Jackson Durai Movie Review

Jackson Durai Movie Review

Artists: Sathyaraj, Sibiraj, Bindu Madhavi, Karunakaran, Rajendhiran
Producers : M.S Sharavanan
Director :  Dharani Dharan
Music : Siddharth Vipin
DoP : Yuvraj
Editor : Vivek Harshan
Production Company : Sree Green Productions

Full episodes of laughter with few jerky spine-chilling moments in first half gives a real impression that the post-intermission sequences are going to keep your spines more chilled with blend of rib-tickling moments. Dharani Dharan, who comes straight from the passable debut directorial ‘Burma’ fills us with hope that he is gonna shoot the stars with second outing. But what turns out to be a bizarre in the second hour, with a much deplorable scenario, where the basic plot itself becomes too comic to handle and for most it turns out to a sleepy affair too.

The tale traverses through the assignment upon a low-profile cop (Sibiraj) to investigate upon a paranormal activity happening in Ayanpuram, a village near Salem, which is terrorized by a ghost named ‘Jackson’. As soon as he reaches the village, he falls in love with a good looking belle (Bindu Madhavi) and decides to marry her too. On approaching her father, who happens to be the village head, the situations get tougher as the cousin boy (Karunakaran) too approaches with the proposal. To settle the disputes, father places a challenge for the two.. They have to remain inside the haunted bungalow for 7 days, which is known as the most dreaded supernatural activities. The winner, obviously the SURVIVOR can marry the girl.

What unfolds next is a series of incredulous chills and thrills laced with more humour with an appalling buried past.

What the sparkling moments that instantly lets you clap up and shout with laughter?

  1. The episodes involving Sibiraj and Yogi Babu, especially the latter’s dialogue slang and witty lines with sense of timing are major plus.
  2. The encounters of Sibiraj and Karunakaran in the haunted house, especially the sequence where the latter one reacts to the lady ghost and the little boy turns you crazy with laughter.

So what’s on the flip side?

Although, you might be rejoicing with the laughter episodes thoroughly, remember it’s a horror tale and there needs to be an emotional impact to connect with. But the tale you get to know by the second half is not much convincing. It all looks like a fairy tale. Yes, the effort and hard work involved in getting the actors look terrific with the ghostly apparitions and even the art department has scored the best. The cinematography definitely needs high appreciations for shooting major portions inside a gloomy building isn’t an easy task.

Overall, Jackson Durai holds an intriguing tale that keeps it apart from stereotypical scary horrors, but it comes to treatment of screenplay, it fails to stick on right momentum and offer more scariness. Maybe, one reason could be time-worn experience of watching at least dozen horror movies in a month, but even then, Jackson Durai could have carried yet more engrossing screenplay, particularly in second half.