‘Jigra’ review: Jailbreak drama is a poor copy of better movies

When her brother is wrongfully accused of smuggling drugs abroad and sentenced to death, Satya (Alia Bhatt) embarks on a mission to break him out at any cost.

• Pooja Chaudhary
• 17 October, 2024

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By: Pooja Chaudhary

THE superb French film Anything For Her (2008), later remade in Hollywood as The Next Three Days (2010), is a gripping race-against-time thriller about an ordinary man trying to break his wife out of prison and escape authorities within three days.

Earlier this year, Bollywood released Savi, a gender-flipped remake where a wife attempts to free her husband from jail. This recently released action drama, Jigra, takes a similar route but with a devoted sister determined to rescue her brother.

When her brother is wrongfully accused of smuggling drugs abroad and sentenced to death, Satya (Alia Bhatt) embarks on a mission to break him out at any cost. However, like Savi, Jigra struggles to maintain believability and tension, leaving behind a stretched narrative that clumsily blends melodrama with over-the-top action. The film starts on a promising note but gradually loses momentum as it becomes predictable, trading emotional depth for clichéd action sequences.

The film’s one saving grace is Alia Bhatt’s spirited performance. Venturing into a new genre, she delivers with her screen presence, dialogue delivery, and even some impressive action scenes. The supporting cast, including newcomer Vedang Raina, also put in solid performances. Unfortunately, these efforts aren’t enough to rescue a film that ultimately feels like a missed opportunity.

Director Vasan Bala had the chance to improve on Savi’s shortcomings, but instead, he delivers a poor imitation that drags on for about 20 minutes too long. Viewers would be better off watching Anything For Her or The Next Three Days, two superior films, rather than these two Bollywood jailbreak misfires this year.