Jigra Review: Alia Bhatt As A Fearless Sister in Vasan Bala's Thriller

RATING - ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5*

Jigra Review Movie Talkies :

Vasan Bala's Jigra is a challenging film for many reasons, but the main reason is the way it deals with emotions. A siblings drama and a jailbreak thriller hardly came together in a single narrative, and Jigra manages to pull off this challenge very smartly. We can feel the tension while emotions are cleverly mixed with thrills, and this combination makes Jigra truly special. Vasan Bala's direction adds a classy layer for the urban cine lovers, who have been adoring the prison escape thrillers for years.

Satya (Alia Bhatt) and her younger brother Ankur (Vedang Raina) have lost their mother and father in childhood. Satya is working as an event manager for her Bade Papa, while Ankur is an engineer looking for a break. The Bade papa gives him that break, but for that he has to travel to Hachi Dau city with his stepbrother. The two brothers are arrested by local cops for carrying drugs, and the city has strict laws against it. The bade papa makes Ankur a scapegoat and frees his son, and Satya decides to go to Hachi Dau to save her brother.

Vasan Bala and Debasish have written the story that has heart and soul but lacks certain USP that would have taken the film to a whole new level. The first half of the film is very engaging. Bala and Deba bring style, substance, class, and thrill together to form a solid mixture. However, it loses the momentum in the second half. It could have been better considering the amazing grip of the pre-interval portion. It's just about building expectations around a certain story that we already know or can predict. The stylized storytelling, along with the classy background score, gives it a chance to stand steady.

Alia Bhatt shines as a fearless sister who will listen to no one. The idea of an angry young woman is pretty new for us as far as female-led cinema is considered. Bhatt gets into the skin of the character and unleashes a female beast that hasn't been seen before in this manner. Vedang Raina was impressive in all those jail scenes, but that torture scene of salt lashes took our breath away for a moment. Manoj Pahwa supported them well, and Rahul Ravindran as Muthu was quite a surprise.

The technical aspects are good, and you have to give a special mention to the chilling background score. Swapnil Sonawane's cinematography has got some amazing frames for you, and most of them are top views. The music is situational and brings all those emotions through lyrics and tunes. Bala must have worked hard on the edit, as we can see the merging of two scenes is damn creative. It's mind-blowing to see two scenes getting merged like this and that too without losing the visual connection. Speaking of direction, this was a new kind of attempt for Vasan Bala since his last films were all about humorous narration. Jigra couldn't be that because it is a dark, thrilling, and action-packed affair. Yet he has done a fine job, as a few scenes truly stood out as the best we have seen this year. A little shorter runtime would have helped, but anyways, it's a fine watch. Overall, Jigra should be watched for Alia's fierce avatar as a protector, or better call her Sanki, and the emotional entanglement we see towards the climax. Head towards cinemas this Dussehra weekend for this fearless sister.