Jai Bhim - An impeccable cinematic achievement
Suriya is getting back to his roots by choosing well-researched scripts and playing bold characters that never fails to inspire the millions. He makes a strong and sound statement with his latest release 'Jai Bhim'.
Last year, Suriya as the ambitious entrepreneur Nedumaaran Rajangam took us in awe and it is just a glimpse of his comeback. The actor is back with an even more gutsy film and a star of his stature should be lauded just for taking up the role that voices out for the downtrodden. Suriya also makes sure that his star value doesn't influence the writing and lets the other characters have a proper arc.
Set in 1995, Jai Bhim focuses on the lives of Rajakannu and Sengani, an Irular tribe couple. The couple and their families were subjected to police brutality after Rajakannu is falsely accused of a robbery in a politician's house. When the cops allegedly report that Rajakannu and his friends escaped from the police custody, Sengani approaches the senior advocate Chandru who is known to have solved a huge number of cases for the welfare of the oppressed. Chandru then files a habeas corpus petition that turns into a much-complicated trial towards the end. The investigation of their whereabouts, whether the innocent tribes won justice forms up the rest.
Suriya as Chandru is easily one of the best performances of his career. The star is just stunning throughout the film and brilliant in the heated up court argument sequences. Lijomol Jose and Manikandan are not any lesser than Suriya's performance and they even better him at places. Prakash Raj as IG Perumal Samy delivers a lovable performance with some memorable dialogues. Tamizh and Supergood Subramani who played the cops impressed much among the lot. Rajisha Vijayan, Ramesh Rao and Guru Somasundaram provided able support.
The best part of the 'Jai Bhim' is that it explores caste-based false arrests which is the bigger picture and a common injustice that is still happening. The film openly displays the caste-based discrimination in our society right from the opening scene. Jai Bhim is based on a real-life case and it does not compromise with any of the facts in the adaptation. It remains close to reality, never deviates from the core and doesn't vouch for Suriya's stardom. Still, the 3-hour-long runtime doesn't bother the audience and it keeps us engaged all over. Suriya's role had messiah moments and those were also beautifully knit in the screenplay.
The writing is so flawless that a gritty courtroom drama and an intriguing investigative narrative have blended so well in the outing. Journalist turned filmmaker T.J. Gnanvel apart from his authentic storytelling also stuns us with solid twists at regular intervals which will appeal to even those who dont connect with the message. Though Suriya's character doesn't have any larger than life one-liners or action scenes, Chandru does win the show with sharp dialogues proving to us that the pen is mightier than the sword.
Sean Roldan has produced great songs for the film and the composer treats us with an admirable background score as well. He offers silence wherever it is necessary underlining the narration. SR Kathir has caged up brilliant and subtle metaphors with his frame compositions and stands tall with his work. Editor Philomin Raj makes sure that the content is not compromised one bit for the sake of flow.
The strongest point of Jai Bhim is that it is not backed by just one aspect but it wins as a whole film with perfect contribution from every department. Kudos to the director for intensive research work and flawless writing. The movie boldly talks the much-needed message, exposes gut-wrenching realities and leaves us with a gruesome experience in the likes of Vetrimaaran's 'Visaaranai'.
Verdict: Go for this absolutely brilliant film that will rank as one of the best ever in Tamil cinema.
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