Movie Review | Alia Bhatt Shines in 'Jigra,' But the Film Struggles to Keep Up
It is an Alia Bhatt show. Few mainstream contemporaries have this translucent appearance that can script suffering without saying much. Dimple Kapadia had it. Not this opportunity. Alia, celebrated for wrong films like ‘Gangubai’ and ‘Brahmastra’, every once in a while gives you a heart-wrenching experience. ‘Highway’ was her first announcement. Now she is on the gallop. She is the fulcrum and the gravitas that makes ‘Jigra’ what it is. The problem with director Vasan Bala is that he does not know where to draw the line. His screenplay is suspect and his editor, Prerna Saigal, inefficient. The finale is marred by inept cinematography (Swapnil S.).
As a thriller, you need to be a Hitchcock to keep your viewers glued for 155 minutes and obviously Vasant Bala hopefully has no such pretentions. The length of the film causes singular harm in sustaining viewer interest. In fact, one garners the impression that the finale is so chaotic in content and capture that you are tempted to believe that the jail claustrophobia has infected the crew.
The storyline is simple. Siblings Ankur (Vedang Raina) and Satya (Alia Bhatt) as kids witness their father dying by suicide. They are taken care of by the rich Mehtani family relatives. Soon Kabir (Aditya Anand) and Ankur leave for Hanshi Dao on a project where they are apprehended by the police with “substance”. Jailed, the two youngsters look shocked and life comes to a gruesome halt. The Mehtani family has the wealth to get Kabir off the hook. Ankur, like from his childhood, looks up at big sis for redemption. With all options steadily receding, the only solution is to plan a jail heist. Easier said than done. As an inmate, Ankur has his own set of enemies including co-prisoners and a hate-spewing official (Dheer Hira). Outside, Satya meets up with Bhatia (Manoj Pahwa) and Muthu (Rahul Ravindran) who have their kith in the same prison. How they execute the great escape is what the story is about. It could well have been a two-hour engrossing experience but turns into a tiresome storyteller’s woes and cries.
This notwithstanding, ‘Jigra’ has its moments. Manoj Pahwa and Rahul Ravindran contribute large chunks to keep the human angle. Their individual approach to the characters adds credibility to the narrative. The set of young actors makes appropriate use of their respective screen space.
In the final analysis, if it is Vasant Bala who lets you down, it is Alia Bhatt who helps in the massive rehab of the film. She is more than its mainstay. She is the life and anchor. Mahesh Bhatt dealt with a woman wronged (Sridevi) in a foreign land for drugs, ‘Gumrah’, at a time he was losing his signature rawness. This film could well have been a godsend, a tribute to him. Alia lives every moment: from resolve to resentment, anger to anguish, calm to cream, every emotion comes at a call to her. Arguably one of her best in recent times. For a one-time watch-and-forget, ‘Jigra’ is worth it. Karan Johar, as producer, with his corporate theme could have hemmed it better.
