Movie: Jil
Rating: 3/5
Banner: UV Creations
Cast: Gopichand, Rashi Khanna, Posani Krishna Murali, Srinivas Avasarala and Others
Music: Mohamaad Ghibran
Cinematography: Sakthi Saravanan
Producers: Vamsi Krishna Reddy,Pramod Uppalapati
Direction: Radha Krishna
Release Date: March 27, 2015
A hero with a hit film, a heroine who has gone in for a complete image makeover and an action entertainer -- well, what else would one want from a movie? So does UV Creations’ latest film Jil have all this and more. Let’s check out…
Story:
The story starts off in Mumbai with Chota Nayak (Kabir) escaping from the police custody. Once out, he looks out for his aide-turned-foe played by Brahmaji. This brings them to Hyderabad and here the story turns to Jai, a fire officer who walks around with a team similar to that of a CBI officer and one who makes it his mission to fight anyone who violates fire safety norms. During one such rescue operation, he meets Savitri (Rashi Khanna) and it is love at first sight for both of them.
Just as their romance begins, Chota Nayak traces down Jai and from then on it is open war between them. How is Jai connected to Chota Nayak’s story? Will Chota Nayak get what he wants and how will Jai settle scores? This forms the rest of the story.
Artistes’ Performances:
Gopichand plays the main lead Jai, a fire officer. Well, not everyday do you get to see a fire officer as the hero. Also, you surely don’t get to see a fire officer walking around with a team of junior officers just like in MI series.
With Loukyam, Gopichand entered the bankable heroes lead. Now, he goes a step further and proves that he can indeed carry off a film. Of course, he does not score high in terms of his looks, but he more than makes up for it with his performance. He is good while romancing the heroine and he is equally good bashing up the villains.
Rashi Khanna is a complete surprise. The girl who was the perfect girl-next-door in Oohalu Gusagusalade, gets a total image make-over. Well, her wardrobe is vibrant and trendy and we won’t be surprising if her funky look becomes the hot pick for the summer months.
Another surprise element of the film is the main villain Kabir. He has an awesome physique and would make many top heroes pump extra iron at the gym. And his bearded look is equally menacing. He is surely a good find and a welcome change from the usual set of villains that Telugu industry normally has.
Then there is Srinivas Avasarala as one of Jai’s team members, Posani Krishna Murali as the real estate gangster Narayana, Urvashi who plays Jai’s aunt and Chalapathi Rao among others. Goes without saying, all of them put in adequate performances.
Technical Excellence:
The music is by Ghibran who is the new blue-eyed boy of Tamil and Telugu industries. He had composed music for Run Raja Run made by the same producers and now he has given some interesting music for Jil. In fact, he is presently in news for composing music for Kamal Haasan’s Uttama Villain.
Okay, back to Jil, Ghibran has come up with a catchy tune for the title song and it is bound to be in the top 10 songs for a few weeks. The numbers are not bad either.
Eidting and cinematography are decent. In fact, cinematographer Sakti Saravanan does a good job when it comes to foreign locales.
The screenplay is weak as the film does not have the same pace and flow as Run Raja Run, which was also made by UV Creations. Having said that, the film’s director Radha Krishna has made a film that is well-packaged and follows the same style palette that most of the young directors are following these days.
On the whole, the film has a classy look and one has to make a special mention of Rashi Khanna’s stylist who has picked up some very good outfits for her.
Highlights:
- Lead actors
- Title song
- Action Scenes
Drawbacks:
- Lack of pace
Analysis:
From the makers of Mirchi, Run Raja Run comes Jil. In one line, Jil is an action entertainer. The film has everything that average audience would want to go to theatres for. It is visually appealing and has good doses of action and romance.
The lead actors and the rest of the cast put in decent work and the film works at many levels, especially in keeping you entertained. Of course, it is not a big budget film like Mirchi, but Jil has its moments and is a well-packaged film for a good summer afternoon.
Another main draw will the music which is good on the ears and once the music works, the film is bound to work at the box office.
So, now the twist in the tale... While the film looks stylish and the story is interesting, director Radha Krishna who debuts with Jil fails to retain the pace that one would expect from such a script. Had he managed to keep up the speed, the film would have gone to a totally different level.
While the first half is a breeze, the second half is a bit tacky as some scenes haven’t been well-conceived and well executed. You also feel that the director should have tightened the script a bit during the second half.
Leaving the heroine in an isolated guest house far away from city with no apparent reason is probably one of the most glaring mistakes of an otherwise sensible script.
Still, Jil works as a film as it keeps you interested. It has a few dialogues which are totally worth your time and it has been well-shot. What else can you ask for to spend your two and half hours?
Bottomline: Stylish Action Entertainer
(Venkat can be reached [email protected] or https://twitter.com/greatandhranews)
