Review: ‘Bairavaa’ is Pongal Masala at Its Best

‘Bairavaa’, Vijay’s 60th movie is the one in which he re-invents himself.

A still from the film Bairavaa. (Photo Courtesy: YouTube screengrab)

Bairavaa, Vijay's 60th film, is a marathon affair. The songs and some scenes are so HDR heavy that they look like the rainbow diarrheoa of a herd of unicorns. At 158 minutes (2hrs 45mins), it is LONG. It suffers from a mid-film crisis, where it gets a grey area of random comedy and a detour of sentiment.

And YET, boy oh boy, this is such a breezy entertainer!

Vijay's Star Shines Brighter

Bairavaa came a year after Theri, and Vijay hasn't been idle in this interim. He looks younger and even more agile. He has altered his physicality and dialogue delivery in subtle ways. Though the movie drags a little, I didn't tire of him at all. Even at two hours and counting, there were moments when the audience stood up to clap.

While why one becomes famous is a mystery, the trick is to constantly dig deeper into oneself and reinvent. And Vijay has brought his A game.

Great Earworm, Peppy Numbers

I'm sort of on the fence about Santhosh Narayanan's music. Attakathi was brilliant, Pizza2 sucked, Soodhu Kavvum was awesome, Iraivi was a cockroach crooning in your ears, Kabali was a one song (Mayanadhi) wonder and Bairavaa's intro music (Varlam Va) reeks of Kabali's Neruppuda.

Interestingly, he seems to do well with smaller movies, rather than with large banners. But Bairavaa is an exception. Varlam Va, the hero's intro track, is truly inspired. It literally revvs you up (it's got an engine revving in the background as well) and makes you want to beat up some rowdies.

Speaking of Beating up Rowdies...

Anl Arasu, the stunt choreographer who made magic in the 2004 Telugu blockbuster Chatrapathi, is a gift that keeps on giving. Of course the fights are riddled with masala: People fly and bounce off concrete owing to the sheer force of a punch. And yet, Anl Arasu makes it extremely engaging and real, within the world of the movie.

I spent an entire year reviewing Tamil films, and all of them have had shitty fight scenes. Bairavaa was a breath of fresh air, with the right mix of slo-mo and absolutely no sped-up running or car chases.

Keerthi Suresh Needs More...

...screen time, dialogues, and character arc. In any star-driven movie, the woman seldom gets equal screen time or space. But despite limitations, Keerthi Suresh proves to be engaging. She does great comedy, sheds a tear at the drop of a hat and matches Vijay step for step in the songs, which is a big deal. When the writers’ drought in Tamil cinema ends, it will be great to see her in a movie of her own, which she is sure to carry off in style.