Jigra: Alia Bhatt’s Film Draws Comparison to ‘Savy’ – Is It Just Another Copycat?

Alia Bhatt’s upcoming film, Jigra, has been the talk of the town, with fans eagerly awaiting its release. The trailer recently dropped, offering a glimpse into the intense storyline of a sister’s desperate struggle to save her brother from prison. While the premise sounds thrilling, there’s an elephant in the room that many can’t ignore: the story bears an uncanny resemblance to a recent film Savy. Is Jigra just another copy of an old story with a slight twist? Let’s dive deeper.

A Quick Recap of the Trailer: High Stakes, High Emotion

The trailer opens with Alia Bhatt’s character, sitting down with someone, recounting her tragic tale. Her brother is behind bars, and there are only three days left to save him. The entire trailer focuses on her relentless fight against all odds busting into jails, battling obstacles, and doing whatever it takes to free her brother.

Sounds gripping, right? But if you have a sense of déjà vu while watching this, you’re not alone. Just a few months ago, Savy, another film with a strikingly similar plot, hit the screens. In Savy, Divya Khosla Kumar’s character fights to free her husband from prison within, you guessed it, three days. Swap the husband for a brother, and the stories are virtually identical.

Is This Just a Coincidence? Let’s Break It Down

Both Jigra and Savy seem to be telling the same story, with just a slight change in the central relationship. Naturally, people are asking: How is it possible for two films with almost identical plots to exist? The answer may lie in their shared source material.

It turns out that both movies trace their roots back to a popular French film called Anything for Her, which was later adapted into the English hit The Next Three Days, starring Russell Crowe. This film was a commercial success and clearly caught the attention of Indian filmmakers. In fact, Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt acquired the rights to remake the film in Hindi, which resulted in Savy.

But here’s where things get murky. After Savy’s release, Alia Bhatt, apparently inspired by the same source, decided to produce Jigra, using the same storyline with her as the lead. This raises the obvious question: Can Bollywood really get away with releasing two films with essentially the same plot?

The Savy and Jigra Connection: Too Similar for Comfort?

For those who have seen Savy, watching the trailer of Jigra might feel like watching a reboot with a new lead. The only significant difference is that, in Savy, the protagonist is trying to save her husband, while Jigra features a sister-brother bond. But the overall plot, the sense of urgency, and even the three-day time frame are identical.

The similarities don’t end with the storyline. Just like in Savy, the character in Jigra fights tooth and nail, breaks the law, and risks everything for a loved one trapped in jail. It’s not just the broad strokes of the narrative that are alike it’s the details. This kind of duplication has led to widespread speculation that Jigra might just be a recycled version of Savy, itself a remake of The Next Three Days.

Why Didn’t Mukesh Bhatt Object to Jigra?

Given that Mukesh Bhatt was a producer for Savy, one would think he’d have an issue with Jigra being so similar. After all, it’s essentially another version of the film he just helped release. But here’s the catch: Alia Bhatt is his niece. This family connection makes it awkward for Mukesh Bhatt to challenge or take legal action against the makers of Jigra, even if he wanted to.

Family ties in Bollywood run deep, and it’s clear that the Bhatt family isn’t interested in getting into a public spat. As a result, despite the glaring similarities, Jigra will likely go unchallenged, and Mukesh Bhatt will stay silent on the matter.

The Corporate Angle: Viacom 18’s Surprising Move

One of the biggest surprises with Jigra isn’t just the recycled storyline it’s the fact that it’s being produced by Viacom 18, a major production house owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance. Given that Savy was already released, how did Viacom 18 not catch on to the fact that Jigra was a near-identical copy?

It’s mind-boggling when you think about it. Viacom 18 has access to teams of experts whose job is to vet scripts, evaluate the potential of films, and greenlight only the best projects. How could they have missed such an obvious duplication?

The answer might lie in Bollywood’s deep-rooted favouritism and the power of star names. Alia Bhatt, one of the industry’s biggest stars, can pull off projects that others might not. When she pitched Jigra to Viacom 18 with Karan Johar’s name attached as co-producer, it’s likely that the production house was sold on the star power alone, without delving too deeply into the originality of the script.

The Problem with Bollywood: An Industry Stuck on Remakes

If you’ve been following Bollywood’s releases over the past decade, you’ve probably noticed a trend: an overwhelming number of remakes. Whether they’re copying from Hollywood, South Indian cinema, or even other foreign films, Bollywood filmmakers have a knack for recycling old material instead of crafting fresh, original stories.

And Jigra is a perfect example of this troubling trend. Rather than come up with something new, filmmakers are content with rehashing successful plots from other movies, adding a few local twists, and hoping that audiences won’t notice or care.

But audiences are smarter than ever, and they’re beginning to catch on. Films like Jigra might attract attention because of the stars attached, but when the story feels stale, audiences are less likely to connect with the film.

What Lies Ahead for Jigra?

Despite all the criticism and the obvious comparisons to Savy, Jigra will likely go ahead with its release. In Bollywood, it’s not uncommon for two films with similar storylines to hit the screens, especially when family connections and big names are involved.

But the question remains: Will Jigra be a success? With Alia Bhatt in the lead, there’s no doubt that the film will draw in a crowd initially. But whether it will resonate with viewers beyond the first weekend remains to be seen. Audiences today are more discerning than ever, and simply having a big name attached to a film isn’t enough to guarantee success.

A Tale of Two Identical Films

In the end, Jigra and Savy are two sides of the same coin both adapted from the same source, with a slight twist in the relationship dynamics. While the Bhatt family connection keeps legal disputes at bay, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Bollywood’s over-reliance on remakes and copied storylines is a symptom of a larger problem within the industry.

Will Jigra defy the odds and become a blockbuster? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: originality is becoming an increasingly rare commodity in Bollywood, and that’s something the industry will need to address sooner rather than later.