Official Trailer:

There are few powerful scenes I liked in Jai Bhim. The opening scene where cops from different police stations are waiting outside the jail. As the prisoners get released and come out, a police officer asks about their caste (real caste names are used). Those from dominant caste are let go. Those from subordinate caste or tribes are asked to stand in a corner and picked up again to book for crimes they haven’t committed. There is a squabble among cops, too many pending cases but there are only 12 prisoners (erase that…innocent people), and how to split them equitably among multiple stations. This bold scene sets the foundation for the rest of the story. I call this bold because, you don’t get to hear real caste names in movies, even the ones that deal with caste issues. Second scene is where the people from Irulas tribe narrate to a cop how they get framed just for greeting the cops, or for moving away to avoid them or for crimes they didn’t commit, and torture meted out to make them confess. Cop breaks down when a young boy mentions the police picked him up just because they could not get this father and he has become a perpetual suspect at school because of that incident. Other two scenes fall in mass scene category except that they are not for the hero but for Senganni (excellent portrayal from Lijomol Jose). First scene is where cops force her to withdraw the case and Senganni refuses and says she will do what the lawyer says. She refuses the offer of cops to drop her home in their Jeep and walks back with the Jeep following her. Second one when she refuses the bribe from a cop in higher position and walks away.

I started watching the movie expecting another preachy, message movie in the lines of Rame Andalum and Ravane Andalum or Raatchasi. To my surprise, there is no talking to the camera spouting messages and one-liners, no shouting court room scenes, and no lecture. Yes, there are few dialogues that felt out of place but fall under minor squabbles. In the lines of Visaranai, Jai Bhim focuses on abuse of power, custodial torture, and rot in criminal justice system. What happens if unlimited / unchecked power is given in the hands of authorities in a society with so much caste and class divide. Both these movies are uncompromising in making us experience the custodial torture – raw, real, and painful. Only difference is Jai Bhim ends in a positive note (leaves us with some hope) unlike Visaranai. The narrative gives equal focus to the Irula tribe, police’s abuse of power, and the lawyer Chandru and his courtroom proceedings.

Main story is about Senganni’s journey to find out what happened to her husband, Rajakannu, who was arrested by police and goes missing. Both are from Irula tribe. What struck me in the story is how normal people behave like heroes. Their will to stand up for the rights even if it costs their life. Rajakannu’s (Manikandan in another excellent performance) non-violent resistance to budge and confess to the crime he didn’t commit even with all the torture unleashed on him by the cops. Their brutal beatings are no match for his will. Yes, Rajakannu does pay a hefty price, his life, but cops couldn’t extract his subservience. Then we have Chandru. Chandru is not our conventional hero who fights 100 villains or has superpowers. Chandru is a lawyer who wields the powerful weapon of the law. I liked the Chandru’s introduction scene where with a single petition in the High Court he manages to get bail not just for his client but for another 7000 people across Tamil Nadu. More than as an introduction scene of Chandru, this scene works more to convey the power of law, lawyers, and the courts in protecting the citizens from unscrupulous powers. Another thread I liked in Jai Bhim is the contrast in beliefs between lawyer Chandru and IG Perumal and how they warm up and work together to get to the truth.

Coming to the negatives, BGM could have been toned down and more silence would have worked better, there is no need to amplify the emotion with BGM when the visual itself does the job effectively. What is MS Bhasker’s role in the movie? Few dialogues could have been stripped, came across more as a message than a part of the conversation. Except IG Perumal, other cops and public prosecutors come across as one-dimensional characters. But one key thing I felt missing is failure to show / convey what gives the confidence to the cops to do the horrific things and believe they can get away with it? The cover up they do have many gaps and any lawyer with the motivation, commitment, and time would be able to blow away their story. They why do they think they can get away with it? It is the belief that they will get the support of their caste and Dominant caste will always come together if they see a threat from the subordinate caste to challenge the status quo and their power. Every move from the prosecutor is easily thwarted by Chandru and it makes the cops look stupid. It is not breaking the case but rising against the status quo is the toughest challenge and requires true grit. Weaving in the caste mindset and power dynamics in the story would have given a layered insight for the audience and would have increased the impact.