Bigil  - Despite predictability, Bigil is lead to victory by the impressive Vijay!

Two years after the release of their blockbuster Mersal, Actor Vijay and Director Atlee have joined hands for their third movie, Bigil, which has released today amidst humongous expectations. With Vijay playing dual roles as father and son, and with the sports and women empowerment backdrop, have Vijay and Atlee have hit the perfect goal? Let's see in this review of Bigil.

Tamilnadu state women's football team coach Kathir (Kathir) arrives to meet Michael (Vijay), and unfortunate events lead to Kathir getting injured, and Michael taking over as the coach, as he has a past associated with the sport. Who was Rayappan, what lead to Michael leaving the sport, and was he able to fulfill the dreams of Rayappan and kathir by leading the women's team to success is what Bigil is all about.

Vijay excels as both Michael and Rayappan, and while he's energetic and lively as Michael, as Rayappan he is mass personified, and with the stammering and unique body language, he is a revelation. Nayanthara comes in an insignificant role, while among the girls, Reba Monica John is impressive in her limited screen time, and Varsha Bollamma and Amritha are aptly cast. Indhuja hams big-time, while Kathir is given a completely insignificant role(almost reminiscent of Vasool Raja's Anand). Jackie Shroff and Daniel Balaji sleepwalk through their cliched roles, while the rest of the cast including Yogi Babu, Vivek, Anandraj are adequate.

A.R. Rahman's songs and his background score are a big plus and as a bonus, his fans get to see him shake a leg in the "Singapenney".  The Thara local beats for the Vijay and Nayan engagement and the dance moves of the entire cast is a treat to both the ears and the eyes. Cinematography by GK Vishnu has captured the grand visuals very well and presents Bigil as a visual treat, while editing by Ruben could have been better, chopping several dragging episodes.

The first half of Bigil moves in a leisurely pace, and establishes the characters Michael and Rayappan, with predictable and dull episodes. Vijay as Rayappan single handedly keeps the audience engaged, and the pre-interval sequence sets the tempo for the second half.

The second half of the movie once coach Michael arrives, get exciting, and his encounters with the girls, the characters of Varsha Bollamma and Reba Monica John make the proceedings interesting. Though the evil angle is cliched, Vijay's screen presence and some mass moments take Bigil to a win.

With Atlee and Vijay teaming after two big blockbusters Theri and Mersal naturally the expectations were high on Bigil. This time around, he has chosen the universal sports theme, with Vijay leading from the front as a coach who returns to the game after a hiatus. The movie begins on a dull note and doesn't really have any engaging episode in the first half which is a complete rehash of Vijay's own Thalaiva but gains momentum from the interval. Despite being a reminder of various sports hits of the past, Atlee has Vijay in full form, effectively attracting the audience with his energy and massy performance. His outburst in the first half and the controlled emotions in the second half speak volumes of his histrionic skills. Among the supporting cast, it's Varsha Bollamma and Reba Monica John who take the honors, Indhuja indulges in overacting while it's disheartening to see Nayanthara and Kathir getting wasted. With AR Rahman elevating several sequences, and GK Vishnu capturing visuals beautifully, Bigil is technically rich, but falls short in the execution. Had Atlee worked more on the screenplay, getting rid of cliches and a shorter runtime, Bigil could have been better. Nevertheless, Vijay solely makes this sports backdrop entertainer worth a watch with his charm and performance.

Verdict: Despite it's predictability, Bigil is lead to a victory by the impressive Vijay!