Jeans Movie Review

Director Shankar’s fourth film takes a surprising turn. Unlike his earlier works filled with burning police jeeps, airborne bikes, corrupt government officials, this one is a pure family drama. But why does it feel so refreshing? Is it the lavish visuals or something deeper? And why the name Jeans? Is it a clever pun on “genes”? Some even speculate it borrows from Shakespeare, with whispers of it being a modern adaptation of Twelfth Night. Yet, the plot doesn't entirely align with that theory.

The story revolves around twins, Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy—names that are iconic in Tamil cinema. While they could have been portrayed as fraternal twins, making them identical seems deliberate, possibly to leverage actor Prashanth’s stardom, create comedic situations, showcase advanced technology, or simply highlight the concept of twins. Whatever the reason, it works perfectly—you can’t imagine them as anything but identical. The film cleverly uses their resemblance to fuel hilarious mix-ups and even key plot developments, such as Nachiappan discovering an ongoing love affair.

Nachiappan’s flashback also features identical twins, though their resemblance plays a minor role in the past. However, in the present, the identical twins Pechiappan and Nachiappan switch places, driving critical moments in the story. The twin motif continues with Aishwarya Rai, who plays Madhumitha and pretends to be her fictional twin, Vaishnavi. While Nachiappan’s condition requires twins (not necessarily identical ones), the film stages an identical twin scenario. Though this might seem unnecessary, it’s fascinating to watch how Madhumitha pulls off the charade. The logic may falter, but the execution keeps it entertaining especially the establishing the geography of her home with interconnecting doors.

Nachiappan remains adamant about his conditions due to a tragic past. Ramu, fell in love with someone who wasn’t real. Visu’s girlfriend’s family betrayed his trust, causing heartbreak for both brothers. Meanwhile, Madhumitha endures her share of agony, only for her love to face rejection under the same circumstances. Until this point, the film might seem like an average story. While many can craft an engaging first half, delivering a powerful climax is rare—and this is where Jeans truly excels. The resolution comes from an unexpected source: Radika (Sundaramba), the root cause of Nachiappan’s tragic past. Moved by Nachiappan’s impersonation of Pechiappan, she reappears near the climax and supports Visu and Madhumitha’s union. Her words, dialect, and dialogues leave a lasting impression, with her delivering the film’s final twist. Kudos to writer Sujatha and director Shankar for pulling off such a memorable ending. This is how a payoff should look like.

The music in the film was exceptional. Senthil, performing independently without Goundamani, was entertaining as Gino, alongside Raju Sundaram as Mathesh. It’s unfortunate that some people criticized Mubi, a platform known for curating quality films, for including Jeans in their collection. Its a great movie to be watch and re-watch.