A Middling Action Caper That's Less Than The Sum Of Its Parts

Siddu Jonnalagadda lends great star wattage to an action-comedy that sadly never settles down, woefully underdelivering on its core promise

- BH HARSH

N Bhaskar's latest directorial Jack, Siddu Jonnalagadda plays Pablo, an enthusiastic, skilled, and aspiring RAW agent. Despite his many efforts, he fails in getting any validation from Manoj (Prakash Raj), a senior officer who continues to see Pablo's attempts as amateurish.

When the moment of validation finally arrives for Pablo, it's right in the middle of a violent altercation with a villain figure — but Pablo is childlike enough to put his life at stake to get his validation. Much later in the film, a confrontation between Pablo and his father (VK Naresh) leads to an emotional moment, only to diffuse back into humour.

Jack, despite revolving around a bunch of RAW agents and an impending terrorist attack, has this goofy vibe to it. There is a deliberate attempt to walk the fine line between tense and light-hearted. While the attempt remains admirable, Bhaskar struggles to hit the right note. The film's biggest strength lies in its ability to not take itself seriously.

Too bad, then, that Jack is brimming with too many ideas to remember to focus on its strengths.