]
Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India rated it 3/5 stars and said that "‘Jazz City' is refined, patient storytelling elevated by strong performances and a rich musical canvas. Worth watching if you’re drawn to layered, culturally rooted historical dramas."[17] Troy Ribeiro of Free Press Journal writes that "Jazz City is ambitious, atmospheric, and intermittently engaging, but ultimately uneven. It captures the mood of a turbulent time without fully harnessing its dramatic potential. For all its visual finesse and thematic richness, it remains curiously distant, more observed than felt. Overall, the series hums with promise but rarely soars."[18] Jannatul Naym Pieal of The Daily Star criticize it by calling it "The Bangladesh Liberation War is one such event. More than five decades on, it keeps showing up in Indian films and series -- as a narrative real estate reshaped, reframed, and almost always centred on India."[19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "'Jazz City' OTT release date: When and where to watch Soumik Sen's Bengali period thriller series". The Times of India. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ "Jazz City release date, where to watch, what to expect, teaser, cast, and more about the series based on the Bangladesh Liberation War". OTT Play. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ "Jazz City OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch Arifin Shuvoo and Sauraseni Maitra Starrer Online?". Gadgets 360. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ "Jazz City new OTT release date: When and where to watch Arifin Shuvoo's historical drama about Bangladesh's revolution". OTT Play. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ "Jazz City: Music meets espionage in 1971 Calcutta during Bangladesh Liberation War". India Today. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
- ^ "Arifin Shuvoo begins shooting for new web-series in Kolkata". The Daily Star. 9 November 2024.
- ^ "SonyLIV announces Jazz City, new series based on 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War". Cinema Express. 17 December 2025.
- ^ "'Jazz City' trailer: Music, love and revolution in 1970s Kolkata". scroll.in. 16 February 2026.
- ^ "'Jazz City's Jimmy is Bengal's Dhurandhar but he doesn't touch a single gun in the whole show': Soumik Sen". 14 March 2026. 14 March 2026.
- ^ "'Jazz City' Trailer: Vinay Sharma and Soumen Chakraborty starrer 'Jazz City' Official Trailer". The Times of India. 2 March 2026.
- ^ Desai, Rahul (19 March 2026). "'Jazz City' Series Review: An Overindulgent Ode To History and Patriotism". The Hollywood Reporter India.
- ^ Gupta, Shubhra (19 March 2026). "Jazz City review: A period drama that never finds its rhythm". The Indian Express.
- ^ Gahlot, Deepa (19 March 2026). "Jazz City Review: Over-Ambitious Historical Fiction". Rediff.com.
- ^ Ramnath, Nandini (19 March 2026). "'Jazz City' review: An overstuffed and muddled show about the creation of Bangladesh". scroll.in.
- ^ Mathur, Vinamra (19 March 2026). "'Jazz City' Web-Series Review: This show about the formation of Bangladesh is part 'Dhurandhar' and part 'Bombay Velvet'". Firstpost.
- ^ Das, Santanu (19 March 2026). "Jazz City review: Historical drama about the birth of Bangladesh is painfully indulgent and out of tune". Hindustan Times.
- ^ Srivastava, Abhishek (19 March 2026). "Jazz City Season 1 Review : Ambitious period drama on Bangladesh's birth, compromised by a scattered plot". The Times of India.
- ^ Ribeiro, Troy (19 March 2026). "Jazz City Review: Soumik Sen's Directorial Series Is Ambitious, Hums With Promise But Rarely Soars". Free Press Journal.
- ^ Pieal, Jannatul Naym (20 March 2026). "Bollywood at it again, tells Bangladesh's story without Bangladesh". The Daily Star.