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Movie Name: Jigra
Directed by: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Aditya Nanda, Manoj Pahwa, Rahul Ravindran
Genre: Action, Drama
Running Time: 153 Minutes
Release Date: 11 October, 2024
Rating:
Production Companies: Dharma Productions, Eternal Sunshine Productions
An emotional action thriller. A series of unfortunate events leads to the sister set out on a journey of excruciating pain, vigour and a will that cannot be bent until her brother is free.
Jigra: Movie Overview
Jigra is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Vasan Bala, who also co-wrote it with Debashish Irengbam. Produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt and Soumen Mishra under Dharma Productions and Eternal Sunshine Productions, it stars Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina. It is an adaptation of Dharma Productions’ 1993 film Gumrah.
Jigra is scheduled for a theatrical release on 11 October 2024.
Satya, a young woman who has endured a difficult childhood, now only has one person left in her life—her brother, who is imprisoned and tortured in a foreign jail. With no other options, Satya must transform into a hero and attempt the unthinkable: break him out of prison and bring him to safety.
The film was announced in September 2023. Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina were cast as the leads. Principal photography commenced by October 2023. In November 2023, Aditya Nanda and Sobhita Dhulipala joined the cast of the film. The film was mainly shot in Mumbai and Singapore before wrapping in February 2024.
The film’s soundtrack, including background scores, is composed by Achint Thakkar with lyrics by Varun Grover. The song “Phoolon Ka Taaro Ka,” originally composed by R. D. Burman and sung by Kishore Kumar, is recreated for the film. It features the original lyrics by Burman and Anand Bakshi, with additional lyrics by Grover, and is sung by Vedang Raina.
The film’s official teaser was released on 8 September 2024.
The film was initially scheduled to release on 27 September 2024, but was later moved to 11 October 2024.
The film’s streaming rights were acquired by Netflix and it will be released after its theatrical run.
Movie Trailer:
Movie Review:
Alia Bhatt emulates Amitabh Bachchan’s intensity; Vasan Bala’s thriller doesn’t let you down
Alia Bhatt has one hooked as a sister on a mission to save her brother in the Vasan Bala film. Vedang Raina compliments her with his presence.
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.
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 along with 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.
Movie Songs:
Song Title: Chal Kudiye
Lyrics: Harmanjeet Singh
Music Composer: Manpreet Singh
Singers: Diljit Dosanjh, Alia Bhatt
Song Title: Tenu Sang Rakhna
Lyrics: Varun Grover
Music Composer: Achint Thakkar
Singers: Arijit Singh, Anumita Nadesan, Achint Thakkar
Song Title: Jigra Title Track
Lyrics: Varun Grover
Music Composer: Achint Thakkar
Singers: Vedang Raina
Song Title: Phoolon Ka Taaro Ka
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi, Varun Grover
Music Composer: R. D. Burman, Achint Thakkar
Singers: Vedang Raina
