Jolly O Gymkhana movie review: Prabhudeva, Abhirami-lead ensemble shoulder this slightly funny but sloppy comedy 

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While Sakthi Chidambaram rightfully warned us to not question the logic in Jolly O Gymkhana, it would have been better if he spent more time in structuring the narrative instead of throwing one randomness after another. Right from the time Poonkundran (Prabhudeva) enters the fray, we accept that in the next 90 minutes, we would just see him play a dead body with everyone around him doing everything to make the film breathe. However, the writing suffocates their comic timing, and as the film progresses, it is just one convenience after another. Do you need the dead Poonkundran to move his hands and legs? Bhavani’s sister Shivani is a robotics enthusiast. Do you need the dead Poonkundran to sign an important document? Bhavani’s sister Yazhini is a signature forging enthusiast. Do you need the dead Poonkundran to talk? Bhavani is a ventriloquist. The reason why it feels too convenient is because Bhavani’s sisters don’t do anything else in the film. Atleast Bhavani gets enough scenes to be more than just a ventriloquist, but the other two are present almost throughout the movie, and they almost do nothing. I don’t even think they had more than two lines of dialogue throughout the film. Now, that is lazy writing. 

But what truly is the laziest part of Jolly O Gymkhana is the scenes involving Prabhu Deva as the dead body. You don’t really see him do much in the narrative, and it is a disappointment because Prabhudeva has brilliant comic timing, and is a very physical actor who could do a lot more. Take, for instance, the stunt sequences where he is brilliant. But there is very little else he does. Of course, everything happens around him, but it the scene duration almost always is stretched beyond its comic elasticity. Every member of the cast pulls more than their weight to mask the lack of ingenuity in Poonkundran’s scenes. Madonna tries to do a lot, and she does… but there is so much happening around her that she gets lost in the melee. A random cameo by the filmmaker himself in the last act isn’t half as funny as what it might have been on paper. However, the real surprise factor in the film is Abhirami, who exhibits impressive comic flair, and makes you wonder why she doesn’t get more such roles. Of course, she too is burdened by mundane dialogues at times, but she also gets some of the better lines of the film. 

Another highlight of the movie is undoubtedly Ashwin Vinayagamoorthy’s music that keeps the proceedings light and cheery. But the songs are placed too close to each other and it acts as distractions. Jolly O Gymkhana, just like all Sakthi Chidambaram films, has a sentimental flashback that comes out of nowhere. There is very little impact, despite the stakes being seemingly high. This dichotomy doesn’t work for Jolly O Gymkhana because the sudden tonal shift feels out of place without a serious adversary. Here, everybody is in on the fun even when murders happen at the drop of a hat. So, the sudden sentiment towards the end, and a throwaway line of “Manam vittu pesa madham edhuku (Why should religion be a hindrance for a heartfelt conversation)?” feels not just out of place, but a force-fit of sorts. 

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But what really had to be forcibly left out of the film was the crass one-liners and lyrics that make you squirm in your seats. Now, it isn’t like these are there throughout the film. But it makes you wonder why it was there in the first place when Sakthi Chidambaram could actually conjure up a half-decent film without it. Isn’t it high time the ‘avana nee’ dialogue or ‘aunty-hero’ trope gets buried six feet deep into the ground? There is a distasteful gag about a man going to buy lingerie for his wife. And the dialogues are repetitive after a point because there are only so many ‘death’ and ‘body’ related jokes you can write. Honestly, some were funny, but after a point, it was just insipid.

At one point in the film, Yogi Babu says, “Generally, in a story, you will have one fool, but here, you have a whole union of them.” Honestly, Jolly O Gymkhana could have been something interesting and definitely more funny, but when the makers resort to the easiest pickings, feeling bad about the could-haves or revolting on what was included is just a fool’s errand.