| |
|
|
Bheema Movie Review |
|
| Behindwoods
Movie Review Board |
|
|
|
|
|
Bheema
Cast
: Vikram, Trisha, Prakash Raj, Sherin, Raguvaran
Direction: Linguswamy
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Production: A M Rathnam |
|
|
Bheema
became one of the longest awaited Tamil movies of recent times
not just for the hype it created but also for the time it
took, from completion to release. And when a movie is usually
this delayed, the hype and hoopla surrounding it fizzles out,
but Bheema only became bigger with expectations rising with
each passing day. There are several reasons for this: One,
this is Vikram’s first movie after two years. Two, Vikram
and Trisha pair up for the first time since the extremely
successful Saami. Three, Bheema is Lingusamy’s follow-up
to the stupendously successful Sandakozhi. And four, Harris
Jeyaraj’s soulful songs. But here’s the lowdown:
in spite of all the above reasons, the movie doesn’t
quite live up to its colossal hype. |
|
|
In
Bheema, Vikram plays a man who has, since childhood,
idolized Prakashraj, a gangster with a heart of gold.
Vikram grows up to become a no-nonsense, street smart,
powerful young man. Impressed with his courage, Prakashraj
embraces him, inducting him into the gang. And with
Vikram as his right hand man, Prakashraj gradually becomes
the godfather of the city. He even outrivals his archrival,
Raguvaran. Filled with rage, Raghuvaran and his two
sons attempt to kill Prakashraj and take back the city.
But with Vikram by his side they are unable to touch
the newly crowned godfather. Meanwhile, Vikram falls
in love with Trisha, and he becomes so lost in love
that he loses focus and concentration on the job, nearly
threatening the life of his idol. Vikram is now forced
to choose between work and love. What Vikram will choose
forms the rest of this tale. |
|
On some level Bheema bears a striking resemblance
to Maniratnam’s Dalapathy. As director, Lingusamy
succeeds in provoking riveting performances from all
the actors, but as scriptwriter he’s not as
successful in keeping us involved. From the first
reel to the last reel Bheema is packed with the sound
of gunfire and fisticuffs – the wirework and
action scenes are stunning but as the movie winds
down, the relentless violence gets to you. The first
half is full of incident but the pace slackens in
the second half, no thanks to some inappropriate song
placement that spoils the fun. Bheema is full of style
but little substance. As in all our masala entertainers,
logic takes a back seat. A gravity-defying stunt in
a shopping mall restroom is close to being preposterous.
However, when Bheema is not about gunfire and fisticuffs,
Linguswamy handles several scenes deftly. The scene
where a very drunk Vikram spoils a birthday party
and talks back to the police commissioner is unforgettable
for Vikram’s magnificent acting and some well
penned dialogues.
|
|
|
Prakashraj, as always, comes up with a topnotch performance.
His role is well etched and this versatile actor makes
the most out of it. Vikram once again stuns us with
his subtle body language, incendiary acting and skillful
dialogue delivery. Trisha’s role is bubbly and
this talented heroine makes the most of it, looking
cute all through the film and ravishing in the song
sequences. Raghuvaran delivers that slick, sly villain
he is so well know for. Thalaivasal Vijay is competent,
reminding you of the Iyer role Delhi Ganesh played
so well in Nayagan. As the police commissioner, Aashish
Vidyarthi is superb.
Technically, Bheema is brilliant. RD Rajasekhar’s
cinematography is a treat for the eyes, especially
the Mudhal Mazhai song, which is shot ravishingly.
His camera work here is certain to win him laurels.
Anthony’s editing is terrific except in a few
places where it is not always seamless. The stunts
by Kanal Kannan will be a major draw, particularly
the fight sequence in the market place where slow
motion is used to great effect.
|
|
|
Ahmed
Khan’s choreography is understated and tasteful. Harris
Jeyaraj’s music, of course, is very good. Unfortunately,
some of his songs are inappropriately placed in the film,
taking away some of the luster. However, “Oru Mugamo”
and “Ragasiya Kanavugal” are memorable numbers
that are also shot beautifully. For pure lovers of action,
Bheema might just be the Pongal movie they are looking for,
but those expecting an action movie with a strong story
will be disappointed.
Verdict: Too much action, too little story
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
