'Jai Bhim', starring Suriya in the lead, is out on Amazon Prime Video. Here is our review of the courtroom drama.
Story:
Set in 1995, the film chronicles the lives of Rajanna (Manikandan) and Chinnatalli (Lijomal Jose), an Irular tribe couple. The duo and their families were subjected to police brutality after the husband is falsely accused of a robbery in a politician's house. When the police claim that Rajanna and two other co-accused have run away from the jail, the poor wife approaches the senior advocate Chandru for justice. Obviously, there is more to it than meets the eye. She narrates the tale of atrocious custodial torture, which moves Chandru to stop at nothing to secure the victims proper justice.
Analysis:
Suriya and brilliance, these days, are going hand in hand. It's stunning how much the actor has evolved since the days of 'Ghajini'. He looks young as ever and more nuanced than he was 15 years ago. That's an achievement. Lijomol Jose and Manikandan are impressive. Prakash Raj as IG Perumal Samy delivers a lovable performance with some memorable dialogues, although the scene where he slaps a small character for speaking in Hindi has become controversial. Tamizh and Supergood Subramani are good as cops. Rajisha Vijayan as an activist with a noble mind is alright. Ramesh Rao, after giving a boring performance in 'Narappa', is good as a bad lawyer here. Guru Somasundaram provides able support.
In the very first scene, director TJ Gnanavel establishes how caste-based profiling takes place in prisons for the benefit of the upper castes. The drama exposes the caste-based discrimination that pervades our society at so many levels. The adaptation of a true incident that happened in Cuddalore in 1993 is sincere. At about 165 minutes, the film shows loads of conviction in terms of how the scenes are not allowed to do politics. Even when the portraits of Kar Marx and Periyar are seen, you don't want to bracket this film as ideological. It's because the protagonist's integrity is infectious, while the victims evoke sympathy.
The scenes that belong to the investigative thriller genre make this film a multi-genre drama without overstating anything. Suriya's role stands out despite the fact that his character is a late entrant. While the writing and execution compete with each other to deliver a dekko, the emotions are moving.
Since the director of the film is formerly a journalist, he tries to infuse as much authenticity and detailing as possible. There are solid twists at regular intervals that are going to appeal to the lovers of thrillers. With precise dialogues and repartees, Suriya's character makes up for the lack of punchlines.
Sean Roldan's admirable background score works. Cinematographer SR Kathir's subtle work stands tall and towers over the output by Editor Philomin Raj.
In depicting the reality of case-based atrocities and how the powerful ally with the police and judicial system, the film is in Vetrimaaran's 'Visaaranai' territory.
Verdict:
'Jai Bhim' makes for a healthy, engaging watch. It's informative, enlightening and hard-hitting.
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