Jackpot Review
Star Cast : Jyotika, Revathi, Anandaraj, Rajendran, Kingsley, Rajendran
Director : Kalyaan
In a way Jackpot is another version of director Kalyaan’s Gulaebaghavali, and the one common connecting point between these two films is Masha (Revathi). Here Masha is the godmother of Akshu aka Akshaya (Jyotika) and together they con people and enjoy their life to the fullest. These women go to prison after they pick a fight with the local inspector.
Inside the jail, an old lady tells Masha and Akshu about an ancient inexhaustible vessel similar to the mythological Akshaya Patram which she buried in the house of a local politician and businessman Manasthan (Anandaraj). The rest of the film is all about how both Masha and Akshu steal the precious vessel which has the ability to change their life.
Director Kalyaan has tried to give a mass hero image to Jyotika that the actress gets a mass entry, introduction song, beats up a dozen strong men and dance for peppy numbers. But sadly, all these things stand out like a sore thumb. Jyotika, as usual over-acts in comedy scenes but pulls off risky stunts effortlessly. Kalyaan has lazily written the characters of Jyotika and Revathi, narrating their relationship in the climax through a one-liner, which does not create an impact. Revathy looks too mature for the role and tries hard to make buffoonery convincing.
Kalyaan has extracted a splendid job from Anandaraj who completely steals the show in a dual role (brother and sister) and provides constant laughter throughout the film. Kingsley who comes as the comedy sidekick of Anandaraj brings the roof down with his uncanny dialogue delivery.
‘Naan Kadavul’ Rajendran also provides a few light-hearted moments in the film. The most anticipated Yogi Babu track falls flat and why was Samuthirani a part of it? This whole sub-plot would have helped to bring the running time to a crisp 120 minutes.
Technically, Vishal Chandrasekhar’s background score provides the colorful and vibrant mood to the film so does the cinematography of RS Anandakumar. Overall, Jackpot is watchable due to the amazing comic screen presence of Anandaraj. One question remains: How many more times will charismatic actors help stupid films get made?
