Review: A novice thief, Yash Shetty, bungles a burglary at the palatial home of wealthy Chakravarthy (Aravind Rao) to steal a priceless crystal, worth crores of rupees, but gets trapped inside.
Meanwhile, another determined thief, deaf and mute, also seeks the crystal. He leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit, employing various tricks to achieve his mission.
Parallelly, a poor childless couple, yearning for children, longs to adopt a baby. After a long, frustrating wait, they finally adopt a baby boy, only to be unexpectedly blessed with another child of their own shortly thereafter.
Jugalbandi weaves three or four stories, with money as a central theme. While it takes its time establishing the premise and initially drags in its attempt to captivate the audience, the film eventually delivers thrilling moments as the thieves chase the crystal, leading to a series of captivating twists and turns. Jugalbandi also offers emotional depth through its portrayal of motherhood.
While trimming the film could have improved its pacing, the actors, Archana Kottige, Mansi Sudheer, Yash Shetty, and Santhosh Ashray, deliver strong performances that breathe life into their characters and grab the audience's attention. Overall, Jugalbandi is a good one-time watch.