7
/10
TCP Score
👍 Recommended
Jerax series story: Prakasha (Nagabhushana), who runs his uncle’s lowly Xerox shop, dreams of a brighter tomorrow with the love of his life, Sujatha aka Sooji (Payal Chengappa). She, though, intends to dump him and marry the more affluent match her family’s found for her. When Prakasha catches wind of this situation, he sets in motion a chain of events, with the help of the faulty Xerox machine that does more than just print out copies of documents, which leads to widespread chaos in small-town Rayadurga.
Jerax series review: As a filmmaker, Srinidhi Bengaluru had impressed with his directorial debut Blink, while Dhananjaya, as a producer, has consistently been pushing to up the ante with the content from his banner. It’s been a mixed bag so far, but the progress has, no doubt been promising, so, Dhananjaya and Srinidhi collaborating on a venture had positive vibes all over it, even before the title was announced. There was heightened expectation – one that the duo has by and large lived up to with the 6-episode series, Jerax, which, in turn, is a good sign for the streaming platform, Zee5.
After 4 back-to-back series – Ayyana Mane, Shodha, Maarigallu and Raakshasa – none of which showed promise, Zee5 has finally taken a step in the right direction. An interesting idea, executed in largely engaging manner, which would have been even better with a solid landing. Cloning, as a subject, has been done-to-death in Hollywood and elements from Srinidhi’s series seem to take inspiration from a bunch.
Nagabhushana in Jerax
The series has a solid start and holds steady through the mid-section, only to begin meandering closer to the finish line. Like, for instance. controlling the ‘products’ of the faulty Xerox machine takes a toll on Nagabhushana’s Prakasha, but that plot point is discarded by the kerb. Most of Prakasha’s actions have a selfish motive, whether it is to have someone to lend him an ear about his childhood or to free his girlfriend, when she lands in trouble that he’s got her into. Everything he does is condoned, with no expectation of making amends.
In fact, the very last shot does feel like a cop out, instead of closing out all the loopholes. That said, Jerax didn’t leave me with a bad taste like most of the other Zee5 shows. It’s one step that feels like a giant leap for Zee5.
Jerax series verdict: Jerax is by no means perfect, but it is leaps and bounds ahead of the streamer’s earlier web series attempts. Should the team have aimed higher? Hell yeah! But the bottom line is that the show is entertaining and engaging for the most part and that by itself is a big win.
*The Kannada series Jerax, starring Nagabhushana, Srivatsa, Om Prakash Rao, Payal Chengappa, Vijayaprasad, Manju Pavagada and Tukali Santhosh, among others, is now streaming on Zee5.