Jigra Review: Alia Bhatt Deserves Loudest Cheers, Vedang Raina Stands Out in This Extraordinary Film

Jigra Movie Review: (Warning — potential spoilers ahead) Medically, jigar means liver implying courage. In literature, it stands for heart signifying love. Sometimes, it means a friend, and at others, it’s a term of endearment. And Vasan Bala’s Jigra is a beautiful blend of all of these etymologies. It’s made with and themed on both courage and love, the emotion that comes to the fore when you think of a younger sibling – a baby sister or a brother you can go to any lengths to protect against the temperament of a parent or the harshness of the world. It’s not every day that we get to see Hindi films on sibling love being made. But this Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina starrer more than fills up for this chasm.

Jigra revolves around Satya Anand and her brother, Ankur Anand. Even as children, Satya took it upon herself to guard him from all kinds of atrocities, including bullies at school. And so, one day, when they return home from school and see their dad standing on the fringes of the balcony about to jump off, Satya shuts Ankur’s eyes and hugs him so that he doesn’t grow up with that haunting image of their father and his eyes marked with defeat. Following the episode, their uncle takes them in. Once Satya grows up, she starts working as a senior staff member at her uncle’s hotel.

Ankur, on the other hand, is made to jet off to an international island named Hanshi Dao along with Kabir, their uncle’s son, for a business meeting that is supposed to mark the beginning of their careers. While in Hanshi Dao, Kabir takes Ankur to a part, and on their way back to the hotel, the duo gets caught by the police. On frisking, Kabir is found carrying narcotics. And all hell breaks loose hereon. Kabir’s father chooses to protect his son leading Ankur to take on the blame and get imprisoned as Kabir was already caught in two drug-related cases back in India and a third case against him would put his life and career in a serious jeopardy.

Though Ankur and Satya are promised that he will be brought back to India, safe and sound, three months later, Satya knows in her heart that there’s no truth to this promise. In Hanshi Dao, getting caught for bearing narcotics only means one thing – death by electrocution. That’s when Satya flies off to the island with a plan to bring Ankur out of jail. But it’s no cakewalk. The plan is riddled with thorns and can have unimaginable consequences.

With Jigra, Vasan sticks to his signature motifs and yet walks the path less trodden. Much like Monica O My Darling, Jigra is replete with yesteryear Bollywood songs like Yaari Hai Imaan Mera Yaar Meri Zindagi and Chakku Chhuriyan Tez Kar Lo playing in the backdrop of some very important scenes. The amalgamation of these vintage numbers coupled with highly intense and stressful situations gives rise to extreme quirkiness that will almost crack you up and yet lead you to hold back your laughter because of their gravity.

And like Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, Vasan resorts to a bunch of slow-motion shots amid some fast-paced action sequences, which work like magic. And it’s in this chaos that Jigra revels. However, Jigra’s characters don’t have the eccentricity and odd-ball humour, which otherwise is an integral part of Vasan’s world. We only see a touch of it in Alia’s Satya. In a key scene, she’s seen holding a knife-like object all set to slit her wrist. When stopped, she says that it’s less dramatic and more logical to go through with the act as it’s the only way to save her brother. Alia’s straight-faced expressions in an otherwise uncomfortable and odd situation make the scene an absolute delight to watch.

Jigra is packed with some lovely and memorable moments. While on a private jet to Hanshi Dao, Satya is so nervous, jittery, and miserable that she asks the air hostess (a cameo by Akansha Ranjan) to bring her every food item available. She gorges on them, eating as fast as she can, as she watches an old Hindi film. Before leaving, she goes to the lavatory and vomits out everything she has eaten, staying unfazed all the while, as though it’s a way of life for her. That’s again a scene where you don’t know if you should laugh out loud or hold your thoughts.

In another sequence, a helpless and disillusioned Satya asks a security guard at the prison if she looks sad. When he says yes, she tries to smile and poses the same question to him again. The sorrow in her eyes even as she smiles innocently bears a testament to the seasoned artist that Alia has come to be. And towards the very end, when Satya and Ankur are on a boat in the middle of the sea and she comes before him ready to take a bullet is so poignant that you will end up moist-eyed.

And what a pleasure it is to see a woman playing a saviour! She leaves no stone unturned to bring Ankur out of a hell hole, putting herself through the goriest of situations. She almost makes you believe that she’s immortal. And she doesn’t need anyone to help her. She has a yellow belt in karate, so she can beat up the bad guys. She has a spirit made of iron, so nothing can deter her. And she bears a heart so full of love for her brother that she without batting an eyelid jumps into a building on fire. Satya is truly our answer to all the brawny and pumped up Bollywood heroes we’ve seen saving heroines for decades, only that she’s petite.

Even at 2 hours 35 minutes, Jigra makes for an exhilarating ride. It rarely drops pace and keeps you engaged throughout the narrative. The final jailbreak sequence in the second half will push you toward the edge of your seat and leave you biting your nails. You’ll find yourself wishing and hoping and your heart beating for a bloody and bruised Satya to win against the whole world against all odds. And the background score by Achint Thakkar is like an icing on the cake. The new-age rendition of Phoolon Ka Taron Ka that punctuates the narrative now and then truly tugs at the heartstrings.

Vedang who plays Ankur does a brilliant job too. He manages to hold his own against Alia and is particularly impressive in the jail scenes where he suffers corporal punishment. His scenes with Satya are heartbreaking and are pure gold. The dynamic the duo shares deserves a special mention and kudos to them for elevating an already riveting screenplay with their nuanced and compelling performances! Manoj Pahwa (Bhatia) and Rahul Ravindran (Muthu) are stupendous and they ably support Satya in her endeavours. The grimy combat sequence between Satya and Mathu is stunningly choreographed.

Vivek Gomber after playing the charismatic and chivalrous Sir in ‘Sir: Is Love Enough’ is sure to surprise you as senior officer Hansraj Landa. He’s brutal, cruel and so menacing that you end up hating him. What a flawless performance! And while Jigra may not be a one-woman show, Alia really does deserve the loudest cheers for upping her game, shedding her inhibitions as an actor, shunning the sheen, and proving her mettle once again.

The cinematography and the lighting team do a fantastic job. The red and sepia lighting amplifies the tension with aplomb. Despite being a narrative high on drama, Jigra never once felt theatrical. And the credit for the same goes to both the director and his actors. And while it may remind you of Sanjay Dutt and Sridevi’s Gumrah, Jigra serves as a perfect palate cleanser and gives hope that Bollywood’s good times aren’t over yet. Jigra is audacious, trailblazing, sugar, spice, and everything nice and is a must-watch. Don’t miss this one.