Happy Diwali to Vijay fans - and Vijay fans only. Like Karthik Subbaraj’s tribute to Rajinism, 'Bigil' is fan boy Atlee’s paean to Vijay. Imagine a 'Mersal' but ten times extra - from slo-mo shots to elaborate fights to hero-glorification - you name it, 'Bigil' has it.
'Bigil' ticks off all the checkboxes in a typical Thalapathy Vijay film --- where we anticipate a truly mass intro scene for a mass hero in full form (students running to Vijay in distress. Check. A gaana song to welcome those in pursuit of the hero. Check. Hero’s sidekick calling him CM – not Chief Minister, but Captain Michael. Wow. Check. A cop abandoning the task force in fear after he sees that it is Vijay’s area that he is standing in. Check). A mass Rahman song to show off Vijay’s extraordinary dancing skills (‘Verithanam’ sung by Vijay is addicting. Check). Stylised action sequence involving bikes on Napiers bridge. (First glimpse of first villain too, also featuring Daniel Balaji’s magnificent hair. Check). Multiple villains, including Tamil-speaking North Indian actors (the bad guys are always lurking around in Bigil, even when you’re in Delhi, far away from Tamil Nadu. Check.) A slew of comedians who are part of the hero's motley gang (Vivek, Yogi Babu. Who else do you need? Check.) Trademark Vijay gestures from his previous films (Hand crossing head salute. Throwing chewing gum into mouth. A swag veshti fold jump. Check, check and check.)
Now for the ‘social message’ box.
There was solid scope to deliver a strong 'message', one of women's empowerment, but the film never lets it surpass the need to celebrate Vijay’s heroism. If it had, it would have made a world of a difference.
To paraphrase a dialogue from the film: ‘Naan yaaru theriyuma nu solladha, unakku enna panna mudiyum athu kaattu’. Just making a ‘message-oriented’ commercial film does not mean you deserve hurrahs - it’s how the message is presented that matters the most.
Atlee deifies Vijay to a superhuman level in this film --- Vijay the coach of the Tamil Nadu women’s football team (who literally ‘schools’ the women), Vijay the older brother ‘anna’ figure to the women, Vijay who saves every football match from being destroyed by vile villains, Vijay the last-minute ‘kadavul’ (god)... And their idea of a ‘strong’ woman is limited to childbirth and motherhood, which the film reiterates several times through dialogues and visuals. A very one-sided view.
Vijay, in my opinion, can now stake claim to the ‘Kollywood’s Akshay Kumar’ tag. Sample this. In the final football match of the film, the female players are shown having ‘Bigil’ embossed on their jerseys, and not their names. “Oru Bigil illa, 11 Bigils”. Heroism 101.
'Bigil', to its credit, does make a few progressive statements like its criticism of the ‘maatu ponnu' stereotype (a dig at Brahmins?) and the portrayal of an acid attack survivor’s battle. Necessary even if rather generic. “Thannambikkaiyum theramai ode mugam nee” is my sole takeaway dialogue from 'Bigil'. Which unfortunately is delivered by Vijay - and not one of the 11 women. No points for never allowing the women into the spotlight, sans Vijay.
The 11 female actors, who are never the ‘heroes’ of the film even when they score goals and win matches, play their parts to perfection - however, unlike ‘Chak De India’, the film does not take the time to invest in a back story for each of them. The fact that the makers did not think that it’s important is sad.
The body shaming and the North East slur was totally unnecessary and completely offensive.
Nayanthara’s role, although starkly lesser in stature, does have its moments (sigh, will we ever see a female coach headlining a big budget film?). Despite being ‘Lady Superstar’ and getting more screen time than any of her peers would in a film of this nature, she’s still made to do some superficial ‘strong heroine’ scenes - beating up guys for harassing her friend, a slo-motion shot of her donning black shades and getting on the bike with the hero, and even a couple of ‘loosu ponnu’ scenes that just fell flat. But one scene merits a shout out: when the heroine pacifies the bristling hero and goes on to deliver the anti-patriarchy lecture instead of him. Thanks for letting the heroine deliver the message at least this once, dear makers.
I do wish Vijay and Nayanthara’s love story had more depth besides the humourless wedding sequences.
Vijay as Rayappan (the gangster father) is a memorable character (just not his voice, sorry - sounding like you’re recovering from a bad cold is not convincing at all, especially if it alternates between Vijay’s real voice and a raspy add-on. Cue: Bigileyyy). Right from his entrance scene (a much more stylish opening than Bigil’s) where he slays those waiting to kill him all along humming an MGR song to his final emotional fight sequence, Vijay manages to make us feel for the appa character - one who got caught up in a world of crime too early in life and wants his talented son to forge his own path through football, not swords.
Now, that’s one ‘message’ that is communicated rather empathically - in the North Madras-set world of ‘Bigil’, sports is not just a game but a means for a better life for the youth of these troubled neighbourhoods. The symbolism of the scene where Vijay drops his knife and picks up a child’s book is cliche, but still works.
For an actor who is most comfortable in the light comedic zone, Rayappan must have not been easy to pull off. But he adds his charm to the 'Nayagan'-type ageing don character too. The father Vijay hugging the son Vijay scenes make you smile.
Vijay’s veiled digs at the ruling government and the political climate of the country, one we’ve come to await in every film since 'Mersal, were rather tame in this film.
If it was multinational corporations exploiting farmers that was the focus of 'Kaththi', and the corrupt practices of medical practitioners in 'Mersal', in 'Bigil', Vijay takes on the politics in the world of sports. But with a slight change. Instead of power-packed punch dialogues, Rayappan’s beautiful, mass ‘thoo’ (“Sportslayum vyabaram ah da, thoo!”) serves the purpose.
A final word. If 'Bigil' worked as a motivational, inspiring, goosebumps-inducing sports film for you, a large chunk of the credit goes to AR Rahman’s music (and no credit to the CGI football kicks). The ‘Singapenney’ song and Rahman’s uplifting voice did the trick of making me believe that maybe… this film really did care about women’s liberation. Maybe.
Film: Bigil Director: Atlee Cast: Vijay, Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff Rating: 2.5 stars |
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