A song titled ‘I got the fire’ plays in the background as Satya (played by Alia Bhatt) decides to use fire for her brother Ankur’s (played by Vedang Raina) escape from prison. There’s an Amitabh Bachchan reference in another scene, which immediately makes it plausible that if he can defeat an entire gang of goons, a petite Alia too can kick some serious a** on screen. (Also read: Jigra Twitter reactions: Fans think ‘nobody can come close’ to Alia Bhatt, praise Vasan Bala for ‘emotional’ film)
Jigra, extremely self aware as a film, makes a serious case for being one of the best thrillers churned out in Hindi cinema, with emotions at the core of it. It revolves around Satya, who has been orphaned since a young age alongwith little brother Ankur. Extremely protective of him, she lives with a distant, rich relative, where she works as his staff. Ankur is an engineer, and proposes a plan to their uncle, who agrees to invest, with an unsaid clause that his son will be a partner. They go to Hanshi Dao (a fictional country, but akin to North Korea because Satya remarks at one point later in the story that there’s a penalty for laughing and crying too) to meet another investor, and while speeding, are caught by the police. Ankur’s cousin is found in possession of drugs, and they are immediately jailed. Punishment for drug possession in that country is death by electric execution. Ankur is framed by his cousin and lawyer, and now he has three months left for his execution. Satya immediately leaves for Hanshi Dao- but gets no legal help. You know she isn’t going to let her little brother die. What she does next is the rest of the story.
What works for Jigra
It’s a taut thriller, which hits the right notes. Vasan Bala, the director has absolute control over the pace, and oh boy is it delicious. The setting changes from India to Hanshi Dao, and it’s as smooth as butter. No jarring shifts. There’s a slight monotony that seeps in the second half, when the escape plan being hatched by Satya, Bhatia (played by Manoj Pahwa) and Mithu (Rahul Ravindran) faces setbacks. It might get a bit tough for some viewers to keep up with the multiple things unfolding, but Vasan has taken care of even that with a dialogue. Bhatia remarks to Mithu as they are discussing the jailbreak plan, “Yeh bauhaut complicated hai, isko aasaan bana,” to which Mithu replies, “Yeh masala movie thodi hai, yeh complicated hai.” Masterstroke!
Keep a tissue handy too. Because when you aren’t on the edge of your seat, you are shedding a tear. The bond between the brother and sister is emotional from the word go, and with extremely convincing acts it takes things a notch higher.
How the performances fare
Which brings us to the acting department. Alia is a special talent, who proves that she has a lot of ‘jigra’-she has co produced the film. Being vulnerable, audacious (synonym for Jigra) in her desperation to save her brother as time is running out, Alia has you hooked. And then there’s the chemistry she shares with Vedang. He compliments her wonderfully with his easy presence. This guy has the face card and also the acting chops. Manoj Pahwa is a surprise package, and makes you smile the minute he appears on screen. Props to the makers for not reducing him to a comic relief. His role actually holds a lot of weight.
And a big shoutout to Achint Thakkar, whose background music keeps you highly engaged.
Jigra, to sum it up, is a well-made thriller, which though a bit predictable in parts, doesn’t let you down. Satya’s ‘jigra’ makes you wish you too were under her protection.
