Jilla

Full time-pass Thamizh film starring Vijay, Mohanlal, Kajal,Sampath, "parotta" Suri, Thambi Ramaiah, Mahath, Poornima Bhagyaraj. A multi-starrer of all sorts, the film boasts of a huge budget, colorful extravaganza and maximum entertainment. Vijay is the darling of the masses and Jilla went onto become one of the biggest films with record- breaking opening collections, upon release. The film recently celebrated its 50th day amidst much pomp and fanfare.

Story-wise, it's a typical father-son equation going all wrong and the film deals with emotional conflict, proving to be an effective family entertainer. Direction is by RT.Neason and credit goes to him for handling two super-stars in an extremely effective and casual way, right in his second film. Cinematography is by Ganesh Rajavelu and Imman, who is the current king of melody, has composed five foot-tapping songs. Overall, an effective entertainer

From debutant director Neason, this movie is a treat for Vijay and Mohanlal fans. A master move to cast Mohanlal to attract audiences across different states. The story revolves around the relationship between Shakthi (Vijay) and Sivan (Mohanlal) who plays father-son duo. Sivan is a gangster who rules the city of Madurai and Vijay plays his foster son who is his trusted right hand in closing matters. Vijay hates policemen after a tragic incident involving his father. The movie starts as a predictable as an average entertainer until an unbelievable twist in the story breathes life into the movie.

The movie has all elements required for a mass entertainer. Songs and background score are impressive from Imman. With some peppy numbers, Vijay does a decent job of entertaining all his fans. With regular doses of comedy, sentiment, stunts, songs and dialogues the movie is a must watch for Vijay fans and is a movie to sit back, relax and watch. Mohanlal does a decent job with his Tamil pronunciation and Kajal Agarwal is visible during songs.

So sit back, relax and get entertained. Good 3/5

The off-the-chart expectations stirred by the release of projects of two mega stars lured me in for the first day premiere of "Jilla". Despite encircled by a surreal crowd that screamed "Vijay" at the top of their lungs, I managed to find a tunnel vision with a neutral point of view and am penning this review in the same perspective.

Jilla is the story of the Godson of a Don, who turns into a police officer to aid his godfather, who then does a 180 degree shift opposing him and offers an ultimatum: Change or I will Change you.

The typical essence of a Masala entertainer is sprinkled in vast proportions and hence finds an appeal among the fans. Neutral viewer, like me, will find it hard to sit through several scenes which were deliberately inserted to find whistles rather than aiding the pace of the screenplay.

Over 60 years of combined experience between "Mohanlal" and "Vijay" overshadows almost everyone else on screen. Kajal is just a 3 song dancer with 3 extra scenes none of which feeds her acting appetite. Suri, with his double-meaninged wit, has tried a few gags which in most cases deserve sympathy rather than laughter.

As usual, stunts and songs play spoilsport, since they are logic-less and speed breakers respectively. Suri himself quotes, "Why, unnecessarily, did you stretch a one liner into a song?"

Despite these flaws, the audience will find the movie appealing only because they are able to see the entertainment behind all the aforementioned veils. To give a clear comparison this flick is somewhere between "Thalaiva" and "Thuppaki". Unlike Thalaiva, this is original but unlike Thuppaki this isn't universal.

A little more editing could have sharpened the movie.

An average attempt (5/10).

Mohanlal making an appearance was the only motivating factor for me to watch Jilla. And Lalettan under-played subtly. I didn't expect this. But that's exactly why I liked it.

Lalettan could have been given more platform to exhibit his histrionics. But ironically, not exceeding is why the role stands out on its own. There is no hyper-realistic histrionics nor mad-cap mayhem. But there's the ubiquitious punch thrown into satisfy the local audience. Lal is definitely much more than, but sivans boundary stops there and lal becomes sivan and does ample justice by mellowing down.

There's this one shot in a far-off highway, where hes sitting like a King Dethroned, robbed of pride and glory and yet the director didn't subject the scene to melodrama. Instead he let Lalettan shed a …teardrop ! I love Jilla

It's Pongal season, and time for some new movies. Having never missed any of Vijay's films from the outset, I made my way to a premiere show of 'Jilla' here in SL.

A typical mass masala type movie once again. Nothing new to Vijay definitely. The first half is full of comedy, and with Vijay as the lead actor, we definitely know that it's a treat to watch his comedy acts. That's definitely a plus to the movie. Towards the middle, some really emotional scenes, that definitely tends to move the crowd to silence in the theater. And an action packed, all star ending to seal the movie.

Upside? Good comedy by Vijay himself, no doubt. Some good father-son and family scenes. And good BG music too. The songs are sure a hit. Action packed, with a few twists here and there. And since it's Vijay and Mohanlal we are talking about, the acting is definitely too good and very enjoyable.

Downside? Soori hasn't been used enough for comedy. In Velayudham it was a better performance. And the heroine, Kajal's character too has been rushed. As the main female lead, I guess she deserved some more juice in the plot. And the length of the movie. That's the biggest fail. It goes on for more than 3 hours. I feel they could have cut down a bit on the unnecessary parts.

So what's the verdict? 7 is my rating. Not as superb as Thuppaki was. But it's above Thalaiva for sure. A sure Pongal treat for the die hard Vijay fans. And a decent watch to the other neutrals, to enjoy with the family as well.