FILM REVIEW SACHIN CHATTE
Film: Jan Neta
Cast: Vijay, Bobby Deol, Mamitha Baiju
Directed by: H. Vinoth
Duration: 3 hours 3 minutes
Rating: * 1 / 2
Jan Neta (originally Jan Nayagan in Tamil) is actor-turned-Chief Minister Vijay’s swan song. Its journey to the screen has been almost as dramatic as the film itself, with controversies involving piracy, the censor board, and even the courts. After prolonged delays, what is billed as Vijay’s farewell to cinema now that he has taken a full-time plunge into politics, has finally reached theatres.
Leaving fandom aside, however, Jan Neta is an endurance test. Like many Indian mainstream entertainers, it desperately wants to be socially responsible while simultaneously allowing its hero to flatten several dozen villains—preferably in slow motion. Directed by H. Vinoth, the film demands unwavering devotion from Vijay fans. Everyone else may find themselves frequently checking their watches.
Loosely inspired by the Telugu hit Bhagavanth Kesari, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, the film runs for just over three hours. Unfortunately, it often feels longer. Scenes that could make their point in 30 seconds are stretched until they resemble a file at the municipality awaiting clearance. Every emotion, motivation, and message is explained, repeated and then underlined, just in case someone in the last row missed it.
The biggest surprise is not the action but the film’s overt political commentary, which explains why it had such a difficult relationship with the censor board. Dialogues such as “Sarkar ko darr ke rehna zaroori hai”, references to dividing people along caste and religious lines for votes, and a line implying “Tell the Centre the state will support them” are unusually direct. Even more intriguing are the numerous muted sentences—you can clearly see lips moving while the soundtrack falls silent, including during a reference to Saddam Hussein. These are not isolated words but entire dialogues that have simply vanished.
We first meet Thalapathy Vetri Kondan (Vijay) behind bars, and the film wastes no time establishing that prison is merely another gymnasium for him. He effortlessly dispatches waves of inmates before the obvious question arises: why is a police officer in jail? The answer arrives a couple of hours later, by which time curiosity has largely given way
to fatigue.
Vetri is entrusted with the care of a young girl, Viji (Mamitha Baiju), and makes it his life’s mission to get her into the Indian Army. Meanwhile, in the fictional African nation of Swasnia, Bobby Deol’s John Himmler escapes from prison after beating up what appears to be an entire military unit. Despite having every conceivable mode of transport available, he chooses to sail to India. What follows is a spectacularly tacky VFX sequence involving naval personnel, exploding ships, and computer graphics that appear to have missed their
final rendering.
Himmler’s ambition is to expand his criminal empire by spreading hatred and weakening the political system. Even in the middle of a fistfight, he declares, “We need dictatorship.” The film ventures into surprisingly bold political territory, although its messaging is anything but subtle.
Women’s empowerment is another recurring theme, but the screenplay approaches it with all the finesse of a sledgehammer. Vetri simply walks into a military academy with Viji as though admissions are handled over the counter. Elsewhere, he delivers an earnest lecture warning children about paedophiles. The result is a film that seems determined to address every social issue it can think of, regardless of whether it belongs in the story.
Whenever he isn’t fighting or delivering sermons, Vijay breaks into song. “Apna party time aa gaya, chalo dance floor todte hain”, serves as sufficient justification for an elaborate musical number. Pooja Hegde appears intermittently as a television journalist, registering her presence every now and then.
The film also pays tribute to M.G. Ramachandran, whose trajectory from cinema to politics Vijay has emulated in real life.
Bobby Deol seems to relish playing John Himmler, even if the role bears more than a passing resemblance to his recent villainous outing in Alpha. While much of the performance is familiar territory, he gets one memorable scene that allows him to display genuine vulnerability after his character is humiliated. Vijay, meanwhile, brings his trademark charisma and complete sincerity to the role. Unfortunately, neither is enough to
rescue a film that mistakes volume for impact and length for significance.
