Jigarthanda Double X Review: Inferior Sequel

In a very short span, Tamil director Karthik Subbaraj managed to carve a niche for himself in the Indian film industry, with his unique concepts. He has now come up with Jigarthanda Double X, which is a spiritual successor to his 2014 film Jigarthanda. The film features Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah in the lead roles and also marks Karthik Subbaraj’s first theatrical release after Rajnikanth’s Petta, which was released in 2019. As such, the expectations on the film are high, and let’s see how the film has turned out to be.

Story:

Ceaser is a gangster who aspires to become a major movie star. Jayakrishna is a popular actor with a major political influence in Kurnool, where Ceaser lives as well. Jayakrishna wants revenge on Ceaser as the latter is one of the four gangsters who is responsible for not giving enough number of theatres for Jayakrishna’s movie. As such, he wants all four of them dead. This is when Krupa enters the picture. Who is Krupa, does Jayakrisha see Ceaser die and what happens ultimately forms the rest of the story.

On-Screen Performances:

Raghava Lawrence as the gangster Ceaser, and as someone who wants to become a bonafide movie star, has given a good performance. His performance in the film is a lot better than his performance in recent films. This character brings out his own body language and mannerisms a lot better and has given him a lot of scope to do his own thing and once again exhibit his talent properly. It is also a breath of fresh air to see Lawrence in a different genre other than the horror-comedy genre, in which he is regularly typecast.

SJ Suryah as the filmmaker, with a hidden motive, has put forth his best foot, once again, and has given a power-packed performance. The scenes where his character Krupa introduces himself to Ceaser is one of the major highlights of the film. He is a treat to watch throughout the film.

Shine Tom Chacko plays the lead antagonist of the film but doesn’t have a lot to do. Within what he has been given, has done a great job.

The other supporting cast members, including Naveen Chandra, Nimisha Sajayan, Sathyan, and others, all do well in their roles.

Off-Screen Talents:

Karthik Subbaraj’s best film to date, according to popular opinion and that of critics as well, has been Jigarthanda. While Petta was a good film too, Jigarthanda had a more widespread impact and continues to do so. As such, when the director announced a sequel for the film, everyone that the film would turn out to be just as impactful and spectacular. While Karthik does a good job of keeping things spicy for some time in the film, after a certain point, everything seems to lose steam. Lawrence’s character is given a great introduction, but it doesn’t continue that way and is watered down heavily, until the climax. It seems as though the first half and the second half are completely unrelated, in terms of the way they have been written and handled. The director wanted to highlight a social issue, and in that process, it looks as though he lost his way through the script.

Santosh Narayanan’s background music for the film is a true backbone for it. He highlights and elevates every single scene with his music, and takes the audience on a ride along with the characters and story, even when the scenes may not be as impactful.

The cinematography of the film is on point, and so is the production design. Both these aspects have managed to perfectly capture the 1970s era, in which the film is set. The editing is alright.

Plus Points:

• Lead performances
• Background score

Minus Points:

• Second half
• Screenplay
• Narration

Verdict: Jigarthanda is a passable film, and doesn’t live up to its predecessor. It is an inferior sequel, which would have done better had it been a standalone film. Watch it only if you’re a fan of the director’s work.

Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.5/5