4/5
An aspiring director who wants to make a gangster epic that is different from the clichéd stuff, a brutal gang lord who becomes the subject of his fascination and who is also on the cross sight of the police and the rivals
the aforementioned gangster's right hand who is a porn addict, but is a family man and a teetotaler, another who is a violent alcoholic and the third who irritates the hell out of people by telling them stories from his distant past; novice who wants to start his career in chopping up people
Some of the most fascinating characters in crime genre populate this gangster epic and make the first half an incredibly enjoyable ride through the underbelly of Madurai.
Unlike the usual gangster movies wherein the mole who wants to infiltrate the group earns the trust quite easily and just gets in, "Jigar" explores the efforts that go into this much overlooked aspect of such films.
The second half is as diametrically opposite from the first as it can be. The denouement is real doozy and makes for a truly different, genre-crossing and rules defying visual experience.
Bobby Simha, who plays the gangster, is the beating heart of this epic. He gets the role of a lifetime and dazzles the mind with his brilliance. He, deservedly, won the national award for best supporting actor.
This is Mr. Subbaraj's second directorial venture (haven't seen his first, a horror movie, Pizza , which was remade in Hindi, too). He has written the script and the screenplay, too, and that is evident from the sure hand that he displays while helming this outstanding movie.
A mandatory watch for any person who loves gangster films, both of yore and of modern times, this is available with English subtitles, on Hotstar
An aspiring director who wants to make a gangster epic that is different from the clichéd stuff, a brutal gang lord who becomes the subject of his fascination and who is also on the cross sight of the police and the rivals
the aforementioned gangster's right hand who is a porn addict, but is a family man and a teetotaler, another who is a violent alcoholic and the third who irritates the hell out of people by telling them stories from his distant past; novice who wants to start his career in chopping up people
Some of the most fascinating characters in crime genre populate this gangster epic and make the first half an incredibly enjoyable ride through the underbelly of Madurai.
Unlike the usual gangster movies wherein the mole who wants to infiltrate the group earns the trust quite easily and just gets in, "Jigar" explores the efforts that go into this much overlooked aspect of such films.
The second half is as diametrically opposite from the first as it can be. The denouement is real doozy and makes for a truly different, genre-crossing and rules defying visual experience.
Bobby Simha, who plays the gangster, is the beating heart of this epic. He gets the role of a lifetime and dazzles the mind with his brilliance. He, deservedly, won the national award for best supporting actor.
This is Mr. Subbaraj's second directorial venture (haven't seen his first, a horror movie, Pizza , which was remade in Hindi, too). He has written the script and the screenplay, too, and that is evident from the sure hand that he displays while helming this outstanding movie.
A mandatory watch for any person who loves gangster films, both of yore and of modern times, this is available with English subtitles, on Hotstar