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Director: Lingusamy
Cast: Vikram, Prakashraj,Trisha, Thalaivasal Vijay,Raghuvaran, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kalatpadai Jai, Tanusha
'Those who live by the sword, die by the sword', goes the caption at the end of 'Bheema'. It is nothing new; for, we have seen both the caption, and the saga of the gangster and his favourite henchman, in innumerable films earlier. It's again a sense of déjà vu for a viewer here.
Bheema does begin promisingly, and manages to keep viewer's attention engaged for the earlier part. However, as the narration proceeds, the scenes turn repetitive, and the script takes a downslide from which it never recovers. Chinna is a thug, whose men are on a killing spree. But who his victims are, and what really is their crime, is a confused scenario. With Chinna's rival being Periyavar (Raghuvaran), a wobbly aging gangster who could barely speak coherently, there is not much of an intimidating opposition for Chinna. It's a further lost cause for Periyavar, with the entry of the gutsy, one-man-army Shekhar into Chinna's fold. Shekhar had admired Chinna's ways and attitude since childhood and had joined his gang. The police enter the picture in order to end the gang war. But with no proper strategy, it's confusion confounded. Some of the fights are well choreographed, while others are those gravity and bullet- defying ones.
Weaved into this is the love story between Shekar and Shalini (Trisha), and of Chinna's secret love (Lakshmi Gopalasami). It's an ornamental role for Trisha, though there is a futile attempt to thrust her character towards the climax. Songs and dance numbers pop up at inopportune moments causing a lag. . The finale is a weakly etched one, which neither touches a chord, nor evokes any sympathy.
Prakashraj plays Chinna with flair and panache. Thalaivasal Vjay makes his mark as his loyal man. Nevertheless, the saving grace of the film is Vikram. Looking handsome, using his body language to good effect, Vikram plays Shekhar with total involvement and sincerity. The actor is consistently good, even when the script lets him down.
Lingusamy had made well packaged, engrossing, action-packed entertainers like 'Run' and 'Sandakozhi'. 'Bheema' seems to be the weakest of his scripts. Bheema is a film strictly for Vikram's fans.
A lot has been told about the delay over Bheema. Some doomsayers even predicted that the movie would not see the light at all. But the team of Bheema was unperturbed. Vikram once said, "Bheema is a sure winner irrespective of when it comes. It is worth waiting for such a film".
Now the movie has seen the light and it has vindicated Vikram’s words.
The whole team deserves applaud for providing us a neat entertainer. Lingusamy, Vikram, Prakash Raj, Ashish Vidyarthi, Raghuvaran, Kanal Kannan, Harris Jayaraj, R.D. Rajasekar and S. Ramakrishnan have done their best to make it a smart and stylish action film. And you have the charming Trisha as a gentle breeze amidst a powerful storm.
The story is all about a tug of war between two underworld gangs trying to outsmart each other. Periyavar’s (Raghuvaran) group is bigger and more powerful, while Chinna’s (Prakash Raj) group is struggling to gain strength.
Enters Shekar (Vikram). The powerful man adds new life to Chinna’s gang. He challenges Periyavar’s powerful troupe and puts China on top. He is the man who grew up seeing Chinna as his ideal. He is a man of steel - physically and mentally. He, as Chinna tells once, bears everyone on his powerful shoulders like the Bheema of Mahabharatha.
The gangs are targeted by the new police commissioner (Ashish Vidyarthi) and the three pronged hunting begins.
Lingusamy has worked out a strong script and executed it with aplomb. He has excellently handled his cast to make it an entertainer. He has to be commended for not restoring to any gimmicks in the pretext of providing entertainment. He is also bold enough to avoid a comedy track, which would have been an irritant in the script.
The characterization is near perfect. Like the legendary Bheema, Shekar is always ready to attack, unmindful of who stands against him. If he puts a step forward, there is no looking back. Powerful, straight forward, and fearlessness. Lingusamy, with the able support of dialogue writer Ramakrishnan, has shaped the character remarkably well. The relationship between Shekar and China is well portrayed.
Likewise, his handling of the track of gang war, entwined with police action, is quite smart. The climax is something unexpected. The picturisation of the songs is spectacular.
Vikram has lived up to the expectations with a dominant and flawless performance. If his hard work to become physically strong is praise worthy, his efforts to transform himself as the character are stunning. He reflects the essence of the character both physically and mentally. His body language - particularly his eyes - is awesome. He breaths fire in the stunt scenes. The fights in the rain and in the construction site (intermission point) are astonishing.
He also scores in romantic sequences, which are very less in this action packed movie. He brings out the transformation in his character because of love in a lovely manner. Hats off to Vikram.
Trisha gets her share in the action movie and succeeds in adding colour to the film by spreading her charm. She looks ravishingly beautiful in songs. Her eyes and minute facial expressions are pleasing.
Prakash Raj comes through out the movie. His character is so powerful that he looks like a second hero. The versatile actor has brought a new dimension to the character of a gangster.
Ashish Vidyarthi in a small yet significant role is competent. His portrayal of a smart police officer, who means business, is flawless. Raghuvaran as Periyavar impresses but his histrionics have become predictable. Sherin in ‘Rangu Rangamma’ is impressive.
Kanal Kanan (action) and Rajashekhar (camera) have added immense value of the film. Kanal’s setting up of the fighting sequences is certainly a treat for action movie lovers. Rajasekhar’s camera work is brilliant. The shooting of intermission fight in the darkness stands out.
Harris Jayaraj’s music, which is already on top, fits well in to the movie. Almost all the songs have come out very well.
Overall, Bheema has lived up to the expectations up to a large extent. Lingusamy and his powerful team have succeeded in presenting an action oriented entertainer. True to its name, Bheema is a power packed action entertainer.
