Jigarthanda DoubleX

What a powerful heartfelt movie from Karthik Subbaraj, a true love letter to cinema and cinephiles.

Don't go in expecting another Jigarthanda. It's so much more than that. Where Jigarthanda was how art can influence a person, Double X is about art influencing society, building up to a really powerful ending (quite a few people teared up at the end).

KS weaves multiple genres together of action, crime, drama, comedy, thriller together like it's nothing. Finally, Raghava Lawrence demonstrates that he is an actor and not a joker, what a comeback after the Chandramairu 2 (what was that movie)

I'll make this longer later. It's just truly amazing. A real 'wammala ithan da cinema' moment; so far best Tamil film of the year.

Boss is back🔥once a GURU always a GURU🔥. Mass Comeback of Karthik Subburaj, what a story & writing. Story, Screenplay & Direction is litt.

Speaking of the Cinematography it's mind-blowing, framing, composition, lighting, colors, art everything is perfect ⚡. Story will keep you engaging throughout the film there's a slight 10-20mins lag in the 2nd half.

Acting & Dialogues: For the first time I felt like someone overshadowed SJ Suryah, what a performance by Lawrence. His acting will make you stunning.

Editing & VFX is sooo realistic, clean and perfect.

Song & BGM: Santosh Narayan and his beats, BGM and Music is littt the songs & beats makes you dance.

The Story is meaningful it has a reason, message and content in it. Worth watching it.

Enna nge periya LCU, enga Thalaivar Karthik Subburaj theriyuma!

Lokesh Kanagaraj should learn more from his GURU.

I will not hesitate to keep the Music for this film at the first place. The best element of the movie. Extremely talented musician Santosh Narayanan has elevated each and every scene of the movie with powerful and contentful score.

Acting of each and every cast in the movie is top notch ,Especially SJ suriya and Lawrence.

Direction and script are really very good. Hats off to the team.

Some drawbacks: First half might make the audience a bit not attached to the movie but second half is another level.

This movie is a mixture of Mass, comedy,thrill and social message. A must watch threatrical experince movie.

We've had some banger movies out of Kollywood in 2023, and this just might be my Tamil movie of the year. I was skeptical of a Jigarthanda 'sequel' when this was announced and wasn't sure what to make of the casting, but was blown away by what I watched.

You can write a story about a given topic/around a message, and a good story should be enough for the film. Making a movie about making movie about the same story could almost feel..."Why? Keep it simple & not complicate the plot. Just make it about the message." But no, JDX disagrees. It want's to do what's tough.

Writing/Direction - Easily some of the best work I've seen in recent times. The movie has so many layers that have been written in very seamlessly. I enjoyed the first film, even though I didn't like the transition of tone/genre. I knew JDX would be doing the same, but damn, I didn't expect them to 'use cinema to bring forth change' the way they did. Loved how they went back and forth on what 'shooting' means to different people in the film. I didn't expect the messaging to be hard-hitting and yet, no on-the-nose. Didn't think you could blend of genres this way, but they did.

Raghava Lawrence - role of a lifetime! It's not often that you can steal the show with SJ Surya (who was also really good) in it, but this guy managed it. You've got to watch it to believe it. Support cast - really good.

Music - Santhosh Narayanan and his work elevate almost every scene of the film beyond expectation, especially the ones that are supposed to hit hard. It was very refreshing to listen to his genre of music after continuous bombardment of Anirudh songs, only sung by him, mostly about hero-worshiping.

Cinematography - especially the first half - top notch. The lighting and the colors deserve a special mention. I was bummed out that the 2nd half didn't look as vibrant, but I understand why it was done that way.

I could go on and be more specific, but that would potentially spoil things for you...sooo...Don't miss this film! I'd be very surprised if this doesn't win a bunch of awards next year. Based on how technically epic this film, on the commentaries on various things, and simply based on how well they tell the story of the power of cinema through cinema, this would be in the top 10 Indian films of 2023 to submit for Oscars. I know I haven't watched many other GOOD Indian movies this year, but boy if they sent this film, I don't think I'd disagree one bit!

Solid Cinematic Experience: This film delivers a solid cinematic experience. While not reaching mind-blowing or masterpiece status, it stands comfortably above average.

Impressive Direction and Performances: Karthik Subbaraj's direction shines, and S J Surya's performance is killer. The last half hour is a blast, adding a memorable touch to the overall viewing experience.

Well-Told Storyline: The storyline, though not super gripping, is well-told, with some scenes hitting the mark. It weaves together multiple genres seamlessly.

Drawn Out Moments: Despite occasional drawn-out moments, the movie captures attention with its legit locations, top-notch cinematography, and vibing background music.

Worth a Watch: In summary, this film is worth a watch, offering a blend of impressive direction, strong performances, and an engaging if not groundbreaking storyline.

8.1.