‘Jailer 2’ Review Round-Up: Rajinikanth Carries the Sequel That Critics Charitably Call Uneven

Critics broadly agree on two things about Jailer 2, Nelson Dilipkumar’s sequel to his 2023 Rajinikanth blockbuster: The superstar and the director’s deadpan humor carry the film, and the second half lets both of them down.

The Tamil action comedy opened worldwide on Oct. 15, 2026. It holds an 86% Tomatometer score from 14 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 93% audience score. Most Indian outlets landed at three out of five or close to it. Audiences have turned out in force regardless: trade trackers say it has become the highest-grossing Tamil film ever.

What works: Rajinikanth, the Comedy and the Score

The strongest praise has gone to how Nelson uses Rajinikanth’s screen persona. In The Times of India, M. Suganth gave the film three stars. He credited the star and the director’s handling of his image for making it a satisfying outing despite its flaws, according to the review’s summary on Rotten Tomatoes.

Avinash Ramachandran of The New Indian Express also gave it three stars. He argued that Nelson goes beyond showcasing the actor’s comic timing to draw out his emotional range. The Hindu‘s Bhuvanesh Chandar went further. He called the film evidence of a serious filmmaker who also happens to be very funny, and credited Rajinikanth for trusting Nelson twice.

Nelson’s understated humor, much of it built around Yogi Babu, is singled out repeatedly. Telugu360 said the comedy carries the first half, and that by the interval the ticket price already feels justified.

Anirudh Ravichander’s background score is the other near-universal positive. Telugu360 called it one of the film’s biggest highlights. The Hollywood Reporter India titled its early take “Anirudh Leads, Everyone Else Bleeds.” Several outlets also praised the action. Deccan Herald said the film has one of the best action sequences in recent memory, and OneIndia highlighted Vidya Balan, one of the new antagonists, in its headline.

The harshest notices go further. The News Minute argued the sequel repeats the original’s no-brainer formula with bigger guns and less fun.

What doesn’t: the Second Half and the Sprawl

Nearly every review that praised the first half faulted the second. The Hollywood Reporter India‘s Vishal Menon said the film eventually falls back on another Nelson signature, a weak third act. He added that its family theme collapses into a series of kidnappings, according to his review. Telugu360 said the energy should rise once new characters arrive after the interval but never does. It called the songs a letdown, though the score works.

Gulte gave the film 2.5 out of 5, calling the first half a blockbuster and the second weak. It listed a bland family track, ineffective cameos and loose editing among its problems. Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave it 2.5 out of 4, still crediting Nelson’s visual flair.

The harshest notices go further. The News Minute argued the sequel repeats the original’s no-brainer formula with bigger guns and less fun. NewsBytes gave it 2 out of 5, saying the style and scale lack substance. Akhil Arora of The Long Take Podcast called it misogynistic and incoherent, a string of celebrity cameos and slow-motion walks, as summarized on Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics at a Glance

Outlet	Critic	Rating	Takeaway (paraphrased)
Siasat	—	4/5	Slow start, but the positives win out
OneIndia	—	3.5/5	Rajinikanth’s charisma intact; Vidya Balan stands out
The Times of India	M. Suganth	3/5	Rajinikanth and Nelson rescue a weak second half
The New Indian Express	Avinash Ramachandran	3/5	Shows the star’s comic and emotional range
Telugu360	—	2.75/5	Fun first half, flat second half; score is the highlight
Gulte	—	2.5/5	Blockbuster first half, weak second half
RogerEbert.com	Simon Abrams	2.5/4	Keeps the original’s visual energy
NewsBytes	—	2/5	Style and scale without substance
The Hindu	Bhuvanesh Chandar	Not rated here	Serious, very funny filmmaking
The Hollywood Reporter India	Vishal Menon	Not rated here	Darkly funny, but settles for safety
The News Minute	—	Not rated here	More of the same, with less fun

Ratings are as published. “Not rated here” means no score appeared in the source we checked. Links to each review are under Sources.

Box Office

Jailer 2 is produced by Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Pictures, written and directed by Nelson, and runs about 165 minutes. Rajinikanth returns as retired jailer “Tiger” Muthuvel Pandian. Ramya Krishnan and Yogi Babu reprise their roles, and new faces include S. J. Suryah, Mithun Chakraborty, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Vidya Balan. The 2023 original grossed more than ₹600 crore worldwide.

Critical reservations have not slowed ticket sales. Filmibeat reported that the film passed ₹700 crore worldwide on Oct. 25. That made it the highest-grossing Tamil film of all time, ahead of 2.0. By its 15th day, it had topped ₹500 crore gross in India and about ₹765 crore worldwide. Box-office estimates vary by tracker and are not audited figures.

The film ends by setting up a third installment, Telugu360 noted.