Jan Neta REVIEW: CM Thalapathy Vijay’s Swan Song Fails To Hit The Mark Despite Mass Appeal And Relevance

Film:
Jan Neta

Director: H. Vinoth

Writer: Anil Ravipudi (Story), H. Vinoth (Screenplay)

Cast: Thalapathy C. Joseph Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju, alongside Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, Priyamani

Runtime: 183 Minutes (3 Hours, 3 Minutes)

Platform: In Theatres

Jan Neta Review

Everything works out for the best and that’s exactly what can be said for Tamil Chief Minister, Thalapathy C. Joseph Vijay last film Jana Nayagan, aka Jan Neta in Hindi. The film’s core story is of highest relevance today given the multiple on-going protests across the nations. But is it worth a watch? Unfortunately, the answer to that is a big NO, especially when it comes to watching it in theatres if you aren’t a die-hard Vijay fan.

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The H Vinoth directed political thriller tells the story of an extraordinary man, Thalapathy Vetri Kondan (Vijay) who – in 2013, is imprisoned at Madurai Central Jail. During his time behind bars, several attempts have been made the kill him, however, he manages to survive everyone due to his impecable fighting skills. While there, he not only builds himself a loyal following/army but also forms a stong bond with the jail’s newly appointed jailer, Srikanth (Gautham Vasudev Menon) and his daughter Viji (Mamitha Baiju).

Srikanth – who temporarily releases Vijay on bail to meet his dying mother (Revathy), is soon suspended from his job. Immediately after his release, Thalapathy goes to meet Srikanth – as he feels responsible for his predicament. Alas, Srikanth dies hours later in a road accident, leading to Thalapathy feeling responsile for Viji and raising her as his own daughter.

At the same time, we also meet John Himler (Bobby Deol). Unlike Thalapathy, John is imprisoned in Swasnia after being held responsible for the death and mayhem he’s caused there. With hours of his arrest, Himler brutally escapes from prison, killing several inmates, police and event the Prime Minister in the process. Aided by Roja Rangaswamy (Prakash Raj) – an influential politician in Tamil Nadu, John aims to attack India and take control of it by creating communal tension.

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Will John and Roja be successful in their sinister plans? How do the two stories intertwine? Will Thalapathy be able to stomp over their plans and save the nation? To know the answers, you would need to watch Jan Neta and here’s our honest review of Thalapathy Vijay’s swan song.

What Works

Thalapathy Vijay’s screen presence is the biggest plus of the film. Some other aspects that may impress is the film’s music from time to time and a couple of action sequences.

What Doesn’t Work

John Himler’s villain story is silly and difficult to digest – Bobby’s character arc in Alpha has more substance. Imagine that! The film’s VFX – especially in the manner they handle the robotic creatures, is outdated and substandard. The dialogues also aren’t all that impressive. The film’s runtime is another douser.

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However, the biggest negative for Jana Nayagan is its story and the many twists revealed in it. The relationships shown are also a bit confusing (this may be a Hindi language issue, but not sure). Another minus is Bobby Deol’s dubbing – it is just cringe!

Technical Analysis

Direction

H Vinoth has failed in delivering a product fit to bid adieu to a legend like CM Thalapathy C. Joseph Vijay.

Story & Screenplay

Anil Ravipudi’s story, penned by Vinoth is nothing short of a cringe fest despite it touching upon relevant topics such as political corruption, secularism, patriotism and women’s safety. While the screenwriting overall disappoints, the manner in which the hunger strikes sequence is written is commendable.

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Music

Anirudh Ravichander music is on-point. The musical genius has managed to beautifully weave the songs into the narrative and make them feel in place even when you know their placement is absurd. However, it fails to salvage the film hijacked by a lengthy and complex story. The music clicks but isn’t enough to keep you glued to the screen.

Action

The film’s action is good and in some sequences even better than good. However, while the choreography hits the mark, it’s not something we haven’t seen Vijay do in the past. In fact, ‘Lord’ Bobby’s action also falls flat, especially after we seen him kill it in Animal and even Alpha.

Editing & Cinematography

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While Sathyan Sooryan’s cinematography is nothing to complain about, Pradeep E. Ragav’s editing is a whole other story. He could have, and should have reduced the film’s length by at least 30 minutes if not more. H Vinoth could have redeemed himself had he come in clutch and aided Ragav in keeping the film’s runtime around the 150-minute mark. The editing also fails to land when Vijay’s character is shown fighting with a sword covered in blood.

Star Cast

Vijay bows out of films with a great performance. The actor – known globally as Thalapathy, delivers a terrific performance that will make you whistle and calp. His screen presence is electrifying, and his signature swag is enough to increase the film’s vibe and impact rises. The manner in which he delivers hard-hitting dialogues is impressive despite the lines being cringe.

Mamitha Baiju delivers an impactful performance and manages to showcase but the vulnerable and powerful sides of Viji beautifully. Pooja Hegde as Kayal is a screen stealer. She looks drop dead gorgeous and lends support to both Thalapathy and Vijay. Aside from that, she could have been better used.

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Bobby Deol once again plays an antagonist and doesn’t eliver anything new. We’ve seen the same thing for the last couple of years. Prakash Raj kills it as a baddie (despite being a pookie IRL) and he knows it. He delivers a performance that can be considered among his bests.

Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priyamani, Revathy, Nassar, Sunil, Narain and Teejay Arunasalam deliver fair performances given their limited screen time. The actress who plays Porkodi leaves an impact.

Conclusion

If you are a Thalapathy Vijay fans, do go to theatres only to celebrate the actor-turned-Chief Minister’s legacy, else give it a skip. This 3-hour-long political thriller – despite its relevance, seems never ending and will 100% try your patience.

Watch the trailer of Jan Neta here:

Also Read: Ikka REVIEW: Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna’s Courtroom Drama Has Substance But Lacks Conviction

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.