Sruthi Ganapathy Raman
Rajinikanth’s Tiger Muthuvel Pandian sits across his wife (Ramya Krishnan) and daughter-in-law — both of whom are jolted from their sleep as hoodlums sneak into their house — flaunting his greys and smiles at the dinner table.
Nelson, takes Rajinikanth’s legacy, and squeezes it to make a realistic life-sized version. This is apparent in the smallest of details that register his age in every form.
One of the wittiest things about Jailer is the irreverence with which it treats the star film action template. Rajnikanth so powerful (and also let’s face it, he is an aging macho man) most of the heavy lifting is done for him.
It’s Especially Underwhelming to See The Formidable Ramya Krishnan being reduced to a clueless wife clutching tufts of tissues to wipe the blood off her face and just witness the chaos. It is in the writing of truly warped people and situations that Nelson’s craft becomes visible.
The most exciting part about Jailer is its exploration of how far Muthuvel will go to preserve his sense of justice. We wish this wistful side of Rajinikanth — that comes quite late and fleetingly— could’ve been explored with some more time.