Jigarthanda DoubleX: Karthik Subbaraj’s premier take on the purpose of cinema

Jigarthanda X follows the same template as the first part, where the plot revolves around making a film on the biography of a notorious and dangerous rowdy in the city.

Hyderabad: Jigarthanda DoubleX is the stand-alone sequel to Jigarthanda, written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj in 2014. If we could rewind, Jigarthanda is only the second film for Karthik as director after his superhit first film, Pizza. But still, he made a huge impact with Jigarthanda that will stay forever in the history of Tamil cinema. Now, after nine years, with the film Double X, Karthik has created a double impact that will be embraced forever again.

Jigarthanda X follows the same template as the first part, where the plot revolves around making a film on the biography of a notorious and dangerous rowdy in the city. But Karthik Subbaraj went a mile extra in the second part, where the director (in the film), played by SJ Suryah, is a police aspirant by profession, and he comes to kill the rowdy, played by Lawrence. The biographical film is just a setup for the planned murder. So this choice of plot drive from Karthik makes the screenplay intriguing and gives excitement to the audience.

---

The first half of the film goes in this interesting manner, which we witnessed in the first part in 2014. But when it comes to the second part, the story has deeper layers, which are emotional. In Jigarthanda, Karthik used cinema as a medium for the character transformation of the main character from a rowdy to a soulful actor.

But in DoubleX, Karthik showed the audience the true power and purpose of cinema. Also, there is a very soulful backstory about the lives of tribals, the misuse of power by the government, and the beauty of the environment.

These elements are blended so beautifully in the film’s story and presented through the eyes of cinema. Karthik’s intention of conveying that cinema is not only to make money or deliver entertainment but to transform lives and bring some change hits everyone’s heart.

Lawrence and SJ Suryah lived in the characters. Lawrence’s looks and his body language as a cruel and massy rowdy are very interesting to watch. SJ Suryah is at the top of his career currently, and he proves it once again. If not Lawrence and Suryah, DoubleX couldn’t produce double impact.

Two important and appreciable additions to the film are blending the western cinema of the 1970s with the inspiration of Clint Eastwood and referring to Rajinikanth, the first black actor in South Cinema. These are extraordinary choices from Karthik Subbaraj.

DoubleX is superior in all the technical aspects, and in particular, the DI and VFX departments need to be applauded a lot.

Santhosh Narayanan and Karthik share a god-level bond in delivering some of the best background scores, and it is repeated once again in DoubleX.

So if DoubleX needs to be simply reviewed in one line, “you can never call yourself a film lover if you cannot understand the beauty and soul purpose of cinema, and that’s what Karthik Subbaraj reminds you of with Jigarthanda DoubleX.”