Jigra

<p>Satya is a young woman who has faced more than her fair share of struggles. At a young age, she witnesses her father committing suicide and prevents her younger brother Ankur from seeing it. After being orphaned, the siblings are brought under the charge of rich, distant relatives. Satya never forgets that they are under obligation and works as a house staff manager. She knows the family’s secrets and does everything she can to protect them. She becomes extremely protective of Ankur, bordering on paranoia. Ankur grows to be a bright, rule-abiding engineer. Satya, on the other hand, has no such inhibition, especially regarding her brother. This quiet life takes a dramatic turn when Kabir, the son of the family, enters their life. He is a drug addict and is known to have been expelled from many universities. Satya views him with great trepidation but Ankur finds a friend in him and trusts him. Ankur develops computer software and needs a sponsor, which Kabir’s father happily provides, hoping that it will change his son’s life and his ways. The boys are sent on a business trip to a fictional country Hanshi Dao, where the laws are very strict. The country is also facing a revolution due to this. Its drug laws show no mercy, and for possession, a person is charged with death by electrocution. Kabir and Ankur are not aware of the laws, and they work and party. At one such party, Kabir buys drugs, unknown to Ankur. On the way, they are arrested for possession. Ankur calls his sister and tells her that he did not possess drugs, but Kabir did. Satya understands from her past dealings with her uncle that he will do anything to get his son out, leaving her brother in potential danger. A family lawyer convinces Ankur to save his cousin’s life by lying that it was he who possessed the drugs. He conveniently mislays the fact that Ankur will be in jail only for three months, after that, he will be free. What he doesn’t say is that after three months, Ankur will be executed for a crime that he did not commit. Satya is devastated upon learning this. Determined to rescue her brother, she travels to Hanshi Dao, where Ankur is imprisoned, but only after burning her uncle’s office. At Hanshi Dao, Satya finds herself entangled in a complex legal and social landscape. The only choice left to her is to break into the prison and rescue her brother. Ankur, on the other hand, manages to make an enemy out of warden Hansraj Landa because of his attitude to sticking to the rules. He, however, makes friends with three other inmates who are wrongly charged, just like him. They have been planning to escape through the sewage channel. Meanwhile, Satya enlists the help of two unlikely allies: Bhatia, a former gangster whose son faces a similar predicament, and Muthu, an ex-policeman who deeply regrets his role in a previous wrongful conviction. Initially, Muthu does not agree with the plan but eventually gives in after a forceful persuasion by Satya. Coincidentally, Ankur has become friends with Bhatia’s son Tony and Muthu’s wrongfully convicted prisoner Chandan. The rescue mission is meticulously planned with the help of Muthu, who knows the intricate layout of the prison due to his position as a warden in his pre-retirement days. The plan is to be carried out on a coast festival day when it is believed that the spirits come alive and no crime is committed. Unfortunately, on the same day, unbeknownst to them, the boys too, plan their escape. The boys poison their food to get admitted to the infirmary from where they plan to escape. Satya’s group, on the other hand, tries to get them assigned to kitchen duties. Landa becomes suspicious when he sees that two duties are assigned to the same three people. He intercepts the plans, and the boys are caught trying to escape. This pushes their date of execution ahead of schedule. Satya gets anxious and decides to tamper with the prison’s power grid, aiming to disable the security system so all prisoners can escape. Muthu does not agree to this and tries to stop Satya, who kills him. Shutting the power grid off, however, proves useless as the prison’s generators remain functional. Satya adopts a bolder approach, resorting to explosives to create chaos within the prison. The desperate plan culminates in a thrilling escape scene where prisoners flood the corridors amid the power outage. While escaping, Bhatia gets killed by a bullet. Satya and the boys flee by boat disguised as Doctors Without Borders but are pursued by prison guards led by the menacing Landa, who nearly captures them. Just as it seems all is lost, Malaysian authorities intercept as arranged by Muthu earlier, killing Landa. This finally allows Satya and the boys to return to India. Back home, Satya and Ankur revisit the house where they last saw their parents, closing a traumatic chapter. The film ends on a haunting note as Satya, now victorious, confronts her memories and the lengths she was willing to go to protect her brother. The film was announced in September 2023. and were cast as the leads. In November 2023, Aditya Nanda and joined the cast of the film. The character of Hansraj Landa was loosely inspired by the character from ‘s film . According to actor , he was cast for a role by the film producers but was dropped without notice; which he attributed to . commenced by October 2023. The film was mainly shot in , and before wrapping in February 2024. These locations were chosen to portray the of Hanshi Dao in the film (which loosely resembles Singapore). The film’s music album, including background scores, is composed by with lyrics by . The song “Phoolon Ka Taaro Ka,” originally composed by and sung by in the film (1971), is recreated for the film. It features the original lyrics by Burman and , with additional lyrics by Grover, and is sung by . The first single titled ” ” was released on 17 September 2024. The second single titled “Tenu Sang Rakhna” was released on 3 October 2024. The third single titled “Jigra Title Track” was released on 7 October 2024. The film was initially scheduled to release on 27 September 2024, but was later moved to 11 October 2024, to be nearer to . The release was marred by accusations of plagiarism by actress , who stated that was an unauthorized adaptation of her film which had released less than five months prior, though some viewed this as a publicity stunt since the film’s release clashed with that of her husband’s production of . The film began streaming on from 6 December 2024. received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences. On the website , 69% of 16 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. gave 4.5/5 and wrote “Despite being a narrative high on drama, Jigra never once felt theatrical. And the credit for the same goes to both the director and his actors. Jigra is audacious, trailblazing, sugar, spice, and everything nice and is a must-watch. Don’t miss this one.” gave 4/5 and wrote “With its strong performances and intricate storytelling, Jigra promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats while delving into the powerful connections between family, justice, and the fight against oppression. Watch it for its realistic action scenes, its strong emotional core and for Vedang and Alia’s on point performances.” of gave 3/5 and wrote “It goes without saying that Alia Bhatt does full justice to Jigra. The question is: does Jigra do justice to the quiet, measured flair that she brings to the role? Just about. And that, by all reckoning, is no mean feat.” Terming the film “dull”, of rated with 2.5/5 stars and wrote ” could have been a much better film if the story wasn’t so linear.” Eshita Bhargava of rated 2.5/5 stars and wrote “‘Jigra’ failed to ignite the fervour it promised, primarily due to its stumbling script.” Dhaval Roy of gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote “its chaotic narrative and focus on style over substance hinder its overall impact. A more streamlined narrative and stronger premise would have elevated this film greatly.” of rated with 2/5 stars and wrote ” becomes a stretch, of both patience and credulity.” rated the film 2 stars, noting that it struggles to break away from its conventional path. Alia Bhatt’s character is solely motivated by her desire to save her brother, which leads to a predictable storyline that feels stretched and ultimately dull. grossed 4.25 crore on its opening day. In its two weeks, the film grossed ₹55.05 crore worldwide. It was declared a flop.</p>