Jigarthanda DoubleX

<p>In 1973, Rathna Kumar is assigned to nab the elephant poacher Shettani in for- The police torture the local tribals about Shettani’s whereabouts, even though they themselves are his victims. In , Kirubakaran “Kiruban” is chosen as a in the . He visits his fiancée Lourde’s college to share the news and witness her performance at an event. Later, Lourde persuades Kiruban to intervene in a brawl among students nearby. After some time, it appears that Kiruban has killed four of the students, despite his apparent aversion to blood as he faints upon seeing it. Since he is found holding the murder weapon, he is subsequently sentenced to prison. In 1975, the incumbent (CM) Sindhanai Rani has recently announced her move to national politics in a few months, necessitating election of a new CM. Rathna’s elder brother Jeyakodi is a famous film star and rising politician in the ruling SMDK party who desires to be the next CM. Jeyakodi is distressed about his film screenings being halted in , , and by supporters of his rival and Karmegam. Karmegam, who is the frontrunner to become the next CM, is supported by four criminal gangs across Tamil Nadu, and promotes a younger actor Chinna to replace Jeyakodi. Jeyakodi requests Rathna to kill four gangsters who support Karmegam. This will make Karmegam less influential within the party. Selecting Kiruban and three other ex-cop prisoners, Rathna offers them a full pardon and immediate recruitment into the police force, in exchange for them performing covert murders. He assigns each of them a single target, with Kiruban’s target being Alliyus Caesar, the head of the “Jigarthanda Sambhavam Fans Club” and Karmegam’s principal supporter at Madurai. Wanting to marry Lourde and get back his job, Kiruban accepts the assignment. On a suggestion from Chinna, Caesar decides to conduct an audition for a director who can make a with him as the lead and introduce him as the first dark-complexioned actor in . Kiruban assumes the alias of “Ray Dasan”, a student and assistant director of and gets through the audition. Kiruban offers to make a film based on Caesar’s life titled Being an ardent fan of , Caesar agrees to Ray’s plan. For the film shooting, Kiruban live-shoots Caesar’s real life using a that Eastwood supposedly gifted to Caesar when he came for a shoot near their village. Kiruban learns that Caesar belongs to the same tribe that is being haunted by Shettani. Caesar invites the other three gangsters and Karmegam for his wife Malaiyarasi’s and start of the film shoot. One of the targets in the police’s hitlist is killed by one of the moles. Caesar eventually finds and kills all of the moles, except Kiruban. Kiruban learns that Caesar was the one who led the hit on the four students in 1973, for which Kiruban was . Wanting revenge, Kiruban convinces Caesar to visit his Kombai Kaanai village and nab Shettani under the pretext that this addition will make a better biopic. At the village, Caesar promises to nab Shettani in exchange for Rathna releasing the tribespeople. The villagers reveal the importance of elephants in their culture and how they are vanishing from the forests due to poachers. Caesar and the tribals subvert Shettani gang’s raid and kill most of them. Surviving members are captured and reveal Shettani’s whereabouts. Caesar confronts Shettani, who is hunting elephants, and almost gets killed. Kiruban has a change of heart and saves Caesar by taking his body to the village for treatment. Upon recuperation, Caesar fights Shettani again and captures him. The tribe demands the presence of Sindhanai Rani, who promptly comes for the media publicity. Caeser hands Shettani over to the police in the presence of Sindhanai Rani, who visits upon his insistence that Shettani will be delivered. The villagers celebrate once the inmates are released and Kiruban marries local tribeswoman Paingili. Now that the long-awaited peace has arrived, Caesar and Kiruban are shocked to see Shettani still hunting elephants the next day. Shettani reveals that it is the CM-led government that has nurtured him over the years so that he can smuggle on behalf of two business tycoons. They promised Sindhanai Rani to eventually elevate her to the post of through . Shettani also reveals that the authorities have planned to label Caesar as the real Shettani and eventually wipe out the tribe in a police operation. The tribal members agree to lay their lives peacefully and confront the police firing. The firing kills all the villagers, including Caesar and Malaiyarasi. Kiruban, who films the massacre, tries to escape with Paingili and Caesar’s newborn child, but they get shot by Rathna. None of these incidents reach the common people. Within weeks, Jeyakodi is touted to be the next CM candidate, and Karmegam is dropped from the cabinet. Karmegam, who had managed to secure tapes of Kiruban’s footage, plays it in a packed theatre where Jeyakodi’s film was supposed to play, as a tribute to Caesar. The audience learn about Caesar’s life and also the government-led massacre of the tribals and start protesting against the government. The massacre of the tribals reaches the higher-ups in the . As a last resort, Sindhanai Rani sends Rathna and his men to kill Karmegam in the theatre, but Rathna gets shocked to see Kiruban, who is still alive, along with Paingili and Caesar’s son. Kiruban kills Rathna, while Karmegam and his aides eliminate his men. Kiruban returns home to be with Caesar’s son, where Paingili and Kiruban name him , as per Malaiyarasi’s vow to Goddess Sethukaali Amman. An anonymous man secretly follows Paingili and Sethu, and tells another man that they will eliminate the last remaining members of Caesar’s family. In early April 2022, it was reported that was going to begin working on the sequel to his film (2014). On 1 August, 8 years since the release of , the project was officially announced. was reported to play a role in the film as a film maker. was chosen as the music composer, who also scored in and has been part of Subbaraj’s earlier films. According to reports, Nimisha Sajayan was also part of the film. Subbaraj on on 31 August, shared that the pre-production of has begun. He further stated that the film would not have any connection to its predecessor and would have a fresh narrative. The cinematography was handled by , who earlier worked on Subbaraj’s and . Shafique Mohamed Ali joined as the editor of the film. On 11 December, the title was announced, along with a promotional video. The film was produced by Five Star Creations, , and . began in on 12 December 2022. Filming took place in exotic locations across Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Many extensive sets were created to match the film’s setting. A set was erected in near where major portions of the film were shot. While filming his fight sequences, actor Vidhu, who portrayed one of the antagonists Shettani, was told to fight like an animal, and practised gymnastics and for the same. The actor appears in the film digitally recreated. Filming in July 2023. The soundtrack and background score for the film was composed by . The first look poster was released on 11 December 2022, with the film’s title revealed as . The teaser was released on 12 December 2022. The film was released theatrically on 10 November 2023. It was showcased at the on 26 January 2024 in Limelight. holds the film’s domestic distribution rights, while Ahimsa Entertainment holds the overseas distribution rights. The film began streaming on from 8 December 2023. received positive reviews. Krishna Selvaseelan of the gave 4.5/5 stars and said, “Subbaraj may have delivered his best film yet. The film betters its first instalment in every department.” S. Devasankar of gave 4/5 stars and wrote, ” is a must-watch in theaters. It provides a wholesome cinematic experience, with excellent writing, performances, music and cinematography. In spite of the excessive runtime, the film is sure to leave the audience satisfied.” Manoj Kumar of gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, “Karthik Subbaraj offers an engaging cinematic experience with moving visuals and strong performances while highlighting the cinema’s responsibility towards society to make sense of life.” Kirubhakar Purushothaman of gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, “Karthik Subbaraj’s film tries to be a lot of things at once. It’s Jack of all and King of one — deliciously entertaining meta cinema.” Janani. K of gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, “‘ ‘ is one of Karthik Subbaraj’s best works to date. And it’s truly happy to see the filmmaker back in form.” Logesh Balachandran of gave 3/5 stars and wrote, “Karthik Subbaraj yet again tries to explore the influential power of cinema, but despite strong intentions and adrenaline-pumping moments, the narrative loses its cohesion after the intermission. In conclusion, earnestly tries to replicate but falls slightly short of achieving that feat.” Priyanka Sundar of gave 3/5 stars and wrote, ” is a little bit of a Western film, but instead of a cowboy, we have local gangsters swinging their weapon of choice, be it a camera or a gun.” Bhuvanesh Chander of wrote, ” is the most heartfelt film Karthik Subbaraj has done. Starring Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah, Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Pandyaa Western’ film brings together the soul of 2014’s and the spirit of a , becoming his most political and heartfelt film to date. And is truly a Double X of Jigarthanda.” Lakshmi Subramaniam of gave 2/5 stars and wrote, “The second installment too evolves around filmmaking with a gangster at the centre. If you had watched the first chapter of and expected something big from Subbaraj, you are likely to be disappointed.” Bharathy Singaravel of wrote, ” is a tormented declaration of Karthik’s political views, nearly three hours long, with some elements of his earlier brand of filmmaking still in tow. If Karthik Subbaraj believes that cinema is a means to political change, he needs to put more thought into it, than superficial gestures that might garner a few claps.” Clint Eastwood expressed his desire to watch the film after completing his ongoing commitments.</p>