Jetlee TamilYogi Review: There is a disaster of the mid-air, and, rather than panicking, the passengers break into a devotional song. One moment is all you know about Jetlee. Under the direction of Ritesh Rana and with the driving force of the impeccable comic instincts of Satya, the film rejuvenates under the auspices of throwing logic to the wind and embracing full-blown absurdity. It is executed in the form of a series of exaggerated drawings, with a heavy emphasis on satire and pop culture allusions. Much of this land, particularly in the breezy first half. The same irreverent energy is afterwards a liability, when the same jokes are repeated, and they start to wear out their welcome. This is fun here, no doubt, but there is a feeling, too, that the madness must have been kept under a more strict rein to bring it safely down.
The unashamedly weird tone of the film is effective in the first place. The introduction of each character is like entering a new comic drawing, full of exaggerated characters and idiosyncrasies. Satya plays to his advantages, giving accurate comic timing and giving his full commitment to the anarchy. Ritesh Rana makes the story spicy with pop culture and the old Telugu cinema allusions and these instances usually hit the nail on the head. The first half, passes with much fluency, that time appears to have slipped by unnoticed.
The second half, however, finds it hard to maintain such momentum. Repetition is the major concern. Gags that have been successful previously are reused with no variation and the humour wears out its welcome. Comedy feeds on build up and surprise, of which there is scarcity here. Some stretches seem to be stretched to their limits, and the exhaustion becomes more and more evident.
At some point, the movie is almost like Sudigaadu, particularly in the way that it leans into satirising modern Tollywood tropes. The purpose of these concepts is evident, and sometimes functional. But few indeed come down. The remainder are either immature or pushed to the extremes of their comic abilities.
The most notable point is the scene with a flight on the verge of crashing, but the passengers start singing a devotional song. It is a nice parodic situation, and a couple of lines are entertaining. The series, however, in the aggregate is wanting. The commentary is clear, however, the performance falls short. That distance between the perception of the concept and actually enjoying it is what much of the second half is.
The movie also refuses to abide by the traditional tension-building. When it is confronted with a life threatening scenario, it decides to increase the level of absurdity rather than creating emotional interests. This chaotic sound is strengthened by Satya being unpredictable, which is enhanced by the other characters. Although this is in line with the approach used in the film, it can leave viewers who would like to engage with the narrative feeling disconnected.
With that being said, Jetlee is never less than technically sound and always entertaining. It never becomes boring. The actors are energetic and committed in their performance, which makes the film continue to have the unique tone.
But there is an imbalance about the whole experience. There are real laughs, yet not so many that hang around. About half of the humour hits, the rest goes into quick decline. The result of that imbalance is what determines the conclusion.
Finally Jetlee is an out and out comedy with a tint of brilliance. Its satirical thoughts are intriguing, yet not always efficient. It labours in bits, especially with those who relish absurd, referential humour, but it fails to prove to be consistently interesting.
Rating: 3/5
