Be it vigilante, politician, magician, even a doctor—Vijay’s various roles in the movie industry have now ended with a single career shift: actor to politician.
Let’s play a game called worth it or not worth it. I’ve taken up the task of reviewing Vijay’s last first movie (as he’s still finishing up his other movie sequels). You’re so very welcome!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with South India’s Thalapathy (commander/general), it’s a term to describe popular actor Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar. He’s idolized as a well-known actor, philanthropist, dancer, and playback singer within the filmmaking industry. Born to a Hindu mom and Christian dad, Vijay was brought up in Madras, a town within the northern complex of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His mother Shoba is a renowned musician and entertainer, vocally training Vijay— a beginning to his singing origins. Vijay’s dad, S.A. Chandrasekhar, is an Indian film director with plenty of experience in the Tamil Movie Industry.
Transitioning to the movie itself, I’m utterly confused by his role/roles.
Warning: Spoilers ahead + opinion!
- Does not cover the end of the movie as I want you all to watch the movie.
Beginning (Plot/Review) + Rating:
Plot: The plot follows Gandhi, played by actor Vijay, who is a part of the Special Anti-Terrorist Squad (SATS). It’s only human that a particular terrorist Menon would develop a personal vendetta against Gandhi and other members of the taskforce, right? Menon blames Gandhi for the death of his family after a SATS raid which resulted in a train exploding; Menon’s family was tragically killed in that incident, leaving him to orchestrate a plan for revenge. Gandhi’s closely associated friends, Kalyan, Sunil, Ajay, and Nazeer were also collateral damage in the plan. Of course, that revenge plan was fitting once Menon discovered Gandhi had a pregnant wife (Anuradha) and a son (Jeevan). Gandhi is quick to notice that his son went missing, and after looking at surveillance cameras, he figures out his son was kidnapped by a woman and loaded into a van. By nightfall, Gandhi who was desperately searching for his son, came across the exact vehicle who had trafficked him: it had been involved in a car crash leaving it to catch on fire. There were only remains of burnt bodies, one of which was Gandhi’s worst nightmare: his own kid. Traumatized and heartbroken, Gandhi leaves the SATS force. After the truth came out, his wife divorced him as well. Though they live in different houses, both Gandhi and Anuradha have shared custody of their newborn daughter, Jeevitha, who was named after their son, Jeevan.
Review: The foundation was laid in such a way in which there were no plot holes, no questions of ‘but he could have done this or that’, if you know what I mean. I loved the dynamic between Gandhi and his wife, a love-hate relationship, and their varying degrees of affection which perfectly matched. However, though it was greatly taken and the cinematography was an improvement compared to previous indian movies, the burnt bodies were unrealistic— plain black ash in the form of a deformed body. It felt gruesome and cruel to portray a child like that, especially one as cute as Jeevan. I felt like they could have left it as just an ambulance carrying out “bodies” in a stretcher with a white blanket covering them. Though Gandhi would have gotten to see it, I feel that the audience shouldn’t have been exposed to it. I also didn’t particularly like that both Gandhi and Anuradha named their daughter after Jeevan; it’s almost as if Jeevitha is just a remnant and memory of Jeevan, and it’s unnecessary to look at your daughter and be reminded of your son’s death. I understand Gandhi and Anuradha’s reason for divorce (separating after the death of their son), but naming their daughter after their dead son is almost the same as staying together.
My Rating: 7.6/10.
Middle (Plot/Review) + Rating:
Plot: Vijay movies always have Vijay act as multiple characters (twins, brothers, cloning, etc.), so it’s not surprising if they use AI Imaging to portray Vijay’s younger self as a character within the movie right? That’s exactly what they did. Except, Jeevan survived… While Gandhi and Anuradha came to terms with the fact that Jeevan had died 16 years ago, he resurfaced in an orchestrated bank robbery. Even under a mask, Gandhi felt drawn to this estranged man’s aura, which he later found out to be his own son. Jeevan came back in the form of younger Vijay, and was immediately taken in by Gandhi’s family. Jeevan revealed his death was orchestrated by a terrorist organization, whom he was forced to work for, and that he contemplated leaving because they threatened his family’s safety.
Review: I found this highly suspicious; the question of ‘why now’ lingered in my mind. Suddenly, his family’s safety wasn’t being threatened anymore? And his return seemed too good to be true. Sixteen years later, their son returned as a 21 year old? Who would have any recollection of their parents if they were kidnapped as young as 5 years old? These questions only added to my doubt— I was now thinking that Jeevan was evil. Truth be told, I was right. Jeevan, yet to be discovered, went on a killing spree and killed two of Gandhi’s fellow agents, Nazeer and Ajay. Nazeer was killed in a train stabbing because he tried to expose a long-hidden secret to Gandhi. Though Gandhi found him alive and well, he couldn’t protect Nazeer from his tragic fate: Jeevan (disguised as a motorcyclist- helmet and everything) was out for blood.
Since I’m not going to be covering the end, I’ll leave you with questions to ponder:
- Who was Jeevan working under?
- What was their goal?
- Is Jeevan Gandhi’s real son? If not, was that even his name?
- Was there a mole letting them in on the information?
- Why did Jeevan turn evil?
I will tell you that my rating did increase after the end.
My Rating: 8/10
Transitioning back to Vijay:
Now, Vijay’s movie streak ends with his entrance to politics. But, look forward to some of his sequel movies while you’re waiting! While you’re at it, maybe watch the movie which I reviewed for you ambitiously.
