Sigma: Jason Sanjay’s directorial debut opens to Rs 2.35 crore and a divided verdict on its heist

Sigma, the heist film that marks the directorial debut of Jason Sanjay, son of Tamil Nadu chief minister Vijay, opened in cinemas on Thursday to a modest start and a lukewarm critical reception. The Times of India reported that the film earned Rs 2.35 crore on its first day, with its Tamil and Telugu versions recording different occupancy levels, while Vijay Sethupathi’s Baththa rose to Rs 2.70 crore on its second day in the same market.

The Indian Express gave Sigma 1.5 stars out of five, summing it up as “a heist film that forgets to steal your attention”. Its review credited Jason Sanjay with vision and the ability to frame a shot and manage a large production, but said the screenplay never turns the heist into the clockwork mechanism the genre demands.

Sigma at a glance

Detail	What was reported
Director	Jason Sanjay, in his debut
Lead cast	Sundeep Kishan, Faria Abdullah, Sampath Raj, Raju Sundaram, Shiv Panditt
Day 1 collection	Rs 2.35 crore, per The Times of India
Indian Express rating	1.5/5
Music	S Thaman; cinematography by Krishnan Vasant; editing by Praveen KL

The plot

According to The Indian Express, Sigma follows Guru, played by Sundeep Kishan, a treasure hunter and radio host whose life collapses after a betrayal leaves him with debts and a personal loss tied to a library that holds memories of his late mother. He discovers a Rs 500 crore racket run by Kotlapadi Veeraiya Reddy, a cross-border syndicate boss played by Sampath Raj, and rather than confront him directly assembles a ragtag crew to steal the money from under the syndicate’s nose.

What works: Sundeep Kishan

The Indian Express called Kishan “the single best thing about Sigma”, praising his comic timing, his commitment in the action sequences and his chemistry with the ensemble, particularly Raju Sundaram. The problem, the review argued, is that Guru is written without depth: charming but never complex, wronged but never vulnerable enough for the audience to feel his pain.

Faria Abdullah, in her first Tamil film, was described as pleasant but underused, with her character Sam existing mainly as a romantic interest rather than a participant in the heist. Sampath Raj’s villain was called serviceable but generic, and Shiv Panditt, Anbu Thasan and Yog Japee were judged functional ensemble members without enough material to leave an impression.

What does not: the heist itself

The core criticism from The Indian Express is structural. A heist film, the review said, lives on watching a plan adapt in real time to obstacles; Sigma presents its plan but never stress-tests it, introduces complications without exploring them, and gives its crew members so little differentiation that their individual skills do not matter during the execution. The emotional foundation was found equally thin, with Guru’s motivation established in the first act and never deepened.

On craft, IE singled out Krishnan Vasant’s cinematography as the strongest technical element and said the film looks expensive, but called S Thaman’s score the biggest technical disappointment and criticised Praveen KL’s editing for rapid, disorienting cuts, describing long passages of the second half as “noise dressed up as pace”. Hariharasuthan’s VFX were judged competent.

The Vijay factor

The Indian Express noted that the film carries the weight of being the first by the chief minister’s son, and reported separately that Vijay would not be promoting it, saying he has become CM now. Lyca’s backing gave the project its budget, the review said; what it lacked was a script that knew what to do with it. IE’s conclusion was that Sigma shows potential without realising it, and that the skill Jason Sanjay still has to demonstrate is writing a screenplay that sustains itself across two hours.

With Baththa building on its second day and Drishyam: The Conclusion dominating Hindi screens, the weekend will show whether word of mouth around Kishan’s performance can lift Sigma beyond its opening-day figure.

Frequently asked questions

How much did Sigma collect on day 1?

The Times of India reported a first-day collection of Rs 2.35 crore for Jason Sanjay’s debut, with Vijay Sethupathi’s Baththa at Rs 2.70 crore on its second day.

What is Sigma about?

According to The Indian Express, Sundeep Kishan plays Guru, a treasure hunter and radio host who assembles a crew to steal from a Rs 500 crore racket run by a syndicate boss played by Sampath Raj.

What do critics say about Sigma?

The Indian Express gave it 1.5 stars, praising Sundeep Kishan and the cinematography but criticising the screenplay, the editing and S Thaman’s score.