Jigarthanda 2 Movie Review

Karthik Subbaraj is a filmmaker who has got to work with the biggest stars in the early days of his career itself, and went on to satisfy fans on most occasions too. However, one of his most celebrated films is definitely Jigarthanda, and the sequel of the same coming through is what makes it special. Has the film worked out as expected? Yes.

Jigarthanda Double X sits in the same space as the first part, showcasing a gangster who comes in line with a director, who wants to make a film to come out successful. What happens when a freaky idea from the director make his film turns out to be more dangerous than expected? That’s where Karthik Subbaraj has tried to shift gears, and make it a very different film from his previous outings.

For starters, Jigarthanda Double X is a very honest and politically convincing film from Karthik Subbaraj, and the director has decided to go knee deep into the political conflicts that is present in the world that he creates. The film starts off in a way that is commercial and audience friendly, and slowly transforms into something that is very different where it begins. In the second half, the film takes us through a rollercoaster of emotions with a lot of weight in them. Karthik has not only made this a political film but has also added a lot of layers to his writing through metaphors with elephants, elements around the characters and the overall theme of cinema.

Raghava Lawrence has had a very dim graph off late but this is definitely his best performance where he gets to play a role that is completely outside his usual zone. The actor is excellent with his body language and dialogue delivery, and gets ample support from SJ Suryah who has a measured role as opposed to his recent outings. SJ Suryah’s worth as a performer in emotional scenes has been explored further in this film, and a great job has been done in that regard. After Chittha, Nimisha Sajayan has another superb role as Lawrence’s onscreen wife and she is pitch perfect here. However, the rest of the characters don’t have much to do here.

The film has terrific cinematography by Tirru who gives it excellent color tones and splendid angles. The music by Santhosh Narayanan is also excellent, and there is so much to cheer for in the way the film is executed in terms of its music.

On the whole, Jigarthanda Double X is a well-steered success for Karthik Subbaraj who shows how much he has evolved as a writer and filmmaker. Once again, he proves himself as a man who can convincingly handle unique subjects across the gangster genre while blending in superb skill sets in the making. A film worth watching in theatres, despite the pacing issues present in it.

Jigarthanda 2 Movie Review Rating: 3.5/5