Superstar Mohanlal's much-anticipated action thriller Sagar alias Jackie - Reloaded, directed by Amal Neerad, was touted to be the most stylish Malayalam film. Of course the film has style, but unfortunately, no substance! The first part of Irupatham Noottandu was a huge hit for its in-depth characterization, stylish screenplay the right mix of comedy and sentiments too. But unfortunately, Sagar alias Jackie - Reloaded has to rely only on the splendid camerawork and stylish costumes to hope for box-office success.
The film revolves around Sagar alias Jackie (Mohanlal), a successful underworld don based in Dubai. He always outsmarts his rivals, especially Naina (Suman), and always emerges triumphant in all his dealings. One day, Sagar gets a distress call from his childhood friend Manu's wife Indu (Shobhana) in Kerala. Manu (Manoj K. Jayan) is the 'good for nothing' son of the Chief Minister of Kerala (Nedumudi Venu). Indu informs Sagar that Manu has been kidnapped by notorious gangsters Rozario brothers. There are internal political twists in the story with the police (who are loyal to Manu's elder brother Hari, a budding politician aiming at his father's post) dragging the investigation.
As soon as he receives the call, Sagar arrives in Kochi in his private jet with four members of his gang. Then the story follows the usual line with Sagar taking on the Rozario Brothers to save Manu. The film ends with a final shootout at a resort. In between, a journalist Arathy Menon arrives at the scene with the intent of exposing Sagar but predictably, falls in love with him.
It is better not to compare Sagar alias Jackie - Reloaded with Irupatham Noottandu for if we do, we will be disappointed. Irupatham Noottandu helped Mohanlal gain the title of superstar and invokes nostalgic feelings among all the movie lovers in Kerala. But the sequel has been diminished to an extravagant display of style, wide camera angles and a Hollywood type narration.
Mohanlal is the one of the most flexible actors in Malayalam; unfortunately, his character has been portrayed as a stone-faced, emotionless, underworld don who appears in lavish costumes. The rest of the cast (Manoj K. Jayan, Shobhana, Nedumudi Venu, Bhavana and Ganesh) have done justice to their respective roles.
Amal Neerad has excelled with his camera work but the same cannot be said about his direction. The film goes at a snail's pace at times and at other times, it is super fast. Gopi Sundar has made some beautiful music for the film.
Although Sagar alias Jackie - Reloaded fails to impress with its story and narration, it can be enjoyed merely for its technical quality and visual aesthetics.