Ever watched a movie and thought, “Wait — why would anyone do that?” That’s not a logic flaw — it’s a verisimilitude drawback. You cease believing in the world on display screen, and as soon as that belief is damaged, the movie falters.
Jigra, our case research for this fortnight, opens with a quiet household second: a father apologises to his younger daughter, then calmly steps off a balcony in entrance of her and her brother. It’s a second of stark poetry, but it surely additionally yanks the viewers straight out of the story. The query isn’t “Is this realistic?” however “Does this feel true to the film’s world?”
What is verisimilitude? Verisimilitude means “truth-like,” and it’s all about inside consistency, not documentary realism. Cultural verisimilitude aligns with style conventions, cultural norms and viewers expectations, whereas formal verisimilitude honours the foundations the movie itself establishes. Verisimilitude helps us establish with characters with out scepticism. For the viewers to belief a protagonist, they need to know who she really is — very early on. Break these guidelines, and viewers merely cease caring.
Perfect examples embrace Satya, which seems like Mumbai itself; Masaan, which captures uncooked emotion in a single stolen look; Animal, which commits totally to its toxic-alpha fantasy and by no means wavers; The Usual Suspects, which vegetation each clue so Keyser Söze’s twist lands flawlessly; and even Superman, whose one constant weak spot — Kryptonite — retains us grounded in a world of the unattainable.
Case Study: ‘Jigra’
The world-building in Jigra’s first minutes leaves us with a number of questions. Why would a father kill himself in entrance of his kids and scar them for all times? How is Satya dealing with this trauma? Has she had assist? Shouldn’t the story discover her shattered psyche or the aftermath? Or if that’s not the story, why start with it?
The seamless transition between the world-building and its dormant relationship with the core battle defines verisimilitude: the material of rigorously constructed actuality that holds the movie collectively.
Yet none of those questions are answered. We transfer as an alternative right into a fictional nation with draconian drug legal guidelines and a sister-on-a-mission plot, leaving us stranded outdoors the story.

Prescription:
Seeding the “knife” comes from David Mamet’s ‘Three Uses of the Knife,‘ which borrows Lead Belly’s metaphor: “You take a knife, you use it to cut the bread, so you’ll have strength to work; you use it to shave, so you’ll look nice for your lover; on discovering her with another, you use it to cut out her lying heart.”
In Act 1, the knife is a practical on a regular basis software. In Act 2, you improvise with it, and it turns into versatile. In Act 3, it’s unleashed as a weapon.
If Satya is to grow to be an agent of chaos, her transformation — the decision to journey — should be seeded early. Do we see her resisting it or refusing it? Where do her abilities come from? From her bizarre life in Act 1, to improvising in Act 2, to breaking out in Act 3. Without that gradual “Joker-graph” of change, her sudden all-guns-blazing finale feels tacked on.
Realism isn’t the purpose. Verisimilitude is. Tarantino’s movies aren’t true to life, however they’re unwaveringly constant. Manmohan Desai’s pulp fantasies embrace comic-book logic from the primary body. Jigra tries to be grounded, then leaps into implausibility — and that’s why audiences try.

Screenwriting 101: Writing train
For a fast writing train, draft a three-scene arc the place a personality evolves from passive to violent. In scene 1, set up the emotional set off. In scene 2, present the pivotal alternative. In scene 3, justify the outburst. Ask your self whether or not the transformation feels each shocking and inevitable.
Next time you write a script, don’t ask “Is this realistic?” Ask, “Is this real to the world I’ve created?” Because as soon as the viewers stops believing, they cease caring.
Published – April 27, 2025 04:37 pm IST