Rating: 3.5/5
Jigra features Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina and is one of the year’s most-awaited films. The very first teaser and then the trailer, showed us that this is the kind of collaboration we didn’t know we needed. With Vasan Bala at the helm, you truly know that it will be a one-of-a-kind film and there are no two ways about it. Is the Alia-Vedang starrer worth the hype around it? Well, let’s find out in this honest movie review of Jigra.
Does ‘Jigra’ live up to its name?
Jigra is a movie that takes you through a layer of emotions. The initial setting of the film is very typical, but then it frays away. When it’s time for Alia and Vedang aka Satya and Ankur to stay with their door ke rishtedaar, there’s of course drama, but then what follows is worse. It’s been established through the trailer as well as the first few minutes of the film that Satya is the protector because she is older. So when Ankur is in trouble, she is hell-bent on getting him out of jail, and guess what? She does! And that’s what makes the film.
This is not just another story about jailbreak, so to speak, it does have a few loose ends but not every movie can be a Money Heist, isn’t it? However, the treatment that Vasan and co-writer Debashish Irengbam have given, works in the film’s favour. I am not saying that the movie doesn’t have pacing issues or any flaws, but so long as it has you engrossed, gives you solid performances and is leading somewhere, it is a worthy watch for an action-thriller with drama.
Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina do well
The performances are good, and there’s no doubt about that. With every film that I see Alia Bhatt take up a new avatar for, she truly amazes us. She’s not just a star, but also a performer, and that’s something that will always be her set apart factor for all the work she has ahead. Be it emotional scenes or one that’s intense, or even being strongheaded, she aces every bit of Satya, like her own. Vedang as Ankur, is naive, and you can see every bit of it through the screens, for good. He is shown to be that younger brother, and not just a big boy who refuses to grow up.
After seeing him in IC 814, I thought I’d seen all of Manoj Pahwa, but well, this one’s another short and sweet supporting role from him, one that makes you want to go hug him (for multiple reasons). He plays Prakash, a retired gangster, who is trying to get his son out of prison (also with Vedang’s Ankur), and his first encounter with Alia’s Satya is an absolute treat, again, for multiple reasons. Apart from him, there’s Rahul Ravindran, and Aditya Nanda, among others, who do their thing too, the former, a little more than the latter. Meanwhile, Vivek Gomber, who plays the jailer, is one character who you think might come to the good side at some point, but alas, he doesn’t. Nonetheless, wait up for the climax because it gets interesting there!
Slow-paced in bits but never falters
The storyline of Jigra keeps you engrossed, and that’s one thing about any action thriller that needs to be on the table and be served right. The first half of the film does have pacing issues, but it is nothing you can’t ignore, thanks to everything else that follows. However, it’s not like the film doesn’t leave any loose ends, one of them being – where did the family go? Clearly, they did not care enough, but to be completely out of the picture? That’s one question that I did have, and some other loose ends that you are likely to find in probably any film about jailbreak.
The power of Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina’s Jigra lies in the execution, minus the few loose threads that don’t come together. It is one emotional ride that’s high on adrenaline, with solid performances, and just enough drama.
Our verdict on ‘Jigra’
All in all, you don’t want to miss the movie. The climax is anti-climatic and yet, it isn’t. The final scene is rather wholesome as the ‘freedom’ is set against this beautiful backdrop of a sunrise, which I believe also has a larger poetic meaning to it (and I love it). The emotions from throughout the film come together in these last few moments and honestly, it makes you feel so many things, but mostly, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment, similar to how Alia’s Satya and company might feel, and that’s a job well done by everyone in the team.
Lead and social image credits: Dharma Productions
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