Vikramaditya Motwane's meticulously crafted series, Jubilee, pays tribute to the golden age of Hindi cinema and delivers a captivating viewing experience. The exceptional attention to detail is evident in the stunning set designs, vintage costumes, and intricate lighting, which grab your attention without overwhelming the entire frame. With a complex narrative of cutthroat ambition and layered stardom, Jubilee immerses you in its glittering world.

The series possesses all the hallmarks of the industry's bygone era, including a ruthless studio head searching for the next big star, a classic rags-to-riches tale of an ordinary person turned hero, multiple illicit affairs, and a soundtrack by Amit Trivedi that evokes nostalgia for the period. Set in pre- and post-partition India of the 1940s and early 1950s, the story also tackles themes of overburdened refugee camps and Soviet vs. USA propaganda.

One of the nondescript characters in Jubilee poses a question that perfectly sums up the series' premise: "If you have to destroy yourself first to destroy someone else, then who ends up winning?" The characters' ruthless pursuit of their ambitions or quest for justice, as in the case of Sumitra Devi played by Aditi Rao Hydari, leads to their eventual downfall, resulting in a tragic conclusion.

It is challenging to pinpoint when the downfall begins in Jubilee, but it is likely when Srikant Roy, played by Prosenjit Chatterjee, witnesses the seizure of Roy Talkies' assets by his former protégé and India's reigning superstar, Madan Kumar, played by Aparshakti Khurana. Roy, who was previously considered invincible, accepts defeat and takes his life, but not before leaving incriminating evidence of Das's brutality towards the "real" Madan Kumar or Jamshed Khan, played by Nandish Singh Sandhu, who meets an inevitable end. Roy's decision to pass on the photos to Sumitra for avenging her lover's death could be his final act of redemption or a way to get back at Das for his betrayal.

As the court case proceeds, tensions run high with a superstar being put on trial and making headlines. However, Das has the backing of the Russians who control the press and manages to produce a trump card - Jay Khanna, who was present during the crime. Despite the incriminating evidence against Das, Jay saves him by stating that he had knocked out Khan to save him from being killed by rioters who later attacked the area. Although Das is freed, he gives up his stardom and fades into obscurity with his loyal wife Ratna by his side. However, Sumitra exhausts Roy Talkies’ resources in fighting the case against Das and ultimately gives up, ending her life with pills by her bedside. The similarity of this scene to the one revealing Roy’s death suggests that husband and wife were in sync in their final moments.

Jay, the former friend-turned-nemesis of Das, survives the trial, but he has his own share of tragedy. His plans to elope with Niloufer, an aspiring actress, are foiled when he is forced to marry another woman to repay his debt to her father. Jay gives in to the pressure, sacrificing his love and dreams to save his production house. In the end, he abandons Niloufer and goes through with the marriage, choosing his passion for cinema over his personal desires, echoing the same cardinal rule of Srikant Roy, set in the first episode - that the love for cinema will always prevail, regardless of what one has to sacrifice.