Alia Bhatt in Vasan Bala's Indian action thriller

Jigra (meaning both heart and courage) is equal parts heartbreaking and emotional, but also far-fetched and devoid of logic. Director and co-writer Vasan Bala creates a jailbreak film that tries to balance moving sibling drama, thrilling action and breathless suspense, and while it doesn't meet all expectations, lead actor and co-producer Alia Bhatt reaffirms that this is her an impressive talent.

Even when the plot becomes looser and the twists become too convenient, Bhatt leaves nothing out. As protagonist Satya, she is fabulously fierce and her eyes maintain an expression of unwavering determination. She may be physically small, but when she takes down a grown man, we don't question it because her conviction is so absolute. In one scene, another character admiringly calls her a gundi (gangster). In this environment it is a compliment.

Satya is unbreakable because she had to grow up too quickly. Orphaned, she and her younger brother Ankur (Vedang Raina) were raised by an extended family that essentially treated them as staff. When Ankur is imprisoned in the fictional country of Hanshi Dao (it is said to be near Malaysia), Satya decides that she will do anything to save him. She is the superhero sister: resilient, resourceful and ultimately a real action star.

Bala starts beautifully. Along with co-writer Debashish Irengbam and editor Prerna Saigal, he packs in information to establish characters and relationships before the titles even end. This particularly includes the wealth and casual cruelty of Satya and Ankurs' relatives. These people are rich from private planes, but they didn't get there by acting nice.

The excellent cinematography is by Swapnil Suhas Sonawane, who also directed Bala's last feature film Monica, oh my darling. There are a few moments where the cameraman and director make unnecessary gimmicks, for example in a scene where there are black and white images for no apparent reason. But Swapnil and colorist Sidharth Meer largely succeed in making Hanshi Dao and the correctional facility seem at once strange and familiar, beautiful and threatening. Some scenes are bathed in red hues and the climax features an interesting use of smoke.

One of the best scenes in the film is Satya and Ankur's first meeting in prison. Raina, who combines acting skills with charisma, is great. Likewise Achint Thakkar's music. Its plaintive, aching tones heighten the drama and despair of the moment.

However, as soon as the narrative enters jailbreak mode, the film begins to wobble and never recovers. One of the fault lines is Hansraj Landa, the sadistic prison guard played by Vivek Gomber. The authority figure who delights in tormenting his wards is a movie cliché. You may remember Bob Christo who played the same in Mahesh Bhatt's 1993 film Gumrahin which Bhatt's mother Soni Razdan plays the lead role and for which internet researchers have discovered that he is the inspiration for it Jigra. But Christo's character isn't very effective, and neither is Landa, 31 years later. With a family that has lived in Hanshi Dao for generations, Landa is more local than Indian and speaks English with a peculiar accent. Gomber does his best, but it's impossible to take this character seriously.

The connection between Satya and her allies is also secured. Manoj Pahwa plays Bhatia, who describes himself as a retired gangster, and while the actor can impress even the flimsiest of scenes, the character seems specifically designed to add a touch of mass appeal. As an Amitabh Bachchan fan, Bhatia listens to tracks from Zanjeerthe Prakash Mehra classic that established the “angry young man” persona. Satya is also the “angry young woman”.

Essentially, Bhatia allows Bala to explore nostalgia and his penchant for inserting Easter eggs into the narrative. Old Hindi film songs are used liberally, including Kaifi Azmi's 'Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar' and 'Yari Hai Imaan Mera'. Zanjeer. In one scene we hear Bachchan's classic lines from Agneepath. There's even a moment where a guard reads out the names of prisoners, including John Woo, Wong Kar-wai and Kim Ki-Duk – I assume these are all filmmakers Bala admires.

In Hanshi Dao, where personal freedoms are restricted, there is a weak attempt to incorporate politics through a kind of resistance movement. In one sequence, we see a leader's statue being toppled, similar to the iconic image of Saddam Hussein's statue in Iraq. But it's all so vague that it adds little to the plot.

At the time Jigra ends in a hail of bullets, everything seems possible – which significantly weakens the impact of the story. Still, there's something wonderful about seeing Bhatt running down a roof, armed and dangerous, in slow motion.