In the 1 hour 55 minutes of Jigra, Alia Bhatt’s character Satya is asked a question early on that encapsulates the entire film’s premise: ‘Toh kya Bachchan banna hai?’ Her reply, ‘Ab toh Bachchan hi banna hai,’ sets the stage for a film where Bhatt tries to become a Bachchanesque hero—strong, resilient, and determined. However, despite her efforts to kick, punch, and rise from every fall, the film stretches patience and loses its grip on credibility.
The plot, based on Yash Johar’s 1993 Gumrah, revolves around a brother-sister relationship and a prison break. While the setup, which carries the more emotive elements of the film, is quickly dispensed with, the rest of the movie feels like an overstretched punchline. The urgency that a plot like this demands is lacking, leaving the audience waiting for a gut-wrenching punch that never truly lands.
Vivek Gomber, playing the prison boss, brings some levity to the role with a campy performance, much like his role in Lootere. He provides some tension and humor in a film that desperately needs both. Despite a couple of action-packed sequences that try to inject energy into the plot, the slow pacing drags down the potential thrill and emotional weight of the film.
Jigra offers glimpses of promise, especially with Gomber's strong moments and Bhatt’s valiant efforts, but it ultimately struggles to maintain the intensity needed to truly engage the audience. For fans of Alia Bhatt, the film may serve as an interesting diversion, but it fails to deliver the lasting impact it aims for.