Fear is a Reaction but Courage is a Decision. So pluck up some courage for a newly-released master-blaster Hindi action-thriller, “Jigra“! Produced by Karan Johar, and written and directed by Vasan Bala, Jigra was released in theaters on October 11, 2024. Female-led action-thrillers are rare in Bollywood, and this is one of those. It stars award-winning actress Alia Bhatt opposite Vedang Raina.

Feel The Courage In “Jigra”: Starring Alia Bhatt

Jigra (2024) Synopsis:

Electrocution, the word may terrify you. It may even petrify some others who may be facing the death penalty and will be executed by this horrifying process. As high-voltage electricity will run down the nerves, horrific death is certain within a few seconds!

In a fictional country that resembles Singapore, a young Indian man named Ankur Anand (Vedang Raina) is brutally tortured in a harsh prison cell. The prison is colossal and nightmarish. It’s one of those kinds that is impossible to escape.

Jigra: The Unforgettable Tale Of A Sister And Her Brother!

Ankur has been imprisoned against false charges of drug trafficking in the country. A crime he never committed. He faces the death penalty where he has three months until his execution by electrocution. On his wrist, there’s a “rakhi”, a sacred thread that a sister ties to her brother’s wrist in India.

Hold on to your breaths as his sister Satya (Alia Bhatt) comes wrecking into the country looking for her brother to attempt the unthinkable! Break him free from that murderous prison and bring him back to safety in India. A kind of prison break attempting which one has to fight with death.

Will she be successful in her effort? Well, she has a hell lot of bloody fights coming her way! Watch “Jigra” to experience action, horror, and suspense combined as Alia Bhatt transforms from a Barbie doll to Annabelle to save her on-screen brother, Vedang Raina!

Introducing Alia Bhatt In Jigra: The Track “Chal Kudiye” Featuring Diljit Dosanjh!

Jigra (2024) Official Trailer:

The Good:

People may have varied opinions about Karan Johar but I have to say, the guy creates mass-appealing cinema! With Jigra, he has changed the face of the action hero-centric Hindi cinema. Just look at his masterstroke! He made Jigra within a budget of INR 90 Crores and even before its theatrical opening, the film crossed that benchmark! Such is the hype of this action-thriller.

Trapped In A Hell Hole! Vedang Raina as Ankur Anand in a still from Jigra

We can now expect women to take over as new action avatars. Alia Bhatt has proved with her vibrant and daredevil role in Jigra that the era of men as action heroes is slowly fading away. Female action-centric mass-appealing cinema is becoming the new trend. We have seen a lot of female action-centric Hollywood movies, but now it’s time to experience some Bollywood ones as well!

Alia Bhatt’s character is invincible in this movie. She entirely carries the film on her shoulders. Her action stunts and bloody fights during her quest to save her brother will blow up your mind. Her character portrays everlasting determination. She won’t rest until she rescues him from the dreadful prison. If you have come across one of Jigra’s promotional posters, you will see Alia standing by a massive dragon on her side. That dragon symbolizes “Tiamat” from Mesopotamian mythology, the Goddess who protects the universe.

The Track “Tenu Sang Rakhna” From Jigra

As the story unfolds, you will get to know about the real villain who is behind trapping Ankur into false charges. There are certain raw action sequences performed by Alia that are unbearably bloody and violent that you will be forced to close your eyes until the scenes end. Havoc and destruction, bloodbath, extreme gun violence, and rumbling bomb blasts; the scenes have it all! Even if the plot seems familiar, a sister on her quest to rescue her brother, the screenplay is so unpredictable and suspenseful that upon watching one instance, you would never in your dreams imagine what’s going to happen in the next.

Alia Bhatt as Ankur’s sister and savior, Satya Anand in Jigra

In short, Alia Bhatt has done everything possible a star actress can with her stellar performance. She has made us cry with sisterly emotions, horrified us with her madness and determination, and suffered severe trauma herself in the violent stunt and action sequences. She has created a revolution in Indian cinema by conveying that it’s not always the macho hero who saves the day, but a heroine can also bar all obstacles to save a poor lad in distress!

As for Vedang Raina, this young Archies-fame actor is creating waves in Bollywood nowadays. Even if his songs in Jigra are not up to the mark, still, with his acting, he is sure to gain some spotlight. I wonder what’s coming up next for him.

Jigra is exceptionally emotional as well. You will connect to the backstory which shows a sister’s concern, care, and love for her brother. When you happen to watch a 2-hour and 35-minute action movie without blinking an eyelid, that’s when you will agree that besides the movie’s plot, the screenplay and editing are superb. Also, the camerawork, sound effects, background music, and special effects are brilliant. They will make you feel the vibe and energy of Hollywood action movies.

The Title Track of Jigra Sung By Vedang Raina

The Bad:

You will be disappointed to learn that even if Alia has portrayed her violent side in this mass-appealing action-thriller, her character fails to build up. If you have watched the mega action-thriller “KGF”, in the end, the protagonist Rocky enters the Parliament and shoots a politician in broad daylight. We can expect this from the character Rocky (played by Yash) because the filmmakers of KGF had taken their time to build the daring trait of that character in both KGF: Part 1 and its sequel.

Even if writer and director Vasan Bala has made a great attempt to create a terrifying and suspenseful storyline, his approach toward building up Alia’s character in the movie seems weak. You will witness a petite girl coming out of nowhere and causing a mass massacre. This looks unreal.

He should have considered introducing some scenes in between that would have built up that character’s image, so that her character would have made the audience believe, “Yes, she can do it. Just like Rocky!”

For example, scenes of her failed jailbreak attempts could have been introduced, following that, her success scene. That would have appeared more realistic.

Even if female-centric cinema is trending nowadays, lead actresses have a lot to work on their dialogue deliveries to match up to the style, aura, and personalities of our action heroes in Hindi cinema. That’s what distinguishes a female-led action film from a male-led one. In Jigra, the action might be impressive, but the dialogues don’t seem to create an impact. At times, I felt as if Alia in her character was mewing with her shrunken voice.

The Nostalgic Track “Phoolon Ka Taron Ka” Remastered By Vedang Raina

The Verdict:

Nowadays, Bollywood is resorting to making prison-break movies. If you had watched the recently released suspense-thriller “Savi”, you would witness another awesome and cleverly-planned prison break. But Jigra bars it all! This is raw, bloodthirsty, and gruesome; a true no-holds-barred!

This petrifying action-thriller tells us that family comes first. You need to care for your loved ones. If they are in trouble, taking drastic steps is justified.

The astonishing fact is that Ranbir Kapoor did the toxic action-thriller “Animal”. Now, it’s his wife’s turn to follow his legacy by coming out with her own version of Animal in the form of Jigra. Even if non-toxic, unlike Animal, Jigra still is blood-curdling! What’s more, Alia happens to be one of the producers of this movie along with Karan Johar.

Even with its thrilling story, suspenseful and action-laden screenplay, and tremendous mass appeal, Jigra falls short of a masterpiece. The character portrayal appears unreal which makes its second half direly fictional. But still, if you want to witness the innocent Brahmastra girl transitioning into her raw action avatar, then visit your nearest theaters to experience the violence!