Jigra REVIEW: Alia Bhatt & Vedang Raina’s jailbreak saga is full of ‘jigra’

Film:
Jigra

Director: Vasan Bala

Writer: Vasan Bala, Debashish Irengbam

Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Manoj Pahwa, Rahul Ravindran, Jason Shah, Ankur Khanna

Run Time: 155 minutes (2 hours, 35 minutes)

Platform: In theatres

Jigra Review

Directed by Vasan Bala and starring Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina in lead roles, Jigra is Bollywood’s latest offering that’s solely centred on the strong bond shared between a brother and sister. The actioner is centred on Satya (Alia) and her determination to free her younger brother Ankur (Vedang) from death by electrocution in a foreign land. In Jigra, Satya and Ankur are each other’s worlds and the elder sister proves she will break down all walls and take a bullet to her chest to save her brother. Their bond is so strong that you can’t help but root for them to succeed and reunite as Satya plots a daring escape for Ankur.

Does Satya manage to save her brother? What does she need to sacrifice to reunite with her only family? Does she succeed or lose along the way? To know the answers, one needs to watch Jigra in theatres and here’s our honest review of the film.

What Works

Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina’s bother-sister bond is the highlight of this Vasan Bala directorial. Aside from acting, the narrative too is impressive and manages to immerse into this world of sacrificing everything to reunite with your loved ones.

What Doesn’t Work

Some scenes fail to create the necessary bond with the audience as they are overshadowed by predictable plot twists or lacklustre dialogue.

Technical Analysis

Story & Screenplay

Written by Vasan Bala and Debashish Irengbam, the narrative is impressive and immersive from the get-go. The writing – which focuses both on the bond shared between Satya and Ankur as well as their attempts to break out of jail, is commendable despite having a couple of predictable twists and turns. Making sure the core of the film is not sidelined during its entire runtime, the plot divulges only tit-bit information about their childhood and growing up years where deemed fit. A bit more backstory of their lives with extended family post the demise of their parents would have been greatly appreciated.

Direction

Vasant Bala has made an impactful theatrical debut and deserves a round of applause for it. The director has successfully captured the raw emotions of a brother and sister who are each other’s world and are willing to do anything to be by each other’s sides. Not just the leads, Vasant has hit the bullseye by capturing the prison atmosphere, the province of China’s Hanshi Dao and the festivities of the locality.

Jigra Star Performances

Alia Bhatt impresses as Satya Anand. Having grown up with no one but her younger brother, Alia beautifully portrays the fierceness expected from a Mama Bear – in this case the elder sister. The actress’ ability to portray the raw emotion and fierce determination of her character as well as a subtle psychotic streak is impressive.

Vedang Raina – who made his acting debut in The Archies, has proved he knows how to act with his performance as Ankur Anand. From being a carefree younger brother to emoting the pain an inmate faces when nearing their execution is impressive. That being said, Vedang still has room for improvement and to refine his skills more.

Vivek Gomber as OIC Hansraj Landa makes you hate him and this is one of the biggest praise the actor can receive. Manoj Pahwa and Rahul Ravindran perfectly bring to life their characters as they both support and oppose her jailbreak ideas. Ankur Khanna, Jason Shah and Yuvraj Vijjan make your hearts tough with their performances as the inmates on death row.

Conclusion

Jigra is a must-watch in theatres, to enjoy Alia Bhatt in her Mama Bear era as she delivers both an emotional and action-packed performance. While Alia did deliver a commendable performance with emotional intensity, overall, the film falls short owing to a predictable screenplay.

Watch the trailer of Jigra here:

Also Read: Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video REVIEW: This Rajkummar Rao and Tripti Dimri starrer CD should have stayed lost