Jigra

Jigra
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Vasan Bala
Written by	Vasan Bala Debashish Irengbam
Produced by	Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta Alia Bhatt Shaheen Bhatt Soumen Mishra
Starring	Alia Bhatt Vedang Raina
Cinematography	Swapnil S. Sonawane
Edited by	Prerna Saigal
Music by	Songs: R. D. Burman Achint Thakkar Manpreet Singh Background Score: Achint Thakkar
Production companies	Dharma Productions Eternal Sunshine Productions
Distributed by	Viacom18 Studios
Release date	11 October 2024 (2024-10-11)
Running time	153 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹90 crore[2]
Box office	est. ₹55.05 crore[3]

Jigra (transl. Courage) is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Vasan Bala, who also co-wrote it with Debashish Irengbam. Produced by Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta, Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt and Soumen Mishra under Dharma Productions and Eternal Sunshine Productions. It stars Alia Bhatt as a troubled young woman who must rescue her brother (played by Vedang Raina) from prison.

Principal photography took place in Mumbai and Singapore from October 2023 to February 2024. Jigra was theatrically released worldwide on 11 October 2024, coinciding with Vijayadashami, to mixed reviews from critics.^[4][5][6] The film emerged as a box-office flop.^[7][8]

Satya is a young woman who has faced more than her fair share of struggles. Growing up with her brother Ankur after their parents’ tragic deaths, the siblings became inseparable, relying on each other entirely. Their lives are stable but modest under the care of a distant uncle. This quiet life takes a dramatic turn when Ankur, while on a business trip with a reckless cousin, is accused of possessing drugs. In this foreign land with unforgiving drug laws, Ankur’s case swiftly escalates, and he is sentenced to death, devastating Satya.

Determined to rescue her brother, Satya refuses to accept the grim fate handed to him. She travels to the country where Ankur is imprisoned, finding herself entangled in a complex legal and social landscape. To navigate this foreign justice system, she enlists the help of two unlikely allies: Bhatia, a former gangster whose son faces a similar predicament, and Muthu, an ex-policeman who deeply regrets his role in a previous wrongful conviction. Together, they form an unusual trio, each motivated by personal loss or guilt, and attempt to rescue Ankur and others unjustly condemned alongside him.

The rescue mission is meticulously planned, yet fraught with complications. Satya’s group tries to orchestrate a covert escape by tampering with the prison’s power grid, aiming to disable the security system. But as they launch their plan, they discover that their efforts are only partially effective, forcing Satya to rely on Bhatia’s network of underworld contacts. When subtlety fails, the group turns to a bolder approach, resorting to explosives to create chaos within the prison. The desperate plan culminates in a thrilling escape scene where prisoners flood the corridors amid the power outage.

Despite the well-planned operation, Satya and Ankur’s freedom hangs by a thread. They flee by boat, pursued by prison guards led by the menacing warden, who nearly captures them. Just as it seems all is lost, Malaysian authorities intercept, foiling the warden's efforts due to a contact arranged by Muthu earlier. This intervention buys Satya and Ankur the freedom they need, finally allowing them to return to India.

Back home, Satya and Ankur revisit the house where they last saw their parents, closing a traumatic chapter. The film ends on a haunting note as Satya, now victorious, confronts her memories and the lengths she was willing to go to protect her brother.

The film was announced in September 2023.^[10] Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina were cast as the leads.^[11] In November 2023, Aditya Nanda and Sobhita Dhulipala joined the cast of the film.^[12][13]

According to actor Bijou Thaangjam, he was cast for a role by the film producers but was dropped without notice; which he attributed to racism towards people from northeast India.^[14]

Principal photography commenced by October 2023.^[15] The film was mainly shot in Mumbai,^[16] Thailand and Singapore^[17] before wrapping in February 2024.^[18] These locations were chosen to portray the fictional country of Hanshi Dao in the film. ^[6]

The film's music album, including background scores, is composed by Achint Thakkar with lyrics by Varun Grover. The song "Phoolon Ka Taaro Ka," originally composed by R. D. Burman and sung by Kishore Kumar in the film Haré Rama Haré Krishna (1971), is recreated for the film. It features the original lyrics by Burman and Anand Bakshi, with additional lyrics by Grover, and is sung by Vedang Raina.^[19]

The first single titled "Chal Kudiye" was released on 17 September 2024.^[20] The second single titled "Tenu Sang Rakhna" was released on 3 October 2024.^[21] The third single titled "Jigra Title Track" was released on 7 October 2024.

The film was initially scheduled to release on 27 September 2024,^[22] but was later moved to 11 October 2024, to be nearer to Vijayadashami.^[23] The release was marred by accusations of plagiarism by actress Divya Khosla Kumar, who stated that Jigra's was an unauthorized adaptation of her film Savi which had released less than five months prior.^[24]

The film's streaming rights were acquired by Netflix and it will be released after its theatrical run.^[25]

Jigra received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.

Terming the film "dull", Tushar Joshi of India Today rated with 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Jigra could have been a much better film if the story wasn’t so linear."^[26] Eshita Bhargava of Financial Express rated 2.5/5 stars and wrote "‘Jigra’ failed to ignite the fervour it promised, primarily due to its stumbling script."^[27] Dhaval Roy of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "its chaotic narrative and focus on style over substance hinder its overall impact. A more streamlined narrative and stronger premise would have elevated this film greatly."^[28]

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated with 2/5 stars and wrote "Jigra becomes a stretch, of both patience and credulity."^[29] The Statesman rated the film 2 stars, noting that it struggles to break away from its conventional path. Alia Bhatt’s character is solely motivated by her desire to save her brother, which leads to a predictable storyline that feels stretched and ultimately dull.^[30] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 3/5 and wrote "It goes without saying that Alia Bhatt does full justice to Jigra. The question is: does Jigra do justice to the quiet, measured flair that she brings to the role? Just about. And that, by all reckoning, is no mean feat. "^[31]

Filmfare gave 4/5 and wrote "With its strong performances and intricate storytelling, Jigra promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats while delving into the powerful connections between family, justice, and the fight against oppression. Watch it for its realistic action scenes, its strong emotional core and for Vedang and Alia’s on point performances."^[32] News18 gave 4.5/5 and wrote "Despite being a narrative high on drama, Jigra never once felt theatrical. And the credit for the same goes to both the director and his actors. Jigra is audacious, trailblazing, sugar, spice, and everything nice and is a must-watch. Don’t miss this one."^[33]

Jigra grossed ₹4.25 crore on its opening day.^[34] In its two weeks, the film grossed over 50 crores worldwide.^[35]

• Jigra at IMDb
• Jigra at Bollywood Hungama