‘Jada’ review: In Kathir’s sports drama, the opponents are supernatural elements

Perhaps for the first time in Tamil cinema, the genre of a film has been completely changed halfway through its presentation.
‘Jada’ review: In Kathir’s sports drama, the opponents are supernatural elements
‘Jada’ review: In Kathir’s sports drama, the opponents are supernatural elements

It is quite common in Tamil Nadu for filmmakers to create a mishmash of genres to make a 'palatable' product for the audience. But perhaps for the first time in Tamil cinema, the genre of a film has been completely changed halfway through its presentation.

Director A Kumaran's latest film Jada, which was touted to be a 'sports drama' with thriller elements starring Kathir of Pariyerum Perumal fame in the lead role, completely veers off its expected path and plunges into a half-baked horror plot, much to the well..horror of its audience. The film begins, predictably, by showcasing the passion that the youth of North Chennai have for football, and how it serves as a deterrent from indulging in the violence that they grow up with. Jada (Kathir) and his six friends, including Messi (Yogi Babu) train under a selfless coach who aims to keep the boys focussed and trained for the Santosh Trophy.

But i insists on taking part in a violent local tournament 'Sevens' which as the name suggests, involves seven players in the team. The tournament is hosted by a local goon, whose team is known to go to all lengths to win matches. While the coach attempts to stop him, Jada launches into a monologue about how the poor are oppressed in sports and about the prejudiced selection for state teams.

However, just when you assume that the film will focus on the inequality in sports, in terms of caste or class, like a film like Jeeva did, the director cuts into an abrupt flashback. Here, the tournament's past shows a beloved player dying after a ball hits his chest during a match. And clearly, the director has never played a single game of football, because nobody seems to question this extremely odd death.

Unperturbed by the lack of logic, the protagonist and team register for the tournament with the aim to put an end to it. Through the first half, the characters fail to engage you or get you invested in their struggles, losses and victory, a necessity for any sports drama to succeed.

While the recent Bigil, which posed as a sports drama, too, erred on the side of predictable, it was pulled to shore by Vijay's star power and its scattered but well-intentioned focus on women.

In Jada, for almost an hour into the first half, the characters barely play any football. Instead we are diverted into a completely unnecessary romance plot which involves stalking and irk-worthy dialogues on 'pasanga kaadhal'. If you are confused about how to feel, while this 'love' plays out, Yogi Babu does an Arjun Reddy re-enactment to emphasise the toxicity of it. But once he does get the girl (Roshini Prakash) she is all but forgotten through the rest of the film.

Memory lapses seem to be the leitmotif in this film, with the director forgetting that he had promised a sports drama in the second half and the team itself forgetting why they entered the tournament in the first place. The treatment of the film changes drastically, with misty dark fields, abandoned dilapidated houses and eerie music replacing football fields and charged players. The director attempts to bring the tension he missed out on building in the scenes in the field, through elements of horror. However, what we finally receive is what seems to be two different scripts, hastily mashed into a single film, that struggles to find a footing.

The screenplay, too, is choppy, moving back and forth without logic, creating no room for the audience to share the journey of the characters. Except for one scene where the coach has a touching moment with his deaf and speech impaired son, the rest of the movie leaves you completely unaffected. Kathir, Yogi Babu and Kishore, who plays an important role in the flashback, have all performed very well, despite a script that tests your patience.

While Yogi Babu's jokes fall flat, he makes up for it with a convincing performance on the field. He's even given a moment to shine, seconds after he is fat shamed by the audience, a refreshing repartee considering the constant jokes about his appearance.

The music by Sam CS is impressive in the second half, lending an element of horror, to an otherwise bizarre combination of sports and ghosts.

To summarise, Jada seems to have trained all his life to become a footballer, to be told at the last minute by HR that only the ghostbuster position is available.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.

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