Jigra

Jigra, the fourth venture from director, Vasan Bala, is his most lavish creation. But while the film contains some genuine moments of emotions and thrills, it soon outstays its welcome as the narrative sags and drags, making it difficult for us to really care about the central character’s fate.

After the death of their parents, Satya (Alia Bhat) and her younger brother, Ankur (Vedang Raina) are taken in by their affluent businessman uncle, who has a criminal record. Satya works for her uncle and both siblings are treated with a certain degree of reservation. During a business trip to the fictional Asian island town of Hanshi Dao, Ankur and his cousin are stopped by the police for speeding. The officers find a sachet of drugs on Ankur’s cousin, leading to both being arrested. Satya’s uncle sends a family lawyer from India to free his son but the lawyer deceives Ankur into taking the blame. In court, Ankur is sentenced to death by electrocution. The ground beneath Satya’s feet is shaken and she rushes to Hanshi Dao to save her brother…

The biggest failure of Jigra, reminiscent of shades of Naam (1986), Gumrah (1993) and the Australian mini-series, Bangkok Hilton (1989), is its very blueprint, its screenplay. Though Bala and his screenwriter, Debashish Irengbam, craft Satya as a character whose undaunted disposition and unconditional love for her brother are portrayed without any melodramatic overtones, the film’s story is far too focused on elevating the central character, sacrificing the narrative at the altar of hero worship. On a broader level, it is a screenplay of convenience and contrivance, where the protagonist is put into trouble only for the solution to be resolved far too easily and simply. To keep the story racing forward, one obstacle leads to another while the film takes far too many liberties regarding our suspension of disbelief, demanding far more from us than it deserves. Especially in the film’s climax where Satya fights the cops in the jail. The entire sequence feels highly exaggerated as she is just a yellow belt in karate taking on an entire police force. Her agility in pulling off such stunts comes across as an overreach to say the least and by the time the film heads toward its predictable ending, we are left with disinterested exhaustion without empathically caring about Satya’s journey at all.

Performance-wise, it is an out-and-out Alia Bhatt film and it has to be said she delivers and how, raising the film a notch or two. If at all there are the odd moments when we feel for her despite the script’s weaknesses, she brings such convincing depth to Satya, be it as a caring sister or a dynamic combatant determined to save her brother’s life. Vedang Raina as a young and ambitious boy, who learns the harsh realities of life, delivers a decent enough performance, though nothing exceptional.  As Shekhar Bhatia, the father of a jailed inmate who also becomes a kind of surrogate father figure to Satya, Manoj Pahwa breathes life into a role that seems tailor-made for his acting skills. However, Vivek Gomber as Hansraj Landa, the mercurial jail warden, becomes a clichéd character with a caricaturist accent.

The cinematography by Swapnil Sonawane expertly captures the different moods of the film. The editing by Prerna Saigal tries hard to balance the film’s intended frantic energy with the quiet intimacy of the touching moments. However, she is unable to save the film due to the incoherence and shortcomings of the script. The sound design by Kunal Sharma and Achint Thakkar’s background score builds some momentum and does its best to keep the film’s spirit alive. The action choreography by Vikram Dahiya is a highlight while the production design by Mukund Gupta is equally impressive.

Ultimately though, Jigra pulls far more punches than it can land. While the film showcases impressive performances and some stunning stunts, it pushes the boundaries of plausibility and emotional grounding to a degree that ends up majorly undermining its overall impact.

Hindi, Drama, Action, Color