Movies have an uncanny ability to shape our perceptions and instill emotions, sometimes in quite unexpected, yet significant ways. For many who grew up in the 1990s, certain films left profound, if peculiar, impacts. As a personal anecdote, I developed an unfounded, exaggerated fear of foreign travel during my childhood. This anxious sentiment was not birthed by a growing understanding of global politics but rather by the nerve-wracking experience of watching ‘Gumrah,’ a Bollywood film directed by Mahesh Bhatt. Featuring iconic actors like Sridevi and Sanjay Dutt, the movie was a thrilling jailbreak drama, oscillating between Mumbai and Hong Kong. Its suspenseful storyline left a lasting mark on me, a testament to its unsettling premise. This irrational fear was so embedded that on my inaugural international flight, I clutched my belongings tightly, wary of the world around me, a legacy of the film’s portrayal of treachery and deceit.
Today, such a lasting influence might be rare, as Vasan Bala’s ‘Jigra’ seems unlikely to evoke the same depth of fear or anxiety in contemporary audiences. While it serves as a modern reinterpretation of ‘Gumrah’—produced with the backing of Dharma Productions and starring Alia Bhatt, the daughter of Mahesh Bhatt—’Jigra’ falls short of capturing the chilling intensity typical of top-tier arrested-abroad thrillers. Unlike Alan Parker’s ‘Midnight Express,’ known for its controversial yet compelling narrative, ‘Jigra’ misses the mark on delivering a comparable emotional resonance. In today’s world swarming with travel influencers, affordable travel options, and an influx of true-crime narratives highlighting the dangers of wandering, one wonders if fictional depictions still maintain their instructive power.
In ‘Jigra,’ Alia Bhatt portrays Satya, a young orphan absorbed with the well-being and protection of her younger brother following their father’s tragic suicide. Raised under the reluctant support of a distantly related uncle, the film brilliantly unfolds the nuances of transactional relationships, a signature strength of Bala as seen in his previous works, ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ and ‘Monica, O My Darling.’ The plot takes a dramatic turn when Ankur (played by Vedang Raina), a tech-savvy novice on his maiden business trip, finds himself wrongly implicated and imprisoned in a fictional East-Asian nation known as Hanshi Dao. Desperate to save her brother from the severe penalty imposed on drug suspects—death by electrocution—Satya embarks on a daring mission, teaming up with retired gangster Bhatia, played by Manoj Pahwa, and ex-cop Muthu, portrayed by Rahul Ravindran, each seeking personal redemption.
The heart of ‘Jigra’ is a tense jailbreak operation, which only enters into active articulation about an hour into the film.
. With time running out and limited diplomatic options available, this unlikely alliance plans an audacious infiltration of a high-security island prison, the defiance and complexity of which seem oddly juxtaposed against Bala’s typically nostalgic directorial style. It’s almost metacinematic when Bhatia remarks on the complexity of their mission, as if acknowledging Bala’s love for blending reflective nostalgia with action-driven narratives.
Throughout the film, viewers are invited into a cinematic tapestry interwoven with references and nostalgic nods—a characteristic Bala flourish that crafts a homage to cinematic history. The character of Satya morphs into an echo of Amitabh Bachchan’s aggrieved orphan personas, and nods to villains of the Bachchan era punctuate the narrative fabric. Vivek Gomber entertains with a portrayal of an Indian-origin prison warden, reminiscent of vividly realized caricatures from different cinematic cultures. These clever callbacks, though delightful for cinephiles, sometimes overshadow the film’s emotional depth, potentially rendering Bala’s style more as a playful pastiche rather than a cohesive, emotionally resonant story.
Alia Bhatt excels in her role as Satya, her performance capturing the character’s volatility and intense, rocket-like unpredictability as she navigates through unfamiliar experiences. Bala’s depiction of familial loyalty draws inevitable comparisons to Sandeep Reddy’s ‘Animal’ (2023), although Bala maintains a distinctively light-hearted, albeit cautious, approach, displaying reluctance to amplify the intense emotional stakes that Satya shoulders. A pivotal scene, wherein Satya contemplates self-harm as a bargaining strategy, only to be dissuaded by more rational voices, highlights the director’s ambivalent commitment to fully exploring the darker narrative alleys. Vedang Raina also captivates with his performance as Ankur, bringing depth and endearing qualities to his character. Yet, one can’t help but wish for a more focused narrative entirely through Satya’s lens, as the frequent narrative jumps between Satya’s external endeavors and Ankur’s prison ordeal dilute the overall impact, leading to a somewhat confused overlap of action plans.
‘Jigra’ achieves moments of visual poetry and narrative depth in its quieter scenes, where the chaotic crescendo of its climactic jailbreak sequence feels excessive and clichéd. The arresting beauty of Satya enveloped in the serene ambiance of dawn at a harbor, the subtle expression of sibling affection through basketball, and a poignant reflection of life captured in a restaurant’s still-life, absent of musical accompaniment, all hint at a potential for more restrained storytelling. As audiences anticipate Bala’s next cinematic offering, there’s hope that he will further embrace and develop these moments of introspective silence that genuinely showcase his remarkable talent.
Currently, ‘Jigra’ is available for viewing in theaters.
