Bringing Rajinikanth’s Jailer to the Big Screen: A Cinematic Universe
By Shruti MM
In the world of common people, there exists a hero who embodies truth, righteousness, justice, and dharma. This hero’s values are not easily shaken and are passed down through generations. Jailer, the latest film, takes us on a journey through the life of this hero, with an intriguing twist from his past. With a stoic smile, he faces various challenges, both victorious and defeated. Jailer is a package that encapsulates all the essence of Rajinikanth’s movies, from start to finish.
The film begins with a glimpse into the retired life of our main character, a village-dweller who is content in his new phase. The story is propelled forward by the passionate bond between Rajini and his grandson, Muthuvel Pandyan. The arrest of Rajini’s son, ASP, and his involvement in an idol theft case follows, albeit without much surprise. Within the first 10 minutes, the villainous Vinayakan, played by Varman, makes his appearance. Director Nelson continues to experiment with production and storytelling, deviating from the typical reliance on the main character alone to carry the film.
The heart of the story revolves around the theft of an idol with international connections, which the son is determined to unravel. The subsequent kidnapping of the son by Vinayakan sets the stage for a father’s revenge. Throughout the film, parallels can be drawn to Baasha, reminding older audiences of the 1974 film Thangapatakam. The name of Rajini’s character, Muthuvel Pandian, is a nod to his previous iconic roles as Muthu and Alex Pandian.
Series Influence
Jailer also highlights Director Nelson’s affinity for television series. Rajinikanth’s character bears resemblance to Mike Ehrmantrout from the Emmy Award-winning series Breaking Bad. Certain prison scenes, particularly the climactic underground chamber, evoke memories of Super Lab. Younger viewers may draw comparisons to Kamal Haasan’s recent blockbuster Vikram, where Haasan’s ex-policeman seeks revenge for his son. Both Rajinikanth and Haasan unite in their quest to save their grandsons. However, while Vikram centers around a single hero, Jailer presents a cinematic universe, featuring an ensemble cast of Indian cinema stars.
As the story unfolds, Jailer morphs into a classic Rajini-style film, electrifying the audience with flashbacks of Raja, Thalaivan, Mr. Bharat, and Rajadhiraja. Rajinikanth embodies the maturity and grace of his character with his white hair and medium-toned attire. His trademark stylish walk and meaningful laugh continue to captivate the theaters, creating a festive atmosphere. Just like the dialogue in Padaiyapa, “‘With age and style, it will wear off…,'”, Rajinikanth’s on-screen presence defies age. His pairing with Ramyakrishnan, who delivers a remarkable performance, reignites memories of their previous collaboration in Padayappa.
Nelson’s Female Characters Fall Short
However, the film falls short of delivering the anticipated Rajini-Ramya mass performance synonymous with the Padayappa-Neelambari reunion. Nelson’s track record of creating strong female characters is lacking, as evident from Nayantara’s Kolama Kokila and now in Jailer. Another script flaw arises when the main character, an advocate for justice and truth, seemingly endorses custodial torture during the flashback scenes.
The second half of the film becomes sluggish, sacrificing logical coherence for scenes that elicit cheers and applause. Cinematographer Vijay Karthik Kannan skillfully captures the action sequences, even though Jailer is not primarily an action film. However, some scenes veer towards excessive violence. Though the story may seem familiar, Nelson injects freshness into Jailer through inventive action sequences, gripping stunts, and well-placed characters.
Rajinikanth’s Unprecedented Alliance
A notable aspect of the story is Rajinikanth’s uncharacteristic reliance on his companions to defeat the villain. Mohanlal, Siva Rajkumar, and Jackie Shroff stand alongside him, with the director offering equal screen time and significance to each one. This marks a significant milestone in Vinayakan’s career, as he takes on the lead antagonist role. Anirudh’s music adds a festive ambiance throughout the film, making it a treat for Rajinikanth and Mohanlal fans alike. For others, Jailer is worth a watch at least once.
Shruti MM
Common among common people. A person who does not give up these ideals of truth, righteousness, justice and dharma, who has a strong love and concern for his family. Passed to son and grandson. Followed by a story twist following the hero’s past. He faces challenges with a cold smile. That smile that comes when you lose or don’t lose….! This is Jailer in a nutshell. It can be said that it is a package that contains all the Rajinikanth movies from start to finish.
The film begins with a glimpse into the life of the main character, a villager enjoying his retired life. In the beginning, the passion and romance between Rajini and his grandson Muthuvel Pandyan drives the story forward. The arrest of Rajini’s son ASP and the accused in the idol theft case follows without much twist or excitement. In the first 10 minutes itself, Varman’s character of the villain Vinayak is also seen on screen. Director Nelson has not stopped experimenting in terms of production or storytelling. But it is interesting to note that Jailer deviates from the usual style of popular films always relying entirely on the main character to move forward.
The story is driven by the idol theft that the son is looking for, with international connections, and the subsequent kidnapping of this son by the villain Varman, and the father’s revenge for his son. At the same time, the theme of the film Baasha is one of the facts that the audience is clearly reminded of in several places in the film Jailer. Older audiences may find the film Jailer similar to the 1974 film Thangapatakam. Even the name of the character Muthuvel Pandian is a combination of two of Rajini’s previous characters Muthu and Alex Pandian.
Series influence
The film also reveals Nelson’s interest in the characters of the series. Rajinikanth’s character is very similar to Mike Ehrmantrout in the Emmy Award winning series Breaking Bad. Some scenes in the prison, like the climatic underground chamber, remind us of the Super Lab series. Meanwhile, the youngster will surely remember Kamal Haasan’s latest blockbuster Vikram. Rajinikanth in Jailor and Kamal Haasan in Vikram as an ex-policeman who is about to take revenge on those who decided his son’s fate. The two of them go to save the grandson. Young people will recognize that similarity. But if Vikram is a page confined to one hero, Jailer is a cinematic universe. Director Nelson has presented a package of Indian cinema stars to the audience.
During the forward journey of the story, Jailer turns into a classic Rajini style film that thrills the theaters with flashbacks of Raja, Thalaivan, Mr. Bharat, Rajadhiraja, Rajini star getup and mass dialogues like ‘Naan uru mutts sonna’.
‘With age and style, it will wear off…’
While the first half of the film is narrated through the grandson, the son and the villain, Rajinikanth scores the second half. Rajini has been able to evoke the maturity of her character with a white and white hairstyle and wearing a medium tone. Still, he created a festive atmosphere in the theaters with his unique stylish walk and meaningful laugh. Without any major hype, the film went into intermission with a close-up of Rajini’s face standing with a small smile on the full screen. The flashback scenes showing the past and Rajini’s stylish attitude in the role of the prison guard were received with cheers from the audience. ‘Vayassanalum un stileum, Azhakum’, Ramyakrishnan’s dialogue in the film Padaiyapa looks at Rajini’s character who has passed middle age. Rajinikanth fans watching Jailer must have said the same.
Rajini’s pair is Ramyakrishnan, who is perhaps even more popular with the story Rajini Padaiyail Atta Padaiyapa. A character who transforms from being just a housewife to one who can face any cruel scene. Ramya, who makes the character memorable with just a handful of dialogue scenes, will remain in the mind of the audience. In the first part of the super hit Baahubali, Ramya also played the role of Sivakami, which was only minutes long, but will be remembered forever. The excellence of acting that is grabbing the audience’s mind right now is to be commended.
Nelson fails to create great female characters
But the scenes were not as spectacular as those who were expecting a Rajini-Ramya mass performance on the level of the Padayappa-Neelambari reunion. From Nayantara’s heroine, Kolama Kokila, it can be said that Nelson’s failure to create strong female characters can be seen in Jailer as well. One of the shortcomings of the script is that the main character, who is an advocate for justice and truth, goes to the extent of encouraging custodial torture when he reaches the flashback scenes.
Unnecessary lag creeps into the second half. Logic aside, those are the scenes that can be celebrated with whistles and claps. Vinayak, a Malayalee, has been cast as a Malayalee villain in the film. Cinematographer Vijay Karthik Kannan has managed to present the action scenes to the audience in a good way, even though it is not an action film. It can be said that some of the action scenes are full of excessive violence. Although the story is old wine, Nelson has been able to improve the production by adding freshness to the action scenes and stunts and placing the characters perfectly.
Rajini sought companions
One of the features to mention while taking the story is that none of the heroes Rajinikanth that fans have seen so far has sought the help of his associates to fight the villain in this film. Mohanlal, Siva Rajkumar and Jackie Shroff come to stand against the villain. The director has made a special effort to give equal screen space and importance to all of them. For Vinayakan, who has played the lead role, this will be a landmark film in his career. Another thing worth mentioning is Anirudh’s music. That background score can give the film a festive feel until the end. Jailer is a mass film for Rajini and Mohanlal fans. For those who don’t, one time watching a movie.
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