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'Jack' Movie Review: Siddhu Jonnalagadda Fights a Lonely Battle in This Hotchpotch Drag
'Bommarillu' Bhaskar's film yearns to be an action-comedy such as 'Kingsman' or 'Johnny English,' but without working efficiently on the anatomy of this sub-genre.
Director: Bhaskar
Writer: Bhaskar
Cast: Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Vaishnavi Chaitanya, Prakash Raj, Rahul Dev, Naresh, Subbaraju
Language: Telugu
Actors often fall prey to the very image that they strive to create. With the consummate success of the two (and a few more in the pipeline) DJ Tillu films, Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s persona as the fast-talking bumbler precedes him at the moment. Few actors earn themselves the right to create such a niche, yet one remains conscious of the double-edged nature of this privilege; along with the reputation comes the risk of turning repetitive in trying to cash in on the brand. Bommarrillu Bhaskar’s latest outing Jack attempts to ride the Siddhu Jonnalagadda ‘Star Boy’ wave, albeit without offering anything new or exciting in terms of characterisation or storytelling.
Although Jack is only a broad-strokes reinterpretation of the DJ Tillu character, the film still relies heavily on this vivid personality. Jack, aka Pablo Neruda, is cut from the same cloth in that he is a contrarian, blindly self-assured and hyper-aware. Why would a common kid from Hyderabad be named after a Chilean poet and politician? There is a half-baked justification offered by the film, but the moniker of Jack carries some depth here — the boy, much to the chagrin of his father (played by Naresh), is a jack of many trades having mastered none of them, and has mostly spent his life fluttering over one interest after another. Jack (just like Ravi Teja’s Kalyan in Kick (2009)) looks for fun and thrill in everything he does at the outset, and this seems to be a tailor-made character for Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s proclivities.
The issue, though, is that writer-director Bhaskar carries an ambition of his own. He introduces a national security and terrorism angle very early on in the film and creates a world wherein RAW agents swagger around aimlessly. On one hand, Bhaskar’s writing wants to find comfort in the loveable nonsense of his central character and on the other, he wants to bring in a high-stakes setting where elusive men and women put their lives on the line. Anybody can guess that these two worlds will combine at one point, and film franchises like Kingsman and Johnny English have demonstrated how this irrational blend of sensibilities could be achieved with flair. Jack yearns deeply to be its own kind of comedy, but without working efficiently on the anatomy of this sub-genre.
But it isn't for the lack of enough ingredients. Siddhu Jonnalagadda’s Jack is a goofball, but he also boasts the charm and reach of a Telugu film hero. Prakash Raj’s RAW agent character comes as his complete antithesis who takes himself too seriously and must contend with Jack’s unconventional methods at all times. An infamous terrorist has returned from the dead and has plans for a series of bombings across India. A love story joins the mix to add a bit of zing to the cat-and-mouse stuff ensuing between Jack, the RAW agents and the terrorists (a done-to-death antagonist at this point). The only problem is that all these elements don’t come together as proposed.
Jack distracts itself with too many threads and doesn’t really manage to sink its teeth into anything. The idea of causing a comical confusion between a wanted terrorist and a group of spies is crackling on paper, but the film hardly builds any tension or excitement in this portion. The idea of exploring a love story that is initially sparked by rivalry is appealing, but feels force-fitted into the narrative. The entire onus, as a consequence of the severely generic approach, then falls on Siddhu who somewhat salvages the film with his effortless boy-next-door charisma. The actor’s mile-a-minute patter and the ease with which he brings every contrivance or character into his fold is effective, but not enough to make Jack work in its entirety.
Vaishnavi Chaitanya, as Afsaan, shares some vibrant moments on screen with Siddhu Jonnalagadda, but their romance could best be seen as a patch-up job. The action choreography is well complemented by Vijay K. Chakravathy’s cinematography, but the plot's wishy-washy gaze doesn’t help the technical craft shine as much. The terrorism angle also feels outdated and stereotypical, especially since it serves no real purpose beyond centering the story on a vague threat rather than a well-researched or nuanced issue.
The film would have certainly benefitted from clearer goals and a much stronger emotional crux (the reason behind Jack’s desire to be a spy is barely convincing), just as it needed a stronger base altogether to make the humour work. Jack tries quite hard at pleasing us, but to not much avail.