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Jigra

Farhad Dalal Founder
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
3.5 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

The year 2024 has been a low flying one for the Hindi Film Industry, even as you would compare the quality of films dished out by the two industries from South – The Tamil and Malayalam Film Industry. But credit where due – no other industry has written and presented female characters like the Hindi Film Industry this year. Be it the powerful act by Yami Gautam in Article 370, or the sassy performances by the trio of Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon in Crew or even Shraddha Kapoor and the avatar that she was presented with in Stree 2. And with this weekend, there is a new addition to this list with a gritty Alia Bhatt staking her claim with the new Hindi film Jigra. Now a couple of things that I would like to address about the film before I get into a character breakup – the film is NOT an adaptation of the 1993 film Gumrah. Just having the central plot of a jailbreak doesn’t necessarily make it a remake. If that was the case, every cop film out there would be a remake of a remake, if you know what I am saying, just as I digress.

The character of Satya (a terrific Alia Bhatt) is such a complex character that her simplicity lies in her complexity. Her entire angst is solely driven from the love stemming out of her baby brother Ankur (a superb Vedang Raina) for whom she has developed a motherly bond following the death of their father by suicide. This dynamics of hers is devoid of any principles of morality, politics or religion, while willing to go any length to in protecting her baby sibling, be it against her own family members or the government and law of a fictionalized South Asian country called Hanshi Deo, a clever mix of Indonesia, Hong Kong and North Korea. And this sole virtue of hers doubles up as a fuel for the narrative going forward.

 

Story & Screenplay

The gaze of Jigra comprises of two facets – the emotional bond between the brother and sister, and the jailbreak that is plotted, both essentially uttered in the same breath as far as the story of the film is concerned. So you do see the character of Ankur being arrested and having to take the blame in a foreign land that sentences him to death by electrocution for the illegal possession of drugs, an unforgiving crime that he never was party to. In walks his sister Satya (interesting choice of name for someone whose morality starts and ends with her brother), even as she teams up with a retired gangster (an amazing Manoj Pahwa) and a retired cop (a sincere Rahul Ravindran) to plot a jailbreak for her brother, and the loved ones of the folks involved in the ‘operation’.

The trajectory of the drama for me remains mid, primarily because of the predictability of it, even while making way from point A to point B in the narrative (strictly from the skeletal framework of the script). But within that space, there are quite a few concepts that are tapped into, that contributes towards an understated but a searing watch as far as the writing is concerned. The characteristics between Satya and Ankur are laid out early on. Satya is the wiser of the two, fiercely protective of Ankur whom she advices to stay away from their own family members. Ankur is the naive one out of the two, extremely protected and oblivious of how the world functions, who argues with Satya that the family member concerned is more like his own brother. But the hierarchy prevalent in the family is as clear as night and day with Satya working as a staff in her own family function, wherein the members have a rather shifting attitude towards the brother-sister duo, something that comes back to haunt Ankur during his arrest on foreign land.

Some of the most captivating phases of the narrative lay in the plotting sequences of the jailbreak in the first hour, wherein Satya is seen to be planning the exit route for her brother and a couple of other inmates, even as the camera immediately cuts to an imaginary jailbreak in sync with their plan. A little twist in the narrative does threaten to derail their plans too, something that adds well to the intriguing aspects of the drama. But at its core, the film is about the emotional bond between Satya and Ankur that formulates the tender moments of the writing. Be it an instance wherein a worked-up Satya briefly inquires with the prison guard on whether she looks sad before entering the prison to meet Ankur for the first time post his arrest. To Ankur, hiding away his feelings of torture that he has had to endure at the hands of Landa (a brilliant Vivek Gomber probably modelled on the character of Christopher Waltz from the Inglorious Basterds). The writing works on the character dynamics really well to fuel the narrative ahead.

There is also a lot of style in terms of the presentation here, particularly with regard to the character of Satya who is compared to Amitabh Bachchan at regular junctures of the narrative. This was an interesting comparison that gave me a perspective – that this ‘Female’ character wasn’t necessarily written to be powerful but instead a powerful character happened to be a ‘Female’ here. This was particularly true in the second hour wherein the lines of morality blur for Satya, to the point that she finds herself in the midst of a fight with one of her own before having to overcome that obstacle by being forced to kill that person. This was also true for its final act wherein Satya unleashes the Angry Young Woman avatar (another homage to Mr. Bachchan) with her sole intention to rescuing her brother to safety.

In terms of the writing, I quite enjoyed the politics that was explored with respect to the setting of the film. The thread of a ‘revolution’ was briefly hinted at, at various junctures of the narrative before completely going anti-establishment in its final act that reminded me of the finale of the Joker (part 1 not 2). But despite the rescue mission being fleshed out rather well, the predictable trajectory starts catching up with the narrative to the point that the finale felt rather simplistic and devoid of any further stakes in the drama. One could argue that the understated nature of the drama was a virtue in the first place, but the finale needed a little zing (say for instance, a cold-blooded revenge of sorts) to complete the narrative. Nevertheless, the journey of the screenplay coupled with the dynamics of characters is what makes the writing work here, making it a good watch.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues are wonderfully penned here, and they are reflective of the searing sea of emotions that is prevalent in its underlying layer. It is not for nothing that that I say that I am a fan of Achint Thakker and the brand of music that he composes in accordance to the universe of the drama coupled with the setting. Here is an artist who often understands the world so well, be it the songs that reflect the emotions of a character, or the pulsating beats used against the backdrop of an action set-piece or even simply to reflect on the psyche of a character (you see Satya being worked up over the phone even as the walls begin to close in on her with a remarkable musical crescendo to compliment her angst). The music and BGM are outstanding. The cinematography coupled with the lighting is simply exceptional. In fact, the two combine together to form an arc of their own – with frames oozing of pastel shades signifying a calm before the storm, to something of a red hue when the actual storm arrives with a bang. In between, the frames are also reflective of the pensive moods of the drama that make for a wonderful watch. The editing is crisp and sharp while maintaining the cerebral and understated mood of the drama with some interesting interlinked transition shots.

Director Vasan Bala makes a splash yet again with his style of narrative. Not only is it understated with well written characters, it also has a few easter eggs along the way. From naming the prisoners Kim-Ki-Dul, John Woo and Wong-Kar-Wai (prolific filmmakers and a wet dream for every cinephile out there) to using yesteryear’s numbers at crucial junctures in the narrative, the man does it all. What he also does is form an arching presence from a director standpoint that hides a few of the writing flaws along the way. The direction is amazing here.

Performances

The performances are exceptional by the members of the cast. Aditya Nanda as Kabir has his moments to shine. Yuvraj Vijan as Tony, Ankur Khanna as Rayyan and Dheer Hira as Chandan are wonderful actors and each one of them makes their presence felt. Vivek Gomber was an interesting casting choice, a character probably modelled on Christopher Waltz from Inglorious Basterds. And Vivek does an incredible job here by showcasing measured bouts of eccentricity, even though the motivations of the character remained the missing piece of the puzzle. Rahul Ravindran as Muthu is sincere and earnest, while shining really well in combat sequences. Manoj Pahwa as Bhatia oozes of an affable swag that makes his character badass and likeable, both at the same time.

Vedang Raina as Ankur perfectly mixes a range of emotions while emoting wonderfully well during his scenes of torture. There is a quiet charm that he does possess with a level-headed innocence that he showcases wonderfully well through his body-language and expressions. But the star of the show is Alia Bhatt who is phenomenal to witness as Satya, a no-nonsense character whose sole motivation lies in the safety of Ankur, her baby brother. There is an unforced rhythm to her character that is so well tapped into, even while completely transforming into a ‘massy’ avatar without being swayed into it. Her entire arc felt very organic, something that was devoid of any morality wherein Alia delivers a towering performance. This might be the start of the ‘Angry Young Woman’ era.

Conclusion

Despite being slightly flawed with its writing, Jigra marks the rise and rise of the Angry Young Woman in a drama that does pack a solid punch while delving into a range of emotions that ultimately makes for a pretty good watch. Available in a theatre near you.

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