The 'damsel in distress' has been the blueprint in Indian films for decades now. Despite the language and region divides, the male hero has been the subject of worship among the fans for pulling off rescue acts against heavy odds, and often by defying logic. With the right casting and a tight script, the template (with tweaks here and there) still sells, as some of the recent biggest hits in Indian cinema like Bahubali, RRR, KGF, Jawan or Pathaan have proved.
So, what does director Vasan Bala do? He uses the time-tested template, which is perhaps as old as Amitabh Bachchan himself, and reverses the roles (doffing his hat to the OG 'Angry Young Man'). Tadaa!
Agreed that Alia Bhatt is currently one of the most bankable stars in Bollywood. And she has carried off a whole film single-handedly in the past. But, Jigra is no Gangubai Kathiawadi or Raazi. At its heart is a close-knit bond between a brother and an over-protective elder sister, who are orphaned at a young age. The whole story revolves around them—how the brother, Ankur Anand (Vedang Raina) falls into trouble in a foreign country, and the sister Satyabhama (Alia Bhatt) moves heaven and earth to try and save him from the jaws of death.
Pretty simple, right? But, what was supposed to be the central theme of the film, proves to be its undoing. Jigra fails to establish the relationship between the brother and the sister. There's hardly any depth to the characters of Ankur and Satya, or hardly any insight into why Satya is the way she is. The film rushes in, where it should have treaded carefully, and purposefully.
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The writing lets the film down in several places. There is too much of incoherence and convenience from the moment Satya steps on to the chartered flight from India to Hanshi Dao, where Ankur is imprisoned on drug charges, and is awaiting death penalty.
Was Bala in a hurry to get to the thrills? If so, the film falls flat there, too. Even a chaotic prison break does little to help the tempo. There are far too many loose ends, especially when it comes to Satya. As a result, what she says and what she does, hardly seem convincing. Alia Bhatt has made an earnest effort to portray Satya, but the characterisation is so weak, that even an actor of her calibre fails to lift it to the levels expected. The over-protective Satya may remind one of Safina from Gully Boy. But Satya seems like a stranger, without a proper character arc.
The same applies for Ankur, but not to the extent it does for Satya. Vedang Raina has done a commendable job, but he has miles to go. Two actors, however, who shine are Manoj Pahwa (as Shekhar Bhatia, Satya's partner-in-crime) and Vivek Gomber (as jail warden Hans Raj Landa). Pahwa's experience shows as he effortlessly slips into the role, and lightens the mood, too. Gomber, on the other hand, holds up the 'villain' front, while staying within the rules. Literally. One cannot help but feel sorry for the lazily-written end for Landa.
Interestingly, one song that comes to our minds when we think of an onscreen brother and sister is the evergreen Phoolon Ka Taron Ka from the Dev Anand-Zeenat Aman-starrer Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and its remixed version does make an apearance in Jigra. If only Bala, who has impressed in the past with Raman Raghav 2.0 and Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, had imbibed the soul of the song, too, in his film, Jigra would have been a winner.
Film: Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Vivek Gomber and others
Rating: 2.5/5