'Jigarthanda Double X' Movie Review
Cast: Raghava Lawrence, SJ Suryah, Naveen Chandra, Nimeesha- Shine Top Chacko and others.
Music: Santosh Narayanan
Cinematography: Thirunavukkarasu
Producer: Karthikeyen Santhanam, Kathiresan and Alankar Pandian
Writer - Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Karthik Subbaraj created a sensation with 'Pizza' and his movies showcase his immense talent. But he is unable to deliver a complete blockbuster from a long time as his movies like 'Petta', 'Mercury', 'Jagame Thandhiram' and others did not meet the expectations. His OTT release 'Mahaan' was a good hit and he is hoping to continue the form with the sequel of his super hit film 'Jigarthanda'. Named 'Jigarthanda Double X', he has Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah playing the lead roles. Let us see how the film turned out to be.
Story:
Ray Dasan (Sj Suryah) is an SI. He gets caught in a murder case that he didn't commit. Just like him, another three policemen are spending jail time in other cases. DSP (Naveen Chandra) offers them freedom in exchange of killing the persons he wants. The four men were given a task to kill Creaser (Raghava Lawrence), who is a big rowdy. Knowing Ceaser's passion towards films, Ray Dasan gets near him disguised as a director. He says that he wants to make Ceaser's life into a film that allows him to follow the big rowdy every day. But Dasan faces some unusual situations and what happens after that forms the rest of the story.
Analysis:
If we take a list of pathbreaking films in South India, we will definitely name 'Jigarthanda'. Karthik Subbaraj linked a gangster's story to a movie and provided different entertainment to the audience. The way he linked two separate worlds and extracted fun out of it was something the audience never experienced before. The unpredictable nature of the movie attained a cult status for it. People kept Karthik Subbaraj on a pedestal and expected nothing short of a masterpiece from him every time. He failed to achieve the same level of success. With the director unable to impress the audience with other stories, he decided to go back to 'Jigarthanda' to get success. 'Jigarthanda Double X' is not a continuation of the 2014 film but it is kind of a spinoff that reminds you off the famous characters in 'Jigarthanda'. People will be disappointed if they think that 'Double X' in the title means double entertainment. Though there are quite a few sparks in the movie, it is not a perfect movie like 'Jigarthanda'. The movie is three hours long but the director was able to engage the audience for only an hour. The movie should have been 'Jigarthanda ½ instead of 'Jigarthanda Double X'. The 2014 film is all about a gangster who is approached by the director for making a film. He becomes the hero and the film is released in theatres which surprises everyone. The movie's output impresses everyone including the gangster. This is 'Jigarthanda' and it was remade as 'Gaddalakonda Ganesh' in Telugu. Karthik Subbaraj tried to repeat the same format this time too but with a new story. He failed to write strong characters and establish the story well unlike the 'Jigarthanda'. The whole track of four policemen getting targets from DSP is quite strange and how an SI gets trapped in a murder case is also very unconvincing. Above all, the director did not explain the need for the SJ Suryah to become a filmmaker in order to kill the gangster. The naturality in the first part went missing this time and the originality was also lacking.
SJ Suryah was not at all convincing as the filmmaker but Raghava Lawrence was wonderful as the gangster. But he should not be compared with what Bobby Simha did. The entire first half is filled with unnatural scenes and unconvincing storylines. The movie begins to get tighter as the interval approaches. The introduction of new villain and the track of elephants in the forest makes things a lot more interesting compared to the first half. The movie runs at a good pace with engaging twists. Till then, people in theatres were quite clueless regarding the proceedings. It had a lot of loose ends and non-serious scenes. But the director got a hold on the movie in the second half and showed his class in the last 30 minutes. The government planning to take the tribals in the forest out of the picture and how they counter is quite shocking to see. Karthik Subbaraj scored major points with this climax sequence which is on par with his best works. The last half an hour is not just thrilling but also quite emotional as well. But people have to endure a lot of below-par scenes and slow narration till then. Karthik Subbaraj's potential can be seen in quite a few places in this film but he was not able to recreate the same magic as 'Jigarthanda'.
Performances:
People who are bored to death with Raghava Lawrence's loud mass entertainers and horror comedies will have a huge relief with this flick. Karthik Subbaraj showed everyone how Lawrence can be used. Lawrence is a great actor if used properly and he can show a lot of variations. He is perfect as Ceaser in this movie. This is the career-best work of Lawrence as an actor. His getup, screen presence and acting were amazing to watch. SJ Suryah's screen presence too helps the film big time. But his character should have been a bit stronger. It is not on par with the roles he is doing in recent times. We expect a lot from SJ Suryah, especially under Karthik Subbaraj's direction. Performance-wise, it is Naveen Chandra who impresses the most after the two lead actors. He did very well in the DSP role and Shine Tom Chacko has a very small role. Ilavarasu is fantastic and the actress who did the CM character is ok.
Technicians:
Whether it is a hit or flop from Karthik Subbaraj, his brings out the best from his technicians. 'Jigarthanda Double X' is very high on the technical front. Santosh Narayanan gave a fantastic output and the background score is nothing short of brilliant. He elevated normal scenes to another level with his music. His work in the climax portions is extraordinary. Thiru's cinematography is equally good. The visuals are on par with Hollywood flicks at times. Production values are great as usual. Director Karthik Subbaraj tried to make his mark by picking up a very different story. But he tried to match the output of 'Jigarthanda' which did not happen. His prowess is visible during the last thirty minutes but the film would have been on another level if it was maintained throughout. But 'Jigarthanda Double X' is better compared to his previous works. His touch can be seen in some places.
Verdict: 'Jigarthanda' – Not Double X But Half An X
Rating: 2.25/5
Disclaimer : This Review is Just An Opinion of One Person. Please Do Not Judge The Movie Based On This Review And Watch Movie in Theater