Jiivi 2 Review: Vetri's Jiivi 2 is no match to the original, but makes for an interesting watch

3/5

Story: Saravanan, who was stuck in a loop in Jiivi, starts life afresh after marrying Kavitha, his house owner's daughter. He rekindles his friendship with Mani. But the triangular theory once again begins to play havoc in his life. Will Saravanan get out of the loop this time around?

Review: When director VJ Gopinath's Jiivi hit screens in 2019, the film emerged as one of the sleeper hits of the year, courtesy its intriguing screenplay and presentation. The sequel, Jiivi 2 kickstarts exactly from the scene where the original ended. We see Saravanan (Vetri) getting back on his feet as a cab driver after marrying Kavitha (Ashwini), daughter of his house owner (Rohini). He rekindles his friendship with Mani (Karunakaran) after their fallout in the last film. But, things are not the same anymore and the responsibilities of Saravanan have increased multifold as a family man, thus landing him in a financial crisis.

In the meantime, the duo of Saravanan and Mani strike a friendship with Hari, a rich, irresponsible youngster. When things go out of hand in Saravanan's life, he  decides to steal some money from Hari's house to salvage his financial situation. Saravanan and Mani plan a ruse and the former succeeds in his attempt. But, when he triumphantly steps out after the theft, he is stopped by Hari's grandmother. Though Saravanan manages to convince the woman with a smart move, he has a huge shock in store the next morning.  

Saravanan soon realises that the triangular theory is back playing havoc in his life and the events in his life are once again getting synchronised with his house owner's family. But, unlike in the last film, he doesn't have a clear-cut solution to the predicament in hand and this leads Saravanan to go in search of the past where he unravels many hidden secrets and a web of deceit.

If you are expecting to go and watch a new theory in Jiivi 2, you will be let down. The film ends up as an extension of what we saw in Jiivi, and at times, makes you feel that you are watching the same film again. In the beginning, we also get to see the recap of the first film and the director takes his own time to get the sequel going. But despite the drawbacks, the film manages to keep you glued to the seat.The technical aspects of the film are worth a mention. While Sundaramurthy's tunes and background score complement the scenes on screen, Praveen Kumar and Praveen have done a fine job in their departments of cinematography and editing respectively. The film seems to effortlessly segue into the sequel, thus keeping the tone of the original intact.

The star cast, just like in the previous film, pull off a nuanced performance. Vetri and Karunakaran's friendship is once again, an endearing one to watch. Mime Gopi (who plays Kathir), who turns out to be the focal point of all the events unfolding in Saravanan's life, has put up a convincing performance. Jawahar ( actor Nasser's brother, who bears a striking resemblance to the senior actor) plays the aloof and interesting police officer Aadhil Mohammed, and makes things a tad more engrossing with the way he treats and interrogates his suspects. The sequel throws a few surprises here and there. Though Jiivi 2 might not match up to the original in terms of the story, the film manages to entertain and keep us engrossed.

Verdict: An interesting watch!