Some things are beyond our control!

Jiivi (Intelligence, Tamil; 2021)

Amazon Prime.

The more we look around, the more we see a particular pattern of how people's life pens out. With a few variations here and there, we can figure how one's life will turn out. So we think. It looks pretty much like how some Bollywood /Kollywood films work.

If one were to scrutinise generic mainstream Indian films that have came out all these years, we would see a particular pattern. Someone would have come up with a specific formula that gave lucrative returns. Suddenly all new releases will have that particular storyline with a few variations here and there, but we can kind of predict how it will end.

So, after living on Earth for quite a while and witnessing things around us pass on by, we think we have got the neck of how things work out. We believe we can predict how everything works. Lest we forget that many unseen forces derail our predictions big time.

This film can be classified as a thriller but of a different kind. Kudos to the copywriters who came up with a relatively fresh story quite diverse from the usual fare churned from the Indian Tinseltown.

It sees a loafing village boy sent off to prove his worth in town. Saravanan is actually an intelligent chap but does not see the purpose in studying so hard. He is a voracious reader, though. In Chennai, after moving around doing various jobs, he works in a beverage stall making fruit juices. Reality hits him when his girlfriend leaves him at the prospect of marrying a civil servant. He realises that nobody gives a damn to the poor man. So when the opportunity comes to him of a key to a safe with a large stash of jewellery, he grabs it with both hands. Using his book knowledge and his interaction with a police informant who frequents his shop, he plunges head on to perform a perfect crime. But then, his accomplice, his roommate, is an anxious fellow. And Saravanan's father dies suddenly, needing him to return home.

Slowly he realises that his life path parallels that of his landlady from whom he steals the jewellery. And it does not look good. The similarities and co-incidences are too uncanny to be put aside. So Saravanan has to somehow break the spell, the curse or the karma that may befall his family because of his family.

A fresh storyline that overshadows the unimpressive acting by the leading actors. 4/5 though.

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