Review of Jigar

Introduction

There was a time in Indian cinema when no brainers like Jigar was deemed as entertainment, thankfully the eighties are no more when screen violence had no reason, and men saw rape as a joy to view on screen. This film however was made in the early 1990’s when romantic films were just beginning its trend, hence Jigar failure at the box-office. Still it mange to create curiosity with the then newcomer Ajay Devgan, who starred in the blockbuster Phool Aur Kannte (1990), and who was gaining stardom as an action hero. How much has changed from the past to what he is currently, a talented actor with quality films like Zakham (1998) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) behind him.

The soundtrack of this film was quite a big seller and made the once S-Series record label, owned by producer Salim, quite successful for a short period of time. He even produced some decent movies like Phool Aur Angarrey (1992), and Bazzi (1993).

The film’s main characters are the fight sequences that seem poorly executed and rushed. The choreography is somewhat dull and lacks what other excellent kung-fu films have in its pacing, editing and cinematography. It even goes to borrow scenes from numerous classic Jackie Chan films like Snake in the Eagle Shadow and Drunken Master. The performances from the entire cast are hammy and offkey, but that is expected for a movie of this genre. The romantic elements do take up most of the film time and some trimming could have been done. Technical values are average and now are appearing rather dated.

The plot is reminiscent to numerous Cantonese films that are within the kung-fu genre, and like films of this genre Jigar is gaining a cult like status with video rentals and satellite showings. It might not be one people are planning to watch but when it’s on you can’t help but watch along. It’s what I like to call the “Mithun Syndrome” (see below to further understand what is meant by this term). You really don’t get anything out of this feature; it’s not even a time pass film but the Mithun Syndrome is quite high on this feature.

Mithun Syndrome = when you wouldn’t rent that film, but when its on the screen you follow what is occurring with a strange willing to compromise and be contempt with whatever the film shows.

Video

Presented for the first time in its original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio, the DVD manages to maintain the full intention of how the director and cinematographer wanted you to see the film. An anamorphic transfer further enhances the picture quality which all recent widescreen titles by DEI have become accustomed to.

No wear and tear signs ever distort your viewing, and the only blemishes that can be seen consist of only minor white and black specks that are unnoticeable. The print clearly was taken from a brand new interpostive 35mm print and the results are great. Never does the film look neither old nor dated; if it wasn’t for the actual values of the film itself.

Sharpness is very brisk, revealing much picture information that would impress. It actually helps viewing this mediocre film much more as the hard work put into set designs are evident when watching this disc. With no encoding problems like compression artefacts, edge enhancement or film grain picture is always quite clear and well defined.

Colour saturation is very unique for a film that is ten years old. Being both bold and vivid within its handling. While no colour bleeding or other colour problems are founded, some scenes do have little brown hue glowing but these are a small instances on an otherwise colourful disc. Dark details and contrast levels are also very much handled with precision.

Audio

The Dolby Digital Hindi soundtrack is presented in its original soundtrack mono and has no major sound distortion to distract your hearing. It’s clean and audible just as it was when it first released for the big screen.

Features

The box design is okay, but DEI still need to improve. They should also start to work a little harder on the synopsis, which is silly and weak. English subtitles are as per DEI standards, and menus are average. The real treat is the never seen before theatrical trailer (outside India anyway), presented here in anamorphic and in its original aspect ratio.

Conclusion

A small film gets the royal treatment on DVD. Recommended for the fans of Jigar.