GV Prakash's 'Jail' review: Boring narration, confusing story, lewd jokes
What's the story
GV Prakash's latest Kollywood film Jail finally hit the big screens after a long wait last week. Directed by Vasanthabalan, the film features Pasanga-fame Pandi, Abarnathi, and Radikaa Sarathkumar in pivotal roles. The film revolves around the life of Karuna (Prakash) and his friends and how their lives turn upside down when they get involved in some conflicts. Here's our review
Let down
Admired Vasanthabalan's previous works? Be prepared to get disappointed
Now, Vasanthabalan has directed Jail. His earlier films Veyil and Angadi Theru were intense dramas. So, expectations from Jail were obviously high, but what we saw on screen was a major letdown. Several topics were touched upon, all while deviating us from the main plot. Like, Karuna's self-harming nature should have been explained in detail. But it was passed off as a sub-sub-sub plot.
Information
The jokes in this movie are in a bad taste
For a film that claims to stress empathy and acceptance, cracking jokes on bald heads and hemorrhoid infections were uncalled for. Also, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to the women characters. When a cop passes off inappropriate comments about a lady, he is narrated as an evil man. But the hero is nothing less in terms of objectifying women.
Plot
'Jail' is nothing but a self-sabotage of its own goal
Jail claims to be a wake-up call to stand up against atrocities of the police meted out to a certain set of people. But it does EXACTLY the opposite by showing this set of people as criminals. While the hero himself is a thief who snatches things like cell phones at knifepoint, his friends are drug peddlers and murders. What an irony!
Conclusion
Verdict: The film's plot is as disoriented as its hero
At a time when films like Jai Bhim are trying to show the harsh reality of crimes against the oppressed class, films like Jail are playing a spoilsport to that narrative. Especially, when it comes from a director like Vasanthabalan, the disappointment is quite huge. On the whole, you can skip this film even if it releases on OTT platforms. Verdict: Film bags 1.5/5.