The off-the-chart expectations stirred by the release of projects of two mega stars lured me in for the first day premiere of "Jilla". Despite encircled by a surreal crowd that screamed "Vijay" at the top of their lungs, I managed to find a tunnel vision with a neutral point of view and am penning this review in the same perspective.
Jilla is the story of the Godson of a Don, who turns into a police officer to aid his godfather, who then does a 180 degree shift opposing him and offers an ultimatum: Change or I will Change you.
The typical essence of a Masala entertainer is sprinkled in vast proportions and hence finds an appeal among the fans. Neutral viewer, like me, will find it hard to sit through several scenes which were deliberately inserted to find whistles rather than aiding the pace of the screenplay.
Over 60 years of combined experience between "Mohanlal" and "Vijay" overshadows almost everyone else on screen. Kajal is just a 3 song dancer with 3 extra scenes none of which feeds her acting appetite. Suri, with his double-meaninged wit, has tried a few gags which in most cases deserve sympathy rather than laughter.
As usual, stunts and songs play spoilsport, since they are logic-less and speed breakers respectively. Suri himself quotes, "Why, unnecessarily, did you stretch a one liner into a song?"
Despite these flaws, the audience will find the movie appealing only because they are able to see the entertainment behind all the aforementioned veils. To give a clear comparison this flick is somewhere between "Thalaiva" and "Thuppaki". Unlike Thalaiva, this is original but unlike Thuppaki this isn't universal.
A little more editing could have sharpened the movie.
An average attempt (5/10).
