Vasan Bala directorial Jigra hit theaters on Friday, putting an end to fans’ excitement for the Ali Bhatt-starrer prison action thriller. The reviews pouring in herald the new acting territory of the versatile Bollywood actress.
Jigra’s plot revolves around the circumstances between siblings Satya (Alia Bhatt) and Ankur (Vedang Raina). The films navigate through the journey of the heroine, Alia, into rescuing his brother, who was falsely framed in a drug peddling case with a potential punishment of the death penalty awaiting.
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Many in social media as well as the mainstream media praised Alia’s fiery performance, noting the strength she showed in an angry mood. The reviews also appreciated the performance of Vedang Raina and the supporting cast, including Manoj Pahwa and Rahul Ravindran.
Observing Aliá’s performance in the movie, India Today noted the actress shined brightest in her role while calling the movie dull. The media house noticed that Alia’s performance in Jigra is a departure “from her chiffon-clad avatar in Rocky Rani or even the unfiltered Gangubai”, and she explored new spheres, taking out organic and real acting prowess.
However, the news portal opined the film could have been much better if the story was not linear. “The brother-sister angle around which the crux of the entire film hangs is so feeble that it doesn’t take too long for the thread to break,” it noted, adding that the audience knew where the climax was heading.
Media organization Money Control also called the prison break thriller simplistic and predictable, but for its own good. It noted that what does not work for Jigra is how simplistic its commentary on class privilege and feminism is, in addition to being predictable. The media house opined the movie does not offer anything unique, ending with a note, “Watch if you wish to see Alia Bhatt be all badass and beat up guys in an oversized shirt.”
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Reviewing the movie, The Financial Express called both the performance and plot mediocre. While the media house admits that the movie does have its own moments of brilliance with Ali shining in certain scenes, it highlights the movie’s struggles to maintain the momentum and the scrip as well.
“While Alia Bhatt delivers a commendable performance and certain scenes resonate with emotional intensity, the overall impact is diluted by a flawed screenplay,” observes the media house.
Analysing the movie, news portal Timeline Daily too echoes a similar view that the Jigra maintains predictability, though Alia tries her best to stay afloat as the lead actor.