Jai Bhim Film Review: Lijo Mol Jose leaves us stunned with her impeccable acting talent, Suriya makes sure it pays off by beautifully supporting her

Jai Bhim Movie Review Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0

Star cast: Lijo Mol Jose, Manikandan, Suriya, Rajisha Vijayan, Prakash Raj

Director: TJ Gnanavel

What is good: The realization that the marginalized have faced crimes so evil and for no reason. It’s a wake-up call as the last slide of the movie says they’re still happening. Suriya’s stunning film choices and Lijo Mol Jose’s heartbreaking performance speak for themselves.

What’s bad: That I didn’t know there was a man with such a glorious history. The runtime is just a bit of a nuisance.

loo break:

Reality makes you uncomfortable and this one has a cheeky story to tell. You couldn’t control it when nature calls this time. That’s not to say the film doesn’t fall short in any way.

Watch or not: There should be nothing stopping you from watching this drama that breaks the stereotype of rebranding the hero as the messiah. Suriya makes some impeccable movie choices and deserves all the credit.

Language: Tamil (with subtitles).

Available on: Amazon Prime video.

Duration: 164 minutes.

User Rating:

The year is 1994, Sengani (Lijo) and Rajakannu (Manikandan), a couple belonging to the Irulas, a tribal community in Chennai, lead their lives with dignity and dreams of a successful future. One day the village president is robbed and by bad luck Rajakannu is portrayed as the thief. Begin the open demonstration of police brutality, atrocities and the power play crushing the marginalized who need Chandru (Suriya) to save the day.

Jai Bhim Movie Review: Script Analysis

BR Ambedkar had said in one of his speeches to the assembly that as long as one does not achieve social freedom, the freedom afforded by law is of no use to anyone. It’s been ages, has much changed? Are we better people? Have the powerful stopped suppressing the have-nots? The answer is a big NO. Most aptly titled, Jai Bhim starring Suriya covers all of this and more while telling us the story of a hero we should really know.

Before going any further, I recommend that you read up on Justice Chandru, on whom Suriya’s character is based. The man is a living example of how one should practice one’s voice and what it takes to make it heard louder and clearer. The best thing about Jai Bhim, written by TJ Gnanavel, is that it doesn’t make its leading man a messiah. He doesn’t have the rescue complex. There is also a sense of fear in him, but he lets his self-confidence prevail.

By the way, Jai Bhim has no hero but villains in large numbers. The scenario is written in such a way that your normal people face the evil of the system and either get out by paying a price or die. The first frame literally has police officers separating the ‘untouchables’ from the higher caste people. Criminals are asked to which caste they belong. The first blow to my privileged conscience was the fact that the marginalized were considered vermin and the oppressors thought it was their job to exterminate them. And this really happened.

To make you realize the immense pain that Irulas went through in the 90s and still does in many parts, he does not rush to introduce his great hero. Rather, he gives plenty of time to the real characters who suffer the pain. You see a happy couple destroyed by those in power for a crime they never committed. Women are molested as if it doesn’t matter, men are killed as if they were rodents, and Irulas are subjected to all this because their fault is that they were born into that community.

The screenplay takes shape from happy life to tragedy and finally the struggle to find dignity and empathy in a place that lacks both. If this one doesn’t shatter you, then what will?

Jai Bhim Movie Review: Star Performance

Suriya may be overshadowing all the posters and he needs to make sure this gem of a movie reaches far and wide, but the real hero of this movie is Lijo Mol Jose. Lijo plays a pregnant woman who searches for her husband while her firstborn girl stands by her side. She’s naive to know this world, but the system that preys on her before they even get their hands on the prime suspect makes her what she never wanted to be in the first place. Of course she is not Mardani strong, but she is strong enough not to let the men break her spirit. Lijo’s art in these 164 minutes is worth any appreciation that comes her way.

Manikandan playing Rajakannu is another heartbreaking performance. He has no debt, but he pays the price because he comes from a certain community. Manikandan manages to carry the baggage of his existence on his back and it is visible. The only dream he shares with Sengani is to build a house of bricks. My heart sank when she walked into one, but not with him.

Suriya deserves to receive an award just for the projects he chooses to support. First Soorarai Pottru and now Jai Bhim. He has somehow managed to put aside his image as a superstar and blend in completely with his surroundings. Chandru is a character with a lot of responsibility. In fact, the writers write him carefully and don’t give him much backstory. But a little was needed.

Jai Bhim Movie Review: Directing, Music

In his direction, TJ Gnanavel mainly focuses on visually telling the story. Because his story on paper is so strong and robust that half the battle is already done. The rest of half an hour manages to show through visual metaphors. The Irulas were only allowed to take rodents from the homes of the rich, the absentee shoes among the Irulas, and so on.

To help him capture the most mind-boggling images is SR Kathir and his camera. With his camera he shows the contradictions in which the two communities live, in the same village. While progress has hit the rich, the marginalized have no taste for it.

Sean Roldan’s music is captivating and he manages to elevate the entire film with it.

Jai Bhim Movie Review: The Last Word:

Watch Jai Bhim with a strong heart. This actually happened to some people. Caste politics exists in many parts of the country and movies like this with people like Suriya supporting them are important to educate.

Read our Rathnan Prapancha Movie Review to see more great movies from the South.

Jai Bhim Trailer

Jai Bhim will be published on November 1, 2021.

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