“Jigra,” released on October 11, 2024, directed by Vasan Bala and produced by Dharma Productions and Eternal Sunshine Productions, arrived with high expectations, boasting Alia Bhatt in the lead and a gritty prison-break premise. Starring Bhatt as Satya, a fierce sister out to rescue her wrongfully imprisoned brother Ankur (Vedang Raina) from a foreign jail, the film aimed to blend emotional sibling drama with action-packed thrills.

The story kicks off with promise: Satya and Ankur, orphans raised by distant relatives, face a cruel twist when Ankur is arrested in the fictional Hanshi Dao for drug possession—a crime pinned on him by his friend Kabir (Aditya Nanda). Facing a death sentence, Ankur’s fate rests on Satya, who teams up with an ex-gangster (Pahwa) and a disgraced cop (Ravindran) for a jailbreak. It’s a setup that could’ve been taut and gripping, but “Jigra” stumbles early and never recovers. The first half drags with overwrought sibling flashbacks and a sluggish buildup, while the second half pivots to action that’s more chaotic than compelling—think slow-mo roof jumps and a contrived climax that strains credulity.

Alia Bhatt tries to carry the film, and she’s its lone saving grace. Her steely resolve as Satya shines in isolated moments—like her first prison visit or a tense standoff—but the script doesn’t let her stretch beyond a one-note badass. Vedang Raina, in his theatrical debut, shows flickers of potential as Ankur, especially in his defiant prison scenes, but he’s saddled with a role too thin to matter. The supporting cast, from Pahwa’s quirky ex-con to Ravindran’s redemption-seeking cop, feels like afterthoughts, their quirks overshadowed by a narrative that can’t decide if it’s a drama or a thriller. The much-hyped sibling bond, a supposed emotional anchor, lands flat—lacking the depth or screentime to tug at heartstrings.

Vasan Bala, known for stylish outliers like Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, leans hard into aesthetics here—Swapnil S. Sonawane’s warm-toned cinematography and Achint Thakkar’s haunting score are polished—but style overpowers substance. The action, choreographed by Vikram Dahiya, aims for grit but ends up generic, with slo-mo excess that feels more indulgent than impactful. The editing (Prerna Saigal) is uneven, stretching a 155-minute runtime into a patience-testing ordeal. Songs like “Phoolon Ka Taaro Ka” and “Tenu Sang Rakhna” are sweet but disrupt the flow, a Bollywood habit this film could’ve skipped.

What sinks “Jigra” is its lack of originality and conviction. It’s a prison-break tale we’ve seen before—echoes of Savi (released five months earlier) haunt it—without a fresh twist or stakes to care about. The second half’s descent into absurdity, like Satya’s sudden psychopathic turn against allies, jars against the realistic tone Bala initially sets.

“Jigra” isn’t a total disaster—Bhatt’s effort and a few slick shots keep it from rock bottom—but it’s a below-average slog that wastes a good cast and a decent idea. Its box-office fate, marred by a clash with Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video and plagiarism buzz from Divya Khosla Kumar, feels deserved. Streaming on Netflix since December 6, 2024, it’s found some belated love, but in theaters, it was a non-starter. For a film about courage, it lacks the guts to break free of Bollywood’s tired tropes.

Rating: 2.5/5

A middling mess that’s more exhausting than exhilarating— “Jigra” proves even Alia Bhatt can’t save a script this shaky.