Jailer 2 | Movie Review

Credit where it is due! No one, and I mean no one can beat Rajni when it comes to the swag! This man is 75 years old but he still can swoon you with the magic he creates on screen. However, he needs a script and a level headed director to make sure you swoon. He made two movies since Jailer back in 2023, Vettaiyan and Coolie, but neither were able to create the magic that Jailer could. Can Jailer 2 deliver like its predecessor?

I haven’t watched any of Nelson Dilipkumar’s movies other than Jailer, but that left me impressed. He has the craft to elevate the scene. While this is subtle in the first part, I thought he went a little overboard in this one. There are some genuinely good moments, but beyond a point, it’s just too much!

Jailer 2 starts off pretty much where Jailer ended, without much context if you haven’t watched the predecessor. Tiger (Rajni) is being hunted by the gangs for the stolen statues, while Tiger himself is planning to get to the big fish responsible for his son’s death. Nelson fills the first half with a lot of humour, with Tiger downplaying the character and giving more scope to Moorthi (Namo Narayana) and Vimal (Yogi Babu). The comedy is neat and generates laughs, and thanks to this, the first half goes through like a breeze. Come the second half, with the introduction of new villains, the story relies heavily on style and superstar moments rather than a deep narrative arc. The fact that Tiger wins every battle or mind games, apart from one emotional scene about his son’s death, makes the vicious and powerful antagonists look like puppets. 

While direction is neat, screenplay could have been better. What I didn’t particularly like was his rushing into the story in the first half without proper character development, be it Moorthi, his nephew, Vimal reappearing, or the number of villains. Yes, Moorthi generated laughs, but it would have been great if his role was well written and established. It all felt too rushed. I also felt that Kantha’s role (Vidya Balan) added no value to the story, and if anything, it was awkward to watch her interactions with Tiger or vice versa. This was probably the low point of the film. 

Rajni is at his usual best. He has the swag and it was nice to see him act his age, apart from the cringy scenes with Vidya Balan. Needless to say, Vidya Balan did well in her role, but her role was unnecessary (unless they plan to make her the main antagonist in Part 3). SJ Suryah did a good job and was menacing to begin with, but as mentioned earlier, turned into a caricature toward the climax. Namo Narayana deserves a special mention, he was brilliant as Moorthi. His confidence levels and comic timing were some of the best moments in the film. Rest of the cast, be it Ramya Krishna and recurring cast from first half, or the cameos, were just alright. Hrithik’s cameo didn’t really add anything either.

The biggest asset of the film, apart from Rajni, is Anirudh’s music and score. Yes, he has reused the same tunes from the first film, but they still are impactful on screen. The two new item songs don’t create the same impact as “Kaavaalaa” from the film, but kudos to their choreography. Editing by R. Nirmal is alright but I have a feeling he’s the one who chopped the initial bits that might have established the new characters better. Cinematography by Vijay Kartik Kannan is good, and so is the production by Sun Pictures.