Jana Nayakudu, produced by KVN Productions, is currently playing in theatres.
Plot:
Thalapathy Vetri Kondan (Vijay, as TVK), a feared prisoner, is close friends with Srikanth (Gautham Menon), a good-hearted jail warden. Srikanth is the father of a young girl named Viji (Mamitha Baiju). After getting badly injured in a crash, Srikanth asks Vetri to take care of Viji before he dies. His last wish is for Vetri to help Viji join the military and raise her to be a resolute woman. At the same time, a big threat emerges. John Himmler (Bobby Deol), a powerful business tycoon, is using advanced tech to create panic across the nation. Vetri already has an old rivalry with him from his past. Things get intense when Viji accidentally gets dragged into Himmler’s dangerous games. Vetri steps up to shield her, forcing him to face his old enemy once again for a final battle.
Post-Mortem:
Tamil films have long been low-effort, a temptation only a few like Lokesh Kanagaraj have been able to resist. Most other filmmakers (even Kollywood's Boyapati Srinu, 'Siruthai' Siva) put in the same level of effort for a Suriya movie, a Vishal movie, or a Vijay/Ajith movie. When Karthi's Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru was released in 2017, director H Vinoth appeared to have been cut from a different cloth. His later films, particularly Ajith's Thunivu, proved us wrong. With Jana Nayagan, he is firmly in the august company of N Lingusamy (a bit of exaggeration is allowed) and Siva. Kollywood filmmakers working with superstars check just one thing: is Anirudh Ravichander on board?
Jana Nayakudu is an adaptation of the Telugu hit Bhagavanth Kesari, minus the effortless gravitas of Nandamuri Balakrishna and the even greater effortlessness of Anil Ravipudi. Everything is laboured, including the communal politics/terrorism element. The characters are trapped in a non-stop loop of fighting, protesting, threatening, or saving the day (well, mostly just one person doing the saving). Right after the interval, the movie doubles down on an outdated style. At the heart of all the flashback non-tension is a woman’s hunger strike, shot in a studio set, appearing as artificial as it can.
In the prison, a small army of muscular men works for the protagonist. They look like they are incapable of any soft emotions. Gautam Menon doesn't come with the energy of a ready-to-die man, but in a twist of sorts, he gets killed.
The film comes alive only when Bobby Deol is around. His intro features an action set piece; for the first time, Anirudh feels the energy here. The ICU background score till then feels like an LCU score in Bobby Deol's portions. His character has more to offer in the second half and that's a relief. Prakash Raj plays one of his career's most lifeless antagonist roles. As Roja Ranganathan, a political heavyweight, he plays a broadly written character like he himself is bored. Had he dubbed for himself, his performance would have come through a bit.
Mamitha Baiju's character, a straight Sreeleela character from Bhagavanth Kesari, gets drowned in the Pakistan angle and the larger politics of the movie. The remote control war element and other ideas don't elevate the action blocks. Pooja Hegde feels like she is not doing well. Priyamani, as an IAS officer, is underwritten.
Vijay's performance is good in some of the serious scenes, in the Thalapathy Kacheri song, and a few other places. Otherwise, he is boring. The production values are not awkward but they are not distinguishable either.
Closing Remarks:
Despite Vijay's occasional sincerity and Bobby Deol's commanding villainous presence, Jana Nayakudu is a mechanical adaptation that strips Bhagavanth Kesari of its emotional weight and effortless charm.
