Just when I thought 2021 couldn't get worse, here we have 2 back to back appalling outings from GV Prakash. I've been strategically avoiding films like a plague, even giving John Abraham's "Satyameva Jayate 2" a wide berth (and that trailer alone felt like a hate crime against cinema). I'm a sucker having a soft spot for gloriously bad movies and "Jail" looked like it would exceed them. Well, folks, it did. This isn't just bad; it's monumentally bad, comfortably nestled in the "worst of the year" pile right next to "Bhoomi," "Jagame Thandhiram," "Sabapathy," the entire "Navarasa" abomination, "Trip," "Vaazhl," "Bachelor," and Vijay Sethupathi's entire 2021 filmography (seriously, go read my scathing review of "Mughizh").
I remember when there was no other choice but to watch Navarasa. Despite it's pretentious casting and worst dialogues, it was beyond comprehension to think on how this totally ridiculous film was this train wreck got greenlit by Netflix India. I spent the whole time laughing, which begs the question: why did I watch it? Well, sometimes you're trapped, forced to endure these "cringe" fests hyped up by suspiciously enthusiastic reviewers, all thanks to well-meaning but misguided friends. You sit there, cringing and laughing internally as cinematic garbage unfolds before your very eyes, surrounded by equally bewildered and amused companions. I resisted the urge to add my own two cents because, frankly, everything that needed to be said about that mess had already been screamed into the void.
And now we have "Jail," another overhyped turd I desperately wish I could un-see. I already suffered through GV Prakash's "Bachelor," a film that offered profound insights into the minds of insecure losers and wannabe hippies (spoiler alert: there were none). Ut I clung to a sliver of hope for Vasanthabalan, a director returning after a whopping seven years. His last film was a decent-ish rip-off of "Amadeus," which, in the current landscape of Tamil cinema, qualifies as a misunderstood masterpiece (lol). That was my sole motivation for subjecting myself to "Jail." And boy, did he fail spectacularly. Pathetic writing, absolutely superfluous acting from everyone involved including a villain so ridiculous , and songs so awful.
By the time the "climax" rolled around (and I use that term loosely), I couldn't have cared less if the film had spontaneously combusted and our lead predictably biting the dust. I just got detached as this film does a terrible job communicating with the audience with what emotions we're supposed to be feeling.
In Conclusion, A really bad filmmaking and it's high time that Tamil cinema should stop mediocre filmmakers from milking out delicate topics (Eelam Tamilians, the plight of farmers, Malaysian Tamils, gentrification, the "Kasthapadra Vada Chennai folks" - whatever that even means - drone shots for the sake of drone shots, rowdies doing rowdy things, "porul," and whatever the heck "Pullingo Sambavams" are) for cheap drama. How about focusing on something like... good writing?
