Jigra Movie Review: Alia Bhatt Shines in a Powerful Action Drama About Sibling Bond

‘Jigra‘ is a powerful action film, in which Bollywood’s famous actress Alia Bhatt is seen in the lead role. This film is special for her as it is the first film signed after the birth of her daughter Raha. The story of this film is based on the relationship between brother and sister. Alia Bhatt and ‘Archies’ fame actor Vedang Raina are playing orphan brother and sister in this film. The film is directed and written by Vasan Bala, who has previously directed films like ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ and ‘Monica O My Darling’. Vasan has written this film along with Debashish Irengbam. The story of ‘Jigra’ is set in a fictional country ‘Hanshi Dao’, which looks a lot like Singapore.

What is the story of the film?

The story of ‘Jigra’ is about two orphan siblings named Satyabhama (Alia Bhatt) and Ankur (Vedang Raina). Both of them witness their father’s tragic suicide in their childhood, which changes their lives forever. Growing up, Satyabhama works as a housekeeper in the house of her rich relatives, while Ankur studies engineering. One day, Ankur and his cousin Kabir go to a country called ‘Hanshi Dao’ to give a presentation of a startup, but Kabir gets caught in a drug case there. In ‘Hanshi Dao’, crimes related to drugs are punished with immediate death, and there is no scope for pardon. Kabir’s family manages to save him, but they save themselves by implicating Ankur in the case. Ankur is sentenced to death on the electric chair, and Satyabhama reaches ‘Hanshi Dao’ to save her brother. How Satyabhama saves her brother from this punishment is the rest of the story of this film.

Acting in the film

‘Jigra’ is completely Alia Bhatt’s film. In this film, Alia is seen in a full-action avatar for the first time. Her character Satyabhama is full of deep and painful emotions and can go to any extent to protect her brother. Alia has portrayed Satyabhama’s emotional journey very well and her action sequences are also very impressive. Alia has done most of the hand-to-hand fighting scenes herself, which shows her strength and bravery very well.

Manoj Pahwa has done a great job as ‘Bhatia’, the person who helps Satyabhama. At the same time, actor and ‘Chi La Sau’ fame director Rahul Ravindran has played the character of ‘Muthu’ in the film, who is a former police officer. His acting is simple and restrained, which makes the story of the film even stronger. At the same time, new actor Vedang Raina has done a good job in the role of Ankur, but he needs to work more on his performance.

Technical aspects

The production design and set design of ‘Jigra’ are very close to reality. Most of the scenes in the film are shot in the fictional country of ‘Hanshi Dao’, and it has been recreated very well in Mumbai itself. Creating such sets in this budget is commendable. There are also some VFX sequences in the film, which make the sea and prison scenes look very real. The VFX work in these parts of the film is so accurate that the audience cannot guess whether they are real or computer-generated.

Alia Bhatt’s character Satyabhama in the film is seen in completely masculine clothes, such as oversized shirts, jeans and business suits. Alia’s fans who like to see her in a glamorous look may find this film a bit different. The music of the film is also very special, which includes a recreation of RD Burman’s famous song ‘Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai’. This song leaves a mark in the hearts of the audience and people keep humming it even after the film ends.

Positive aspects of the film

• Brilliant acting by Alia Bhatt
• Unique story of brother-sister relationship
• Excellent production and set design

Negative aspects of the film

• The pace of the film is a bit slow
• Some parts may be a bit complicated for the audience
• Some parts of the story become a bit predictable

Analysis

‘Jigra’ is an emotional story like the films of the 80s and 90s, where the brother-sister relationship is prominently shown. The foreign backdrop and female-dominated story in the film make it a bit different. However, the story becomes a bit predictable as the end of the film is already known. There are a lot of events in the film, but there is a lack of emotional drama, which could have made the film stronger.

Vasan Bala is a talented director, and it is a good thing that his films are getting a place in the mainstream. However, the pace of the film is a bit slow, which makes the film seem a bit long. Some creative decisions slow down the pace of the film, which may make the audience a little uncomfortable.

Verdict

‘Jigra’ is a good action film in which the brother-sister relationship has been beautifully depicted. Although the film has some flaws, Alia Bhatt’s strong acting and excellent action sequences make it worth watching once. The story of the film has a good balance of both emotion and action, but the film becomes a bit weak in mixing both together.

Rating: 2.8/5

Also Read: Why Entertainment is Important in Our Daily Life