This item is now checked off my bucket list thanks to Jailer!
Disclaimer: I don’t think I have any spoilers below. But if something has leaked out somehow, I am so sorry. Not that Jailer is a suspense thriller or anything, but…
For the record, I am not one of those crazy fans who will pour milk on Rajini’s poster and all that, but I like the brand image he has created for himself. And I love the excitement that goes with all things Rajini. Take this recent joke doing the round for example:
Most actors release their movies on public holidays for better success. When a Rajini movie is released, the government declares a public holiday!
This and more Rajini jokes are all over the Internet. Such an exaggeration and so much fun! Rajini is a superhero without any special costume or superpowers. But he is more powerful than most superheroes.
A few days ago, I was explaining the phenomenon that is Rajini to my 18-yo. I told her that I always wanted to watch a Rajini movie in the theatre on the day of its release because of the frenzy and excitement it generates in the cinema halls. You don’t just watch a Rajini movie sitting dignifiedly in your seat. You clap, whistle, scream, hoot, dance, and completely immerse yourself in the movie. It is an experience that I had only read about and was craving to see for myself.
Imagine my surprise when I got to know that his latest movie Jailer was on the brink of its release! I crawled out from the rock I seem to be living under and decided I had to watch this movie on the first day. Luckily for me, I have a few friends with the same mental makeup as far as Rajini is concerned. One WhatsApp message, a few rapid phone calls, and within 15 minutes, we had 18 tickets booked for the 9:30 p.m. show on the day of release — 10th August 2023. A landmark day in my life because I managed to clear one item on my bucket list.
How was the movie? 6 stars out of 5. I’ve heard and read that there have been better Rajini movies than Jailer. I don’t know. My benchmark is — actually there is no benchmark. I went with an open mind seeking full entertainment. I got it in ample measure. There were enough opportunities to clap, scream, hoot, whistle, and laugh out loud.
The movie is such a great cocktail of funny dialogs delivered with deadpan expressions interspersed with a tale of revenge, gore, and powerful rowdy elements. The plot is tried and tested. You can’t go wrong with the plot of a once-powerful guy now leading a simple life and suddenly yanked out of that simple life to deliver all the chops that he was used to in his past life. The Amitabh starrer Hum comes to mind. There are several other movies with the same template. But Rajini is Rajini. He towers above all others who might have delivered similar movies.
There were so many paisa vasool (got my money’s worth) moments in the movie. But my favorite two in no particular order are:
- The moment when Rajini sits on a chair in the villain’s den in all his glory and casually tosses a cigar into his mouth. Gosh! A scream-worthy scene that only Rajini can pull off.
- The moment where Rajini uses the cigar in his mouth to provide a command to his underling to execute the villain. Uff!! So subtle. So suave. So flamboyant. So Rajini.
I regret not taking along a pen cap so I could generate whistles whenever I needed. My friend tried to cater to my demands, but he ran out of breath. We needed to whistle once every ten minutes at least. I mean — we had to whistle when they first showed his glasses, his chin, his face, when he smiled, when he walked, when he talked, when he lit his cigar, when he crushed villains to pulp — you get the drift. My poor designated whistler simply could not keep up. This is where pen caps come in handy. I forgot to pick up the pens before leaving home. I tried calling a friend to ask her to bring a pen cap or two, but that didn’t work out either. So I was several whistles short on my movie-watching experience.
Oh oh, and we also had to hoot and scream when namma Shiva Rajkumar made his appearance. And when Mohanlal and Jackie Shroff and a whole host of famous actors made their cameos.
Naturally, we had to make a quick reel during the intermission to prove to ourselves that we’d paid attention to all the dialogs. Then we clicked tons of selfies and other assorted pics at various places in the cinema hall. The clincher was a mirror selfie in the pretty washroom. Nope, cannot publish any of the pics here to maintain the privacy of the others.
Yeah! Yeah! Who knew I’d enjoy watching heads rolling with the swish of a machete, heads smashed with hammers, and people being dipped in sulphuric acid so much? In my defense, I did close my eyes, somewhat, during such scenes. But I really enjoyed the whole movie! Every bloody. funny. gory.unbelievable.totally Rajini part of it!
If you are a true Rajini fan, you will enjoy the movie too. Just make sure you go with the right crazy mental friends who will scream and shout and sing aloud with you in a packed theatre. The group fervor takes the movie to a whole new level.
Anu Anniah Writes 