Jailer 2 Movie Review:
Order. Every system has a particular pecking order. It is like a pyramid, with things getting really lonesome at the top. Some thrive in this loneliness; others are consumed by it. In Nelson’s Jailer franchise, a similar pyramid is built around a smuggling syndicate. His protagonist, Tiger Muthuvel Pandian (Rajinikanth), has been gradually climbing to the top by decimating everything in his way. This syndicate is the reason why Muthuvel Pandian had to kill his own son, who was corrupted beyond measure in the first part. He is as lonely as those at the top of the pyramid. In fact, Nelson showcases them all as a bunch of depressed, vulnerable, and broken people. That's why, when he wrings humour out of these characters, both Jailer and Jailer 2 work like a charm. But when Nelson keeps Muthuvel and Jailer on the sidelines and puts Rajinikanth at the center, he misses a few tricks. This feels even more pronounced in this installment, which starts strong but ends up rehashing the first part. In fact, Jailer 2 is both a remake and a sequel, a requel, if I may. Muthuvel, Nelson, and all of us have fun at the bottom and mid-levels of the pyramid. But the closer we get to the top, the more Nelson runs out of ideas, and even Anirudh’s various versions of 'Hukum', Vijay Kartik Kannan’s terrific visuals that make the actors look like demigods, and Rajinikanth’s aura can only do so much heavy lifting.
Director: Nelson
Cast: Rajinikanth, Suraj Venjaramoodu, SJ Suryah, Vidya Balan, Yogi Babu, Namo Narayana
But before 'Hukum' or even Muthuvel steps in, Nelson introduces a character called Moorthi (Namo Narayana), who does the unthinkable in a Rajinikanth film: steals the show from the Superstar. Of course, this is also because Nelson keeps Muthuvel on the sidelines. Remember that 'Kaavaala' song from the first film where Blast Mohan pushes Muthuvel to the background? Imagine the same thing happening, but for almost the entire first half. Rajinikanth’s deadpan expressions, paired with Yogi Babu’s poker-faced timing, serve as the perfect foil to the loud Namo Narayana, whose effortless demeanour elevates the film's engagement quotient. Nelson’s dark humour is at its best in Jailer 2. Of course, a few misses stand out, especially in the setups and payoffs involving Muthuvel’s day job as a supermarket supervisor. The misses are distasteful, and the humour is stuck in the past, exactly where it should have been left behind. While it is great to see Rajinikanth surrender to the director’s vision, it is even more special to see him give other actors space to serve the film better. Another actor who delivers a compelling performance is Suraj Venjaramoodu. As Dileep, he brings a lot of menace and draws from his repertoire as a comedy veteran. It is a very tough thing to pull off, and Suraj does it wonderfully. You laugh at him, but you never stop taking him seriously. Vinayakan did something similar really well as Varman in the first film. Suraj does more of the same, but just enough that the audience doesn't miss Varman, yet doesn't see him as Varman 2.0.
The film starts fumbling when we are introduced to the next set of villains: the ones running this crime syndicate. We have Bodhi (SJ Suryah), Kantha (Vidya Balan), Dev (Jatin Sarna), Sharva (Hakim Shahjahan), and Chakri (Mithun Chakraborty), all part of the Kalpak family. Set in Goa, every scene in their lair feels straight out of Doctor, Nelson’s 2021 film with Sivakarthikeyan. It is tough to shake the sense of deja vu when it comes to the locations and the machinations of these characters. This also takes away the sheen from the family, who say they are close-knit, but we never feel that even for a single moment. In fact, Dev feels like a glorified receptionist of the Kalpak resort, and Sharva is a glorified henchman. Bodhi and Kantha are left as the de facto leaders, and the film offers glimpses of the dark places it wanted to go with the Kalpak family. The film could have explored something sinister between Chakri, Kantha, and Bodhi. However, Nelson seems to have taken a safer route, and we are robbed of what the Kalpak family could have truly been. Without fully embracing the dark side, we are left with template villains that don’t do justice to the Jailer universe.
The same holds true for the many superstar cameos, courtesy of Jailer regulars Shivarajkumar, Mohanlal, and Jackie Shroff, plus a couple of other secret superstars. What really worked in Jailer was the uniqueness that these superstars brought to the universe. Here, however, they are relegated to Muthuvel Pandian’s ‘weapon-for-hire,’ and their lack of individuality severely affects their presence in the narrative. Cameos work best when used sparingly and, more importantly, at the right time. Here, however, apart from the blockbuster interval sequence, their presence is underwhelming and, at times, too distracting. If Shivarajkumar walking in slow-mo with a machete and Mohanlal checking the rear-view mirror before changing gears aren’t pumping the required adrenaline, then saturation has set in.
In fact, the more we are dragged into the fight between Muthuvel and the Kalpaks, the more our hearts go back to the first half, when everyone had fun without trying to bump off each other in a massive action set piece. Seeing Moorthi confuse Dileep with his chess strategies, Muthuvel take revenge on someone messing with his sandals, and references to Harry Potter and Thor in the same scene, along with Vimal’s stoic one-liners, feels like a distant dream as we are drawn into the Kalpaks and Goa rabbit hole. Of course, not all is lost here, especially when Nelson decides to treat Jailer like a Drishyam set in a parallel universe. Like George Kutty from Drishyam, Muthuvel Pandian is a walking ghost, but it's even harder for him because he doesn’t have his family's support. On the other hand, Muthuvel Pandian has swag, more resources, an unlimited arsenal of weapons, and ‘friends’ who swoop in at the right time to pull him out of one sticky situation after another. Imagine someone who is both George Kutty and Geetha Prabhakar? The man with a secret, and someone with enough power to get secrets out of anyone. No one can effectively go against such a powerful combo, and that’s where Jailer 2 misses out.
Pitting someone who would do anything to save his family against someone who would do the same makes for an interesting duel. In fact, this leads to some emotionally charged scenes featuring Muthuvel and his family. But that same respect doesn’t extend to the Kalpaks, who just react to whatever happens to them and never act proactively. This takes the sting out of their antics, and we're left watching Muthuvel sleepwalk through his revenge instead of roaring through it. The stakes are said to be high, but we never feel them. The film says Kalpaks are invincible and are so dangerous that governments are afraid of the dead bodies they are piling up. But if a single slow-mo walk from Muthuvel can tilt everything in his favour, then where’s the fun? Again, this wouldn’t be much of a problem in any other Rajinikanth film, where we are not in for the suspense, but for the ride. However, in Jailer 2, Nelson sets us up for something quirky and out of the ordinary. When he leaves Moorthi behind and opts for the easier fruits, you are left bewildered. The film, which was all about Muthuvel’s ascension to the top and dismantling the syndicate, suddenly starts going around in circles. Dileep’s team kidnaps someone, and then… Muthuvel rescues them and harms someone from Dileep’s team. Then, the Kalpak family kidnaps someone, and then… Muthuvel rescues them and harms someone from the Kalpak family. And then, the Kalpak family kidnaps someone else, and Muthuvel rescues them and harms someone else from the Kalpak family. And then, the Kalpak family… You know the drill.
Through the two Jailer films, Nelson has shown how one can neatly present a septuagenarian superstar. If presenting Rajinikanth’s comic talents is already a win, Nelson goes one step further, establishing the actor’s emotional range and unmasking his superstardom. We see Muthuvel's playful side in his scenes with Moorthi, Vimal, and Dileep’s brother-in-law (Vijay Raam). We see Muthuvel's mischievous side when he flirts with Kantha and riles up Bodhi. We see his emotional upheavals when he breaks down in front of the people he wanted to be strong for, and is brought to his knees. Basically, through Jailer 2, we are once again shown that without the actor taking care of the foundation, you can’t build the layers of star, superstar, demigod… and well… whatever Rajinikanth is.
