“Alapara Kelaparam…Thalavar Nirandharam!” – These lines from the superhit track ‘Hukum’ from ‘Jailor’ describe the evergreen charm of superstar Rajinikanth, who still rules the big screen of Indian cinema. Making a sequel to the 600 crore blockbuster film was a big challenge for director Nelson Dilip Kumar. But has ‘Jailor 2’ managed to replicate the magic, swag and mass appeal of the first film? Let’s dive into this detailed review.

Story: Where it started and left off
The story of ‘Jailor 2’ picks up from where the first film ended. Tiger Muthuvel Pandian (Rajinikanth) and his family are yet to fully recover from the death of their son Arjun when an idol smuggling gang poisons their lives again.

To avenge the death of Varman (Vinaikan), his accomplice Dileep (Sooraj Venjaramoodu) sets out to find the killer. This search brings him to the ex-jailer ‘Tiger’. To save his family, Tiger this time has to face a very dangerous and huge syndicate, which is run by Bodhi Kalpak (SJ Surya), Kanta Kalpak (Vidya Balan) and their father Kalpak (Mithun Chakraborty).

Directing and Writing: Balancing ‘absurd comedy’ and ‘mass moments’
Director Nelson Dilip Kumar’s greatest strength is his ‘absurd comedy’, which is abundant in this film as well.

First Half: The film starts very calm and composed, where ‘Tiger’ avoids confrontation. But this slowness doubles the thrill of the ‘mass moments’ that come later (like the tea shop shooting and the bridge incident).

Unique Characters: The characters of ruthless but clueless gangster Murthy (Namo Narayanan) and Malayali smuggler Dileep (Sooraj Venjaramoodu) add strong comedy flavor to the story.

Second Half and Cameos: The interlude twist is amazing. However, the story deviates a bit in the second half and is reminiscent of the first film. Nelson wisely includes old and new cameos, though Hrithik Roshan’s entry feels a little weak.

Acting: Rajinikanth’s screen presence is the life of the film.
Rajinikanth: Thalaivar has once again proved that there is no swag like him. His transformation from a quiet family man to a dangerous ‘tiger’ is seamless and powerful.

Co-star: SJ Suriya has given a strong fight as the villain. Suraj Venjaramoodu and Namo Narayanan’s juggling act is one of the funniest parts of the film. Vidya Balan makes her mark even in small roles, while Ramya Krishnan and Yogi Babu get limited space.

Technical side and music
Music: Anirudh Ravichander’s background score (BGM) adds excitement to every scene. However, two songs act as ‘speed breakers’ in this fast-paced film, which could have been edited out.

Cinematography and Editing: Vijay Karthik Kannan has beautifully rendered the scenes of Coimbatore and Goa. The runtime of the film is 2 hours 45 minutes; If the editing of the climax and the last 20 minutes were a little tighter, the film could have been more effective.

Final decision
Despite a weak climax and some logical lapses, ‘Jailor 2’ manages to be a commercial entertainer for the money mainly because of Nelson’s unique writing style, one-liners and Rajinikanth’s unbeatable charm. It may not be as ‘fresh’ as ​​the first film, but it has enough spice to get whistles in theaters. And yes, the film’s ending leaves the door open for ‘Jailor 3’!

Movie: Jailor 2

Starring: Rajinikanth, SJ Suriya, Sooraj Venjaramoodu, Vidya Balan, Mithun Chakraborty, Namo Narayanan, Yogi Babu, Ramya Krishnan and Hrithik Roshan (cameo)

Director: Nelson Dilipkumar

Music: Anirudh Ravichander

Rating: 3.5/5 stars