Lavanya Sinha

Jigra is excellent in theme, soundtrack, and emotions. The sibling bond is shown with full intensity as Satya (Alia) goes through hell and back to save her younger brother Ankur (Vedang) from a death sentence for a false drug abuse case in a fictional country, Hanshi Dao. The film's main idea is engaging, gripping, and interesting as we, as the audience, remain seated for the ultimate outcome of prisonbreak. The soundtrack is used at the correct times, highlighting key scenes in the film while also making the audience cry at Satya and Ankur's difficult and desperate situation. Satya's hell-bent and borderline crazy attitude sometimes looks unsettling. Still, it resonates with all elder sisters who will unquestionably merge heaven and hell for their younger siblings, aka first children. Vedang Raina's portrayal of Ankur's emotions as her younger brother who gets tangled in this serious situation is well done. His dark time in prison around fellow inmates and a Hitler-type jailer looks visibly disturbing. Alia's tight, serious face and Vedang's tensed, fearful demeanor do full justice to their characters. However, the film's negatives are a lack of character depth and a confusing screenplay. There is no information on Satya and Ankur's careers from the beginning. Why did they have a difficult childhood? Why did their father jump from the balcony? If we even excuse that, there is no clarity on what their extended family, who sheltered them throughout growing up, is like. The only information is that they are rich enough to travel in chartered planes. Satya is shown to be working as a staff member at her extended family's wedding, but why is she doing it in the first place, and what kind of staff is she? We don't know. Why is she calling her bade papa 'sir,' we do not know. Much character information was lacking for Satya, Ankur, and others, like their extended family, jailer, and inmates. In Hanshi Dao, she plans to let Ankur escape along with other inmates with an ex-gangster and retired prison police officer of Prisonbreak. At the same time, Ankur and his inmates prepare to flee in parallel. Some scenes look a little messy and inconsistent. The movie is a must-watch for those with siblings, especially for the elder sister and younger brother duo. With emotions running high, an exciting climax, and heart-wrenching scores, Jigra will get in your feels but also show hollowness in technical aspects in some areas. Sometimes, it feels like an extended version of its trailer with a hasty first half without a proper intro. With proper character depth and a better screenplay, this movie could have soared higher; hence, I rate it 3/5. Nevertheless, it is still a fresh watch.