'Jil Jung Juk' review: Siddharth's black comedy falls short of what it could be

Film: Jil Jung Juk
Starring: Siddharth, Avinash Raghudevan, Sanandh
Director: Deeraj Vaidy
Rating: **1/2

What it's about: This movie is not one of your usual Tamil flicks and that was evident from the posters and trailer itself. We are taken to 2020 where the world is ruled by drug dealers, mafia dons and guys trying to make a quick buck. The protagonists are three young men—Nan'jil' Sivaji (Siddharth),  'Jang'ulingam (Avinash Raghudevan) and Jaguar 'Juk'an (Sananth)—who don't know each other. (Hence, the name of the movie Jil Jung Juk.) Jil's dad (Nasser) who is a big-time poker player and cheats people drills his own father's motto of life into his son's head: 'To achieve one big thing, you need to do nine small things'. It is this mantra that Jil follows. When Jil is called by well-known don Deivanayakam (Amarendhran) for a job, he is excited and goes to meet. It's there he meets Jung and Juk. The three of them are hired by Deivanayakam to drive down and deliver an 'expensive' pink car to a client at a vintage car rally in Hyderabad. We also meet Rolex Rowther (Radharavi) who is Deivanayakam's enemy. As Jil, Jung and Juk embark on their journey, they go through a series of events. Why is the car expensive? What happens on the way? Do they end up delivering the pink car?

What's good: Siddharth likes to experiment and for his latest production he has chosen a novel script again. Jil Jung Juk by director Deeraj Vaidy is a black comedy with action thrown in between. The way it has been scripted and shot reminds you of several Hollywood films. In fact, you could call it Tarantinoesque. This is Deeraj Vaidy's debut full-length feature and one must applaud him for thinking out-of-the-box and pulling it off as well. Not many in India try their hand at the genre of black comedy. Vaidy has adapted the concept well to Tamil cinema. Siddharth as an actor and producer has also tried to push the envelope with this film. Siddharth, Avinash and Sananth have delivered credible performances as well. Their comic timing on screen is superb and they keep you in splits with the things they say and do. The cinematography by Shreyaas Krishna is good and Vishal Chandrasekhar has delivered apt music for this eccentric film. The colour palette and editing in this film are noteworthy. 

What's not: While the 132-minute movie is a novel attempt by Deeraj Vaidy and Siddharth, unfortunately it doesn't rise to the level where it is a true black comedy. The script, especially  in the second half, falls short of expectations. It will become one of those films that you will talk about not for the story, but rather its concept and execution. A stronger script would have pushed the movie to another level. Unfortunately, Jil Jung Juk falls short of what it could be.

What to do: If you're up for something different in Tamil cinema, then this is it.