Jigra movie review

Jigra is an action entertainer headlined by Alia Bhatt. This film is also the first film she signed after the birth of her daughter Raha. This action drama relies heavily on a brother-sister relationship with Alia Bhatt and Archies fame actor Vedang Raina playing orphaned siblings. “Jigra” was written and directed by Vasan Bala. Vasan was the former assistant of director Anurag Kashyap. He later directed the films Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and Monica O My Darling. Vasan co-wrote this film with Debashish Irengbam. Jigra is set in the fictional country of Hanshi Dao, which is largely similar to Singapore.

What is it about?

Satyabhama (Alia Bhatt) and Ankur (Vedang Raina) are orphans who witness their father’s traumatic suicide as children. As an adult, Satya works as a household manager for her wealthy relatives, while Ankur becomes an engineer. When Ankur and his cousin/boss’ son Kabir go to Hanshi Dao to promote a technology startup, Kabir is caught with drugs. In Hanshi Dao, drug offenses are punished with a quick death sentence and there is no leniency. Kabir’s family helps him get out of this mess but they manipulate Ankur to take the fall. Ankur is sentenced to death in an electric chair and Satya rushes to Hanshi Dao to save her brother. How she saves her brother forms the rest of the story.

performances

Jigra is Alia’s show through and through. This is also her first feature-length action role. Satya is a dark, repressed and somewhat traumatized and violent character who only wants to protect her brother and make sure he is safe. Alia nails the emotional arc of Satya perfectly and also aces the action sequences, most of which involve hand-to-hand combat.

Manoj Pahwa delivers an endearing and sympathetic performance in Hanshi Dao as Bhatia, who helps Satya with her plans. Actor and Chi La Sow fame director Rahul Ravindran makes his Hindi debut with Jigra, playing the role of Muthu, a former police officer who wants to get someone out of jail. He plays a jaded but sensible character with reserved facial expressions and measured body language. Newcomer Vedang Raina looks great and sings well but he still needs a lot of work on his performance.

Technical details

Jigra’s production design is full of inspired aesthetics and necessary realism. Most of Hanshi Dao was recreated and shot in Mumbai, and given the budget and original locations, how good the recreation is is commendable. There are some VFX parts in the film that involve the sea and the prison and they look so real that no one will think that they are VFX.

Alia Bhatt’s character Satya only wears masculine outfits such as oversized shirts, jeans and business suits. Fans who like to see the actress in more glamorous attire might be disappointed. The film’s music, which includes a recreation of RD Burman’s famous son Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, hits the right note and keeps the audience humming along long after the credits roll.

Thumbs up

Alia Bhatt
The novelty factor of the story
Production values

Thumbs down

Pacing problems in the script
niche topic
Predictable story

analysis

Jigra has the 80s and 90s template of a traditional, straightforward sibling emotional story. The difference lies in a female protagonist and an alien setting. The story is full of details about Hanshi Dao, his politics and legal system, and why Satya must decide to destroy everything instead of following the rules set by the system.

While the film’s emotional factors keep everyone connected, these Hanshi Dao details might deeply interest some and alienate others. The film is mainstream and niche at the same time.

Jigra is mostly an event based film but the problem is that we know how the film will end so after a certain point the events become predictable. Instead of just taking us through the events, Jigra should have been more of a character drama.

Vasan Bala is definitely a talented and interesting director and it’s nice to see his work getting mainstream attention. The film (2 hours and 35 minutes) feels a bit too long due to its pacing and some of its creative demands.

This could have been worked around to give the audience a fast-paced, exciting experience rather than a gentle, meditative one. In short, Jigra reminds the audience that it is an emotional story and an action story separately, but not together.

Verdict – A fighter with weak drama

Rating: 2/5

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