Jailer: 2023 Indian Tamil Black Comedy Action Film Trailer, Review

4to40.com August 14, 2023 Movie Reviews 1,635 Views

Jailer: Movie Name
Directed by: Nelson
Starring: Rajinikanth, Mohanlal, Jackie Shroff, Shiva Rajkumar, Sunil, Ramya Krishnan, Vinayakan, Mirnaa Menon, Tamannaah Bhatia
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Running Time: 168 Minutes
Release Date: 10 August, 2023
Rating:
Budget: ₹ 200 – 240 crore
Production Company: Sun Pictures

Jailer: Movie Overview

Jailer is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language black comedy-action film written and directed by Nelson and produced by Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures. It stars Rajinikanth in the title role, along with Mohanlal, Jackie Shroff, Shiva Rajkumar, Sunil, Ramya Krishnan, Vinayakan, Mirnaa Menon and Tamannaah Bhatia.

The film was officially announced in February 2022 with the working title Thalaivar 169, being the 169th film of Rajinikanth, while the official title Jailer was announced in June. Principal photography began in August 2022 in Chennai and wrapped in June 2023. The music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Vijay Kartik Kannan and R. Nirmal.

Jailer is scheduled to release on 10 August 2023.

Test shoots took place in late July 2022 in Chennai, and principal photography was set to commence on 3 August in Hyderabad. However, the start of filming was indefinitely delayed due to a strike in Hyderabad which was expected to last at least three weeks. Filming ultimately began on 22 August in Chennai. By October, filming was also taking place in Cuddalore. In January 2023, a small filming schedule began in Jaisalmer. The following month, filming began in Mangalore with Sadhu Kokila reported to reprise Yogi Babu’s role in the Kannada version. In March, the climax of the film was shot at Athirappilly Falls, Chalakudy in Kerala. Principal photography was wrapped by 1 June 2023.

The music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander in his third collaboration with Rajinikanth, after Petta (2019) and Darbar (2020) and fourth collaboration with Nelson after Kolamaavu Kokila (2018), Doctor (2021), and Beast (2022). The first single titled “Kaavaalaa” was released on 6 July 2023. The second single titled “Hukum – Thalaivar Alappara” was released on 17 July 2023. The third single titled “Jujubee” was released on 26 July 2023. The album featuring 8 tracks was released on 28 July 2023.

Jailer: Movie Trailer

Movie Review:

Rajinikanth, Nelson make a captivating comeback that majorly works

Though far from perfect, the towering presence of Rajinikanth — along with Nelson’s fortified writing, unique sense of humour and fan service — make ‘Jailer’ a commendable comeback for both the actor and filmmaker

A line from our review of Rajinikanth’s first film, Apoorva Raagangal (1975), goes, “Newcomer Rajinikanth is dignified and impressive.” Even after almost 50 years, the actor has managed to maintain if not multifold that dignity and impressiveness; something that has been etched in his fans’ minds in the form of the “Vayasanalum un style-um, azhagum…” dialogue from Padayappa. It’s this seasoned charisma, along with filmmaker Nelson’s quirky touches, that make their latest collaboration Jailer an enjoyable entertainer.

In the film, the veteran actor plays Muthuvel Pandian, a retired jailer who spends his time helping shoot videos for his grandson’s YouTube channel. When his son Arjun (Vasanth Ravi), a conscientious cop, digs deep into an idol smuggling racket, trouble knocks on Muthu’s door. Blaming the situation on his honest ways that have apparently rubbed on his son, Muthu steps back into a world he voluntarily took a break from.

Apart from fantastic visuals, wacky humour, and lead characters sporting deadpan faces, all of Nelson’s previous three films have had rather simple plots that are accentuated by the director’s nifty ideas; Jailer is no different. In fact, Jailer might feel similar to Thangappathakkam (1974) to senior audiences while the youngsters are sure to be reminded of Kamal Haasan’s latest hit Vikram. Both the recent films, apart from featuring the legendary stars in age-appropriate characters, are about men who were once officials in service but are now out for blood, with their trusted connections, to avenge their son’s fate. But the similarities stop there, as Vikram is a page from a cinematic universe… while Jailer is a cinematic universe compressed into one feature. Nelson packs Jailer with a host of characters and despite limited screen space for almost all of them, they almost fit in perfectly like pieces of a large puzzle.

The biggest pillar of support for Jailer is its racy screenplay and right from the get-go, we’re thrown into the thick of it. Within moments, Muthu is out on a mission and the film shifts to top gear until intermission. It’s in the second half where the film wavers a little into inconsistent territory. While cameos from Mohanlal and Shiva Rajkumar are excellent additions, the same can’t be said about other characters that are introduced in the second half.

Apart from his first film Kolamaavu Kokila, Nelson has also had trouble writing strong female characters and it hasn’t changed in Jailer as well. The much-awaited Padayappa-Neelambari reunion featuring Rajini and Ramya Krishnan (who plays his wife Vijaya) isn’t as sensational as one might have wanted it to be. Meanwhile, Vinayakan does a fantastic job as the menacing antagonist, but his character Varma doesn’t end up being an equal foe to Muthu. Moreover, for all the righteousness that Muthu bats for, his flashback glorifies custodial violence.

What makes the rest of the film palatable are Rajinikanth’s sheer presence and Nelson’s unique sense of humour and fan service, which, unsurprisingly, transcends the boundaries of mere fandom. Nelson’s love for the Breaking Bad series has been evident from his previous three films and in Jailer too, the inspirations have inconspicuously seeped in. Muthu’s character shares a number of similarities to Mike Ehrmantraut, one of the hit series’ fan-favourite characters. Even Varma’s underground den reminds one of the super lab beneath the industrial laundry and the ‘use of acid to dispose of bodies’ trope is a clear reference to the series. Easter eggs to Rajini films are aplenty; like the mentions of Baasha, a scene pandering to Rajini’s snake ‘sentiment’, a callback to his iconic ‘Na oru thadava sonna’ line, and even his character name Muthuvel Pandian being a blend of two of his iconic characters, Muthu and Alex Pandian. Not only are these gratifying but double as a hat-tip to the nostalgic magical moments of cinema many of us grew up watching.

Add to that are some decent action sequences that are emphasised by Anirudh’s banger score and scintillatingly shot by Vijay Kartik Kannan; there are a number of mass sequences too that we missed in Nelson’s previous film Beast. Rajini’s last two films, Annaatthe and Darbar, were also underwhelming, to say the least, which explains why they tread on safe grounds for most of this outing.

Jailer might be far from perfect, but with the towering presence of Rajinikanth standing tall along with Nelson’s fortified writing, this is a commendable comeback for both the actor and filmmaker.