Actress Jyothika who began her second innings with the feel good drama 36 Vaayathinilae chose to do many intense message heavy films which resulted in big box office failures and so it seems like the actress has turned her attention to commercial projects. The comedy entertainer Jackpot just points out to that fact as it is an out and out commercial entertainer with higher quotient of commercial elements and lesser quotient of preachy messages. Director Kalyaan has once again done what he does best. If you had watched the director’s previous flick Gulaebaghavali you would know exactly what to expect of Jackpot. Veteran actress Revathi has carried on from where she left in Gulaebaghavali, if fact with the same character name Masha.
Jackpot is weaved around a wafer thin fantasy element called atchaya Pathiram which is a mythical 100 years old copper vessel that is capable of giving endlessly. 100 years back a man discovers the vessel nearby his hut where he habitats. Once in possession of such a vessel what does any human do, ask for anything you want. He does the same and once a layman has now turned in to a landlord who resides in an extravagant bungalow. Naturally his good fortune becomes the talk of the town and comes to the attention of burglars who sets out to discover the secrete behind his sudden rise in wealth and when they do the vessel gets lost in the process.
Presently, Masha (Revathi) the godmother of Akshu aka Akshaya (Jyotika) as a team they trick and swindle money from rich people and give them to the poor. Exactly the role of Tamil cinema heroes, is it not? They also do not forget to enjoy life to its fullest every single day. In an instance they happen to brawl with a cop which puts them behind the bars. Inside the prison they get acquainted with a woman who speaks to them of the mythical atchaya Pathiram and tells them that it is buried in a cowshed in a farmhouse which belongs to a gangster and politician Manasthan (Anandraj). She also says that a vicious bull is protecting the vessel. Now, Masha and Akshu cannot refrain from think to steal the vessel after knowing that it could change their lives totally once for all. So they come up with a plan to loot the vessel. They seek the help of a mechanic Bhai (Motta Rajendran) who loves Masha on a one side affair. Ragul (Yogi Babu) also joins the team and aids them in ways he can. Did the team manage to unearth the mythical atchaya Pathiram vessel deceiving the bull and the politician, is what makes the rest of the flick.
Actress Jyotika has tried to get in to the character of a mass hero and in the process have trolled the heroes of Tamil cinema without giving an exception even to her husband Suriya. The actress has managed to shine to a degree in the massy character. She has also performed some high octane stunt sequences which like the mass heroes of Kollywood gets applauded and whistled. The actress, who begins with a mandatory mass introduction song travels throughout the film under the skin of a mass hero. Actress Revathy has put on a great show and have made us wonder why we do not get to see such a fine actress on screens more often in Tamil cinema. Yogi Babu, Mansoor Ali Khan, Anandaraj, and Mottai Rajendran have played their part extraordinarily and are a big plus to the comedy entertainer.
Cinematographer R. S. Anandakumar deserves a special mention for his colorful and vibrant visuals. Other technical departments of the film were also at their best.
Director Kalyaan seems like a man who does not want to care about logics or narration but he crafts films with a single agenda and that is to make people laugh. And the story teller has succeeded in his agenda in Jackpot. The flick for sure has its share of mistakes and in fact if you want to be critical and open about the movie it has nothing new to offer to the audience but is just baked with a pack of comedy scenes along a so called main plot.
On the whole, Jackpot is that kind of film where you do not enter the theater to get something out of it but to laugh and pass your time off.