Jailer 2

Scattered thoughts on...

• The existence of this sequel, redeems the first’s missteps, for how it promises an extension - that there’s more story to come - for an emotional arc that felt incomplete, even if that might not be the primary goal of these films. The primary goal being the dudes-rock (dudes-mass, if I’m allowed to say that) vibe it has to give off. It is pretty successful, though I did leave wanting it to have done even better (what to say, I'm just greedy I guess).
• I have also softened toward the first film over time, owing to the pronounced aesthetic, which is so far away from (and arguably ahead of) mainstream mass filmmaking of today’s Indian cinema. Vijay Karthik Kannan’s explosive closeups and soft but shiny lighting makes for great eye candy - be it featuring people or objects - and accentuates the unserious nature of Nelson’s world. Also, getting familiar with a film’s weaknesses probably results in increased fondness for all of the colourful aura-farming without the baggage of emotional expectations.
• Nelson has discovered great things to do with Rajinikanth’s face, his eyes. The bold stay on his smile, the pumped up low angles, as seen in the first film, continue here. This sequel does all of that and little more. Comedy and aura, that’s all Nelson is interested in. Even the emotional bits are reserved to very short episodes in the beginning and towards the end, in spite of it being a fulcrum of the lead into this sequel. There’s never an undercurrent of sadness or any pathos in the proceedings, except for when Nelson wants you to feel it in a song, or with a sad score in a serious scene. Now this has become a typically expected aspect of his style. I don’t enjoy it as much, as it makes films (in this series) lesser than the sum of their parts, for me.
• Nelson also doesn't seem bogged-down by Rajinikanth's "image" - he twists, fiddles and uses it within his own world and taste of storytelling. There's no halo around the star in the mundane or in-between scenes, which in itself becomes funny for a large section of the audience - because the star image in him has been deified to a point where him doing his job as an actor in itself lends into being some sort of commendable, amusing entropy. And thus, Nelson's assignment for himself is to hold onto more of what comes to him naturally, while Anirudh then has to work on landing the highs the director is chasing, which he has clearly succeeded in.
• The cat-and-mouse chase half of the narrative never sees a dip in mood, thanks to Nelson ensuring every character has a solid presence in the frame. Nobody feels like they’re just a filler, every casting choice registers some personality wherever they appear. The only odd notes would be... A slightly subdued SJ Surya. He is an unsurprising addition, whose familiar histrionics sort of pull down Nelson’s own texture. I also couldn't stop imagining how Hritik’s cameo could’ve well been packaged under Mohanlal’s Matthew, leading to a tighter second half as well.
• Deceptively, the thrills in the initial chase aren’t decided by the travel or intelligence of it, but merely by the screenplay’s demands. So the whole of the first half is entirely predictable, it’s all only leading to a question of when - but the comedy and the limited glimpses of Tiger MVP entirely keeps the film going. Thus, the mass moments mostly land as intended in the first half.
• …Except for that one set-piece that embarassingly uses a pregnant woman to a squirming-in-seat effect - it’s tiring that it has to be said again that we shouldn’t be doing this anymore, it’s offensive and dehumanising. I’m sure we can find other creative ways to do mass moments that don’t involve using women as objects that receive violence. Same complaint with the stupid lecher-behaviour “comedy” by the hero with Vidya Balan later in the film, absolutely disgraceful stuff, onus on actor and the writer. Such crude, dated dialogues are also staple to Nelson’s filmography, and I will hope for a day he doesn’t rely on them.
• The writer-director’s biggest undoing in this sequel is him reserving the entire Kalpak storyline for the second half. He has bizarrely chosen to set up their intros, explain stakes, establish a whole family of characters, and bring in newer cameos, all in one half. In retrospect, one could argue that the first half meanders to get here, in spite of being entertaining, because the meat of this chapter in the jailer’s life are all in the second half. That meat, for me is when Nelson finally plays into the emotional beat - the murder of MVP’s son. I eagerly waited for more of this throughout the film. The same neglected-child treatment of it continues from the previous film, in spite of having a memorable dramatic scene involving the family in a tight indoor setting. But this film doesn’t have time to show this emotion weighing in on any of the characters. It's quickly resolved like it never happened, squandering a great opportunity to explore new, much-warranted sentimental territory with a more than capable cast.
• I’d surely wouldn't mind watching a third film in this franchise, which has been neatly setup, with the promise of a new villain character who can carry an entire film herself. But if this is going to mean more jokes that reduce the woman to an object, then no, thank you.