This Tamil-language courtroom drama and love story is a detailed retelling of a true incident which took place in 1995. Unfairly accused of stealing jewelry and therefore jailed but later reported missing, Rajakannu was a bushman from the Irular tribe in the Tamil Nadu state. A devoted lawyer who specialized in helping local tribal communities took an interest in his case, thereby helping his desperate wife to find out what had really happened to her husband. In early 2022 at the Noida International Film Festival this production from 2D Entertainment won the Best Film award, the Best Actor (Suriya) and the Best Actress (Lijomol Jose).
The movie kicks off slow as we get to learn about the life of Rajakannu (Manikandan) and his wife Sengeni (Lijomol Jose). Always looked down upon and abused by their more well-to-do upper caste everywhere they go, this dirt poor Irular couple is from one of the many tribes living there among the population. Living in a small mud hut and contented with just working in the fields, they catch rats and snakes for a small fee. One day, a wife from a rich family reports to the police that someone has stolen her jewelry and Rajakannu, who is working somewhere else at that time, automatically becomes the prime suspect just because he has a history of catching a snake there once. The police immediately storm his hut looking for him; they beat up his pregnant wife Sengeni and throw her in jail together with other members of his family.
Without being questioned upon returning home from his other job, the police promptly jail Rajakannu and torture him in the hope of a quick confession. Days later, they put out a statement that he has escaped with his brothers but the resolute Sengeni doesn't believe their story. Determine to find out the truth she enlists the help of Justice J. Chandru (Suriya) who then files a habeas corpus case to help her. From here on, the movie switches between dramatic courtroom scenes to highly detailed flashbacks to tell the rest of the story of this mistreated but brave tribal family fighting against the powerful police force and the government.
Filmed in the most tense and brutal manner are those numerous sequences of horrendous jail torture; after all police brutality is the main emphasis here. As far as police mistreating prisoners in small remote towns in India go, those highly exaggerated scenes are there to create a much more horrific and frightening experience. But the most unjust situations come from the police roundups where they separate their suspects according to their castes; the poor tribal folks usually end up being wrongly charged and imprisoned while those from the more dominant sector are let go.
All the lead players do their parts well; Suriya is outstanding and confident as Chandru, the crusading lawyer who gives voice to the oppressed tribal folks. However, his obliviously exaggerated courtroom scenes become predictable and cliché though engaging and full of impact. Furthermore, his presence at times seems calculated just to provoke cheers and approval from the viewers. This unfortunately doesn't give him more depth or make him poles apart from the character he portrays as expected.
As Sengeni, the suffering Irular wife, Lijomol Jose comes across especially strong, the scenes where she stands her grounds and refuses to accept brides from both police and government officers are the highlights. Equally impressive is Manikandan who plays her husband Rajakannu, a strong willed man who never gives in even being brutally tortured.
Overall, “Jai Bhim” is a bold and engaging movie with a strong message which touches on sensitive social subjects. The cinematography of S. R. Kathir is also excellent, especially the shots of open fields and hillside tea plantation locations which are all beautifully captured on the wide screen. Although the torture sequences are testing to take at times, the performances from all involved are natural, engrossing and heartfelt. But don't expect some twenty minutes of song and dance extravagance to grace the screen here.
