Jagath Khiladi Review: A poor remake that fails miserably

Director Arav B Dheerendra has chosen to remake 2014 Tamil heist-thriller, Sathuranga Vettai, written and directed by debutant H Vinoth, for his first feature. But the problem with Jagath Khiladi is the lack of creative input from the newcomer.

Cast: Niranjana Kumar, Ameeta Kulal, Rangayana Raghu and Suchendra Prasad
Director: Arav B Dheerendra

The story is about an intelligent conman, Sathyamurthy (Niranjana Kumar), whose only desire is to make money by hook or by crook. He succeeds on many occasions, but there comes a situation when he has to decide between happiness and money.

While the original was well-crafted, director Arav, despite staying loyal to the source material, fails miserably in his attempt to recreate the magic. The various episodes of fraud seem silly, repetitive and overdone. As for the actors, Niranjana Kumar is not the right choice for his role. Neither his looks nor his performance is convincing for the character of an intelligent conman. Senior actors like Ranagayana Raghu and Suchendra Prasad are overdramatic. And the comic scenes only irritate.

The heroine, Ameeta Kulal, comes as a pleasant breeze, and helps the film in the second half. Ravi Chethan, who plays a friend to the hero, does not stand out with his brief appearance. The only appealing factor in the film is its background score, which goes well with the story.

Jagath Khiladi is nothing close to the original and it makes any attempt to stand out. This 'clever' plot just fails to fool the audience.