Jerax begins with the promise of an ambitious, cinematic setting. When Prakasha (played by Nagabhushana as he grows up) is brought to a local temple as a sick young boy, the priest suggests an amulet to improve his health. Behind their back, a series of strange events gingerly unfold. Jupiter and Saturn come together, and the rare astronomical alignment bestows on this young boy much more than just the pink of health. A mythmaking begins, and we immediately wonder how director Srinidhi Bengaluru might do justice to this ripe worldbuilding over the course of six episodes in the Zee5 show. But he has a plan.
Keeping the grandness of the idea aside, Bengaluru condenses and contains this concept into a simple yet intriguing setting. Prakasha, who is now orphaned and penniless, runs his foul-mouthed uncle’s “xerox” shop with a rundown photocopier. Filial affection runs high for Prakasha, who diverts all his untapped reserves of love and energy toward Sooji (Payal Chengappa), his girlfriend, who is having second thoughts about him. She is torn between Prakasha’s love and her fiancé Revanth’s wealth, stringing both of them along even as she struggles to make a decision. This leads to hilarity and confusion, all when Prakasha makes a life-changing discovery: that the copier he has hated all his life can save not just his relationship, but also his money problems.
The triumph of this show’s surreal plot depends on its ability to convince us of its rich worldbuilding. While Jerax might not be able to do it through seamless visual effects or cinematic action set pieces, it charms us into buying into its madcap idea. Jerax is easy on the eyes, and so are the residents of Rayadurga, the fictional town the show is set in.
It works to the show’s favour that it keeps its field of vision mostly scaled down. In the hands of any other man, a photocopier with unending powers of human cloning could’ve led to a can of worms. But Prakasha thinks small. His entire world is Sooji; everything he does with the machine is to make her happy. This sort of approach also sidesteps showing us the show's limitations. When given a choice between a complicated science fiction thriller and a supernatural comedy of errors, Jerox picks the latter and is better for it.
In the middle of Sooji’s tumultuous love triangle, we’re also immersed in a chaotic local election. Corrupt cops and busybody YouTubers are thrown into the mix, all indirectly affected by Prakasha’s newfound powers. While a lot of these subplots seem a bit unwieldy at first, they all eventually come together, and Bengaluru manages to connect the dots.
The characters surrounding Prakasha and Sooji are endearing, including Sooji's sweet single father, who only wants to find his daughter a suitable match, and her fiancé, Revanth, who is given a good scare by Prakasha's antics. While the show's tight format doesn't give these guys much to do, they manage to leave a mark in their limited screen time.
In another universe (maybe a feature-length film?), Jerax could've fully geeked out with its tempting sci-fi desires. But with whatever it's got, it gives us a sweet but short ride worth our time.