On the eve of Diwali, the Men in Blue finally gave us something to smile about this WC as they marched their way to a commanding win over the Afghans. However, the hope for a semi final spot is still a realistically improbable dream though it was heartening to see our boys break the shackles after the misery Pakistan & Kiwis piled on them. Incidentally, 'shackles' reminds me of T J Jnanavel's latest venture "Jai Bhim" which tells us about the lives of low caste communities whose existence is shackled and dependent on the whims & fancies of the people higher up in the social strata. It was the primary aspect that Dr. B R Ambedkar tried to ensure would not happen in Independent India & fought for it relentlessly. That fight is still going on & for that the path shown by that great patriot is the only way forward, but surprisingly his name hardly features in the forefront in discussions. The trailer was pretty intense & hopefully Suriya's production house '2D Entertainment' has hit the jackpot unlike their previous venture "Udanpirappe" which I found rather dull.
Set in 1993, Rajakannu (K Manikandan) & Sengeni (Lijomol Jose) belonged to the Irular tribal community that had consistently faced atrocities from the authorities. Despite the hardships, the couple led a contented life with the meager salary that they earned from the odd jobs that they did. But life took a harsh turn when Rajakannu was framed & arrested for a theft. Subsequently what folded was a tale of extreme police brutality from which there seemed to be no return for him and his relatives. The situation turned murkier when the police reported that the trio had absconded. It was at this juncture that Sengeni with the help of a social activist, Maithreya (Rajisha Vijayan) was advised to reach out to the advocate Chandru (Suriya) who fought for the rights of the poor and the down trodden.
This is Jnanavel's second directorial venture which he had scripted as well, after "Kootathil Oruvan" (which I haven't watched). Based on a real life incident that took place in Vriddhachalam, it is about the battle that Justice K Chandru fought when he was a lawyer. Retired from the Madras High Court, he is is a doyen in the legal circle having pronounced a whooping 96k cases over the course of his tenure. Jnanavel has given us a hard hitting drama which I felt is the most raw and brutal movie since Vettrimaaran's "Visaranai". It stays true to the subject without resorting to star worship & focuses on the harrowing experience of Sengeni & Rajakannu, with Chandru doing the utmost from his end to provide justice through his acumen & observation rather than brawn. In order to cater to a wider audience, cinematic liberties are inevitable but Jnanavel made sure that it is kept on check. Though I felt that should have been applied in the form of a formidable opponent lawyer since the court room scenes didnt have as much impact as was expected due to that very reason.
Kudos to the technical team be it the colour tones & lighting that S R Kathir had used, Sean Roldan's BGM that wasnt intrusive or overpowering & Philomin Raj's seamless editing that was spot on as it ensured that though the movie was close to 2 h 45 mins, it kept us engaged. Hats off to the makeup team as well for the work they had done on the bruised Manikandan & Lijomol. In the performance dept, it was pleasant surprise to see Lijomol given such a meaty role & she blew us away with a fantastic performance. Suriya deserves praise for his impactful portrayal of Chandru & even more importantly, for his smart choice of scripts. Equally impressive was Manikandan who might not have had as many dialogues to mouth but manages to convince us effectively the torture & pain that his character goes for. Both Rajisha & Prakash Raj were fine though they didn't have a challenging role as such while the rest of the cast including the three accused policemen (especially the one as SI Gurumurthy) have all down justice to their parts.
Verdict: Both the cast & crew have done a fantastic movie which deserves to be watched. It's a tale that is still relevant to our times as evident from various news articles that we come across about the hardships that the poor & oppressed face in their pursuit for justice. Even though it reminds us of "Visaranai" in some sequences, this still has a soul of its own & hence definitely check it out!!!
Rating: 4/5
Regards...Ben
No comments:
Post a Comment