Jigra

#Jigra is a term for courage or mettle. The heroine, a young woman named Satya, does possess plenty of it. From an early age, following the death of their parents, she takes complete control of her kid brother. She fulfils all his needs and is almost a mother to him. When he travels to a foreign country and gets wrongly implicated in a narcotics case, she goes all out and rescues him. The story did have potential, but the convenient script and some illogical sequences have ruined the film. In addition to Alia Bhatt, Vivek Gomber, Rahul Ravindran and Manoj Pahwa deliver good performances. Running time needs to be reduced by 20 minutes. Rating 2/5.

Satyabhama Anand (Alia Bhatt) and Ankur Anand (Vedant Raina) are siblings who got orphaned as kids. Satya had always been her brother's protector and circumstances only make her firm on playing his life long savior. They are raised by their uncle but are not truly considered as family. Satya knows they are on their own and when Ankur is sentenced to death in an unknown country for a crime he did not commit, Satya makes it her mission to save him at any cost. She finds support from ex gangster Shekhar Bhatia and ex cop Muthu, both wanting to save someone from the dreaded prison. What happens when their plan goes awry and with time running, what havoc Satya brings in to save her brother, forms rest of the story.

Vasan Bala's films are guilty pleasures with enough old film references he puts in as an ode to those films he loves, has been highly relatable for me. With Jigra, Vasan Bala pens down an adaptation of Gumrah with gender reversal. The characterization of Alia Bhatt's Satya to be a badass is established at her introduction scene itself. The making is top notch and it's a story which has the appeal even now. The problem is in the way Vasan Bala tries to juggle the narrative which is realistic and also filled with light-hearted humor, which he couldn't find the perfect balance. The serious tone of the film fails to gel with the humor during / before jailbreak scenes. For a film that jokes about masala films, the final act is extremely masalafied. Also, it is not regular to show the protagonist to harm an honest character and it stood out as a sore point. It could be argued that she can go to any extent, justifying the actions in the final act but nevertheless it was hard to digest. Alia Bhatt shines in her role, bringing in the balance between enacting her emotions subtly to her outbursts. The film gets too over the top in the second half, while the cinematography aids a lot in selling those shots, the writing doesn't. Manoj Pahwa and Rahul Ravindran's Shekhar Bhatia and Muthu are another reasons for giving this film a shot. There is a reference to Zanjeer's hit song in the end and it proves how predictable the writing got at the very conceptual level.

Directed by Vasan Bala, Jigra centers around the powerful bond between a sister and her brother, with the sister, played by Alia Bhatt, willing to go to any lengths to protect him. While this emotional core keeps the film anchored, it struggles with ambiguity in the storyline and an unsatisfactory stretched climax. The mismatch between content and execution in the second half weakens the overall impact of the film.

One of the film's strongest aspects is its cinematography. The screenplay is engaging for the most part, especially in the first half. Vasan Bala's direction keeps you invested as the film consistently maintains its tone. However, there are several loose ends and narrative gaps that undermine the storytelling. The linear nature of the plot also restricts the film from exploring its full potential, making it feel one-dimensional despite its emotional depth.

Alia Bhatt once again delivers a standout performance, fully embodying the role of a protective sister. Her portrayal is intense, emotional, and nuanced, making it easy for the audience to connect with her character's struggles. She particularly shines in the emotional scenes, demonstrating once again why she is considered one of the best actresses of her generation. Vedang Raina is standing out with a performance that complements Alia's. He shines throughout the film, proving himself to be a talent to watch in the future. Manoj Pahwa, as expected, is dependable and adds gravitas to his supporting role. Vivek Gomber is terrific as villain. Others are fine in their respective roles.

Direction 3/5 Acting 3/5 Dialogues 2.5/5 Story 2.5/5 Screenplay 2.5/5.

Vasan Bala is huge fan of Bachchan & there are Bachchan ester eggs throughout the movie!!

Alia's character is vaguely based on iconic Bachchan angry young man characters. The movie is strongly uplifted by BGM.(Always a forte for Vasan Bala films). Cinematography is good. The colour frames lit up big screen. First half is good. Builds up Alia's character.2nd half is bit streched but climax lives up to expectations. (Even climax could have been 5-7 minutes shorter.)

Somehow it's missing the thrill of Monica oh my Darling benchmark. It's Prison break+ emotions+ Bachchan movie without Bachchan himself!!

Overall a good movie!

Mr Vasan thought of no where that he was playing a video game and realised same kind version he can incorporate into movie.

Story was written like a 12th grade boy who can just imagine how to plot for prison break.

Very very loop holes, dots didn't tried to match at many times.. Half of the way where something thought it can get connected were broken.

USP is Alia and Vedang ( Specially Vedang) who really acted well.. Alia was like her in Raazi action but more of action with pointless scripts, mediacore acting and poor execution.

Just wait to get it realased on Netflix those have subscription else download some free apps to watch it..

Don't spend money to go theatre and waste your time.