Jigra, you must have heard about this film, right, which has starred Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina in lead roles? This action thriller film, which is written and directed by Vasan Bala and produced by Dharma Productions and Eternal Sunshine, was released on 11 October 2024; despite the film being acclaimed by critics, it has flopped at the box office, grossing only 45 crores till now against a budget of 90 crores.
However, the real question we bet you are thinking that why the film, which got appraisal from critics, failed to create magic at the box office, considering how the taste of Indian audiences has drawn to more art films since 2020. In this article, six such reasons will be pointed out that led this film to fail to impress the audience.
It lacks a strong commercial punch
The audience these days, despite having a knack towards art films, when they want to watch anything in the theatre on these subjects, they want a strong commercial vibe regarding it to be attached. Alia Bhatt’s previous films which are Gangubai Kaithiawadi and Dear Zindagi were also art films, but they have strong commercial hooks. This film, in this process, was a full art film with little space for commercials; this is the main reason why it failed to impress the audience to lure them into theatres.
However, not only lack of a commercial hook is the reason why Jigra tanked at the box office, but the story of this film is heavily similar to a recent Indian film.
The storyline of Jigra is similar to Savi’s
It is seen that the story of the film is heavily similar to Savi a film which came in May of 2024. The only two differences in both of the films are regarding relationships and setting. As in Savi, it was mainly about husband and wife, with the wife rescuing her husband from jail. This film is about a brother and sister, with a sister rescuing her brother from jail. Savi mainly takes place in England, and Jigra takes place in a fictional South East Asian country that is based on Cambodia.
However, besides this, everything looks similar to each other in both of the films: the protagonist seeks help from a professional gangster who is retired, the subplot of drugs, An Indian police officer etc.
These similarities have also been noticed by the audience in theatres, which led the film to create a failed impression among the audience.
However, these two things are not only the sole reason for the underperformance of this film as there is another reason it is the regarding the casting.
Miscasting of the lead role
The audience has also pointed out that casting Alia Bhatt in the lead role of Satya Anand in Jigra was a huge miscast. She doesn’t look like someone who could be a mature older sister, nor has she provided the required actions, which the character was heavily demanded of. In the film, she came out more like some college-going girl totally opposite of the lead character. Netizens have also spoken out that the film could have stood out if, instead of Alia, a veteran actress like Tabu had been cast in the lead role. The miscasting by makers can be assumed as one of the main reasons why the film failed to draw the audience in the theatres.
However, not only can the miscasting be held solely responsible for the debacle of Jigra at the box office, but also the music department should be accountable.
The poor music
For every successful art film, a piece of music should also be top noted. This was provided in films such as Kahaani, where the music, especially the BGM, was so effective that it left a deep mark on the audience. However, for this film, the music failed to create an impression among the audience. The majority of the audience found the music being lack enthusiasm, especially in action sequences, which the common moviegoers described as poor.
So another reason that has contributed to the box office failure of this film definitely lies in the musical aspect, which led the audience to reject this film. Since we talked about action sequences, do you know this also effectively is one of the main reasons behind the failure of this film?
Misleading Marketing
The marketing of the film has projected Jigra as a gripping sibling drama with a major focus on the action element. However, when the audience went to the theatre, they saw it completely opposite what they had expected as instead of gripping action drama, this was more an emotional sibling story with a little focus on action elements. This misleading marketing is also one of the main reasons which led to a negative wom being generated by the audience and led the film to see rejection from the audience whom they have targeted. However, this film, amid all of this, could have still shined out if it hadn’t been affected by major controversies since day 1 of release.
Surrounded by controversies
Since day 1, Jigra has been released it has been plagued with various controversies. The first controversy was plagiarism as Divya Khosla Kumar, the lead actress of Savi, has accused Jigra makers of plagiarising the storyline of their film. The next controversy in this line was how the producers of this film are conducting corporate booking to make the film a success along with manipulating the figures of the box office.
Bijou Thaangjam, a Manipur-based actor who worked on this film, has accused the makers of conducting various unprofessional behavior and racial discrimination towards him.
I’m not writing this with any agenda or accusations. I just want to share the reality of how actors like me from the Northeast are often treated by big production houses. Hopefully, this sheds some light on what we face. #Jigra #JigraMovie #AliaBhatt #DivyaKhosla #VasanBala pic.twitter.com/zZBZjxOz6k
— Bijou ThaangJam (@BijouThaangjam) October 13, 2024
These controversies have also led the audience to grow up a dissatisfaction with the film, which led them to make this film rejected and led the film to provide a failed impression towards them.
Box office collection
Budget | Box Office | Verdict |
90 cr | 45.47 | Flop/Disaster |
Cast of Jigra
Actor/Actress | Character | |
Alia Bhatt | Satya | |
Vedang Raina | Ankur | |
Akansha Ranjan Kapoor | Cameo | |
Yuvraj Vijan | Cameo | |
Dheer Hira | Chandan | |
Sikandar Kher | Cameo | |
Manoj Pahwa | Bhatia Uncle | |
Vivek Gomber | OIC Hansraj Landa | |
Aditya Nanda | Kabir Mehtani | |
Harsh Singh | Jaswant | |
Akashdeep Sabir | Mehtani | |
Ishan Jack | Jack | |
Jason Shah | Matthew | |
Ankur Khanna | Ryan | |
Sheeba Agarwal | Mrs. Mehtani | |
Rahul Ravindran | Muthu | |
Simon Feilder | Counsellor | |
Ram Solanki | NRI Lawyer | |
Pranav Brara | Satya’s father |
FAQ
1. Why did Jigra fail at the box office?
Lacked commercial elements, similar to another film, miscast, poor music, misleading marketing.
2. Did controversies affect this film ?
Yes, controversies like plagiarism accusations and unprofessional behavior hurt its reputation.
3. What was the film’s budget and box office performance?
Budget: ₹90 crore Box Office: ₹45.47 crore
4. Who were the lead actors?
Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina.
5. Were there any well-known actors in supporting roles?
Yes, cameos by Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Yuvraj Vijan, etc.