After ‘Pazhassi Raja’ Sarathkumar gets a chance to prove his prowess yet again and the actor doesn’t miss the bus. In fact, ‘Jaggubhai’ (U/A) is one of Sarath’s best performances till date. Playing the father of a 20-year old to the hilt, he scores a ton with an admirable essay.
Neither Sarathkumar (except for the flashback) nor Shriya have a romantic pair in ‘Jaggubhai’-- plaudits to K.S. Ravikumar for the guts in avoiding the anathema of the three-duet norm. In fact the aspect lends freshness to the treatment. (The ‘Anbulla Maanvizhiyae’ re-mix is proof that the original MSV score is evergreen.)
Ravikumar’s crisp screenplay (which gets racier with editor Don Max’s able scissoring) makes you forget to ponder over whether the inspiration comes from elsewhere. The story of ‘Jaggubhai’ may be predictable at times, but its pace does the trick. The chases and stunts handled by Ramesh have been engagingly captured by veteran R.D. Rajasekar. So has the climax.
News of his estranged wife’s accident and the existence of a daughter, Monisha (Shriya), about whom he knew nothing, takes tough cop Jagannathan or Jaggubhai (Sarathkumar) all the way to Australia after a gap of two decades. A crime racket welcomes him there…
Sarath as Jaggubhai is a picture of dignity – he shows that apt underplay can make a tremendous impact. As his childish, mulish daughter Shriya makes an impact. She does overdo things at times, which get accentuated with the decibel level of her ‘voice’ rising at every point. Otherwise her expressions impress.
Goundamani, who returns after a hiatus, is his typical self. Donning a significant role his one-liners throughout the film provide enough comic relief. Only wish he doesn’t scream so much. Age has not withered the comedian’s energy or his ability to provide wholesome laughter. Hope we see the actor more often on the big screen. Kiran too makes a come back of sorts.
Very rarely has the Ravikumar-Sarathkumar combo failed to make it to the winning post. The latest to join the success league should be ‘Jaggubhai’ – it deserves to.
