'Jai Bhim': Suriya-led movie will make you question day-to-day conduct
What's the story
Suriya's much-anticipated endeavor Jai Bhim is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. And the layered drama hits the mark. Untouchability, caste prejudice, police brutality, and oppression of tribal communities are some of the serious topics the movie deals with. Director Tha Se Gnanavel makes sure that the weight of the message given stays with the viewers and there lies his success. Here's our review.
Plot
At the center is a tribal couple, false robbery accusation
The tale captures a tribal couple Rajakannu-Senganni (Manikandan and Lijo Mol Jose) and how their lives got disrupted when Rajakannu is accused of a robbery and is picked up by the police. After some days, cops claim he has escaped from the lock-up. As we saw in the trailer, Suriya plays an advocate who fights for the underprivileged. He eventually takes up Rajakannu's case.
Relevancy
Sadly, such casteist behavior is still rampant in today's society
Advocate Chandru (Suriya) leads Sengani's quest to find her husband and unveils the real face of deep-ingrained prejudice and systemic oppression in the court. But the journey toward the actual truth is a hard pill to swallow. The very fact that we continue to suspect people of crimes based on their caste even today, shows why this tale from 1995 still stands relevant.
Do you know?
Suriya plays Justice Chandru, story based on real-life case
The Navarasa actor here plays retired Madras High Court Judge, Justice K Chandru, who fought thousands of cases for the underprivileged. The plot is based on one of his real-life cases from 1993. Suriya had been thoroughly impressed when he got to know about Chandru.
Portrayal
Suriya is savior but 'Jai Bhim' is no savior's tale
Although Chandru enables this justice, the movie isn't about him. His character is limited to the boundaries of legal matters and social justice. Instead, makers have focused on Rajakannu, Sengani, and their community to make us familiar with their lifestyle and also so that we don't see them as a whole but as individuals. Jose deserves a special mention for her excellent performance.
Verdict
Don't miss this gem! It's streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Apart from the important message about discrimination, Jai Bhim is an excellent courtroom drama too. As the case hearing continues, we come across one twist after another and these make the mammoth time frame of 164 minutes bearable. Great attention has been given to authenticity in terms of clothing and setting. Do watch it on Amazon Prime Video. Verdict: We give it 4.5/5.