Rating:
3.0/5
Star
Cast:
Vijay,
Nayanthara,
Kathir,
Anand
Raj,
Sai
Dheena
Director:
Atlee
Kumar
After
watching
Bigil's
trailer,
it
was
quite
clear
that
the
film
will
be
different
from
the
recent
outings
of
Vijay.
Moreover,
Bigil
also
has
football
as
its
core
theme
and
no
superstar
has
done
a
sports-based
film
in
recent
times.
Hence,
expectations
are
bound
to
be
high.
Has
Bigil
met
those
hype
and
buzz
audiences
had?
Read
our
take
on
Bigil
to
get
the
answers.
Plot
Michael,
son
of
a
don
named
Michael
Rayappan,
has
to
take
up
the
role
of
the
coach
of
Tamil
Nadu
Senior
Women's
Football
team
under
certain
circumstances.
He
has
a
tough
time
ahead
with
the
footballers
doubting
his
credibility.
Will
Michael
win
the
mission?
What
is
Michael's
backstory?
Bigil
deals
with
all
these.
Screenplay
&
Direction
Bigil's
core
theme
might
be
inspired
by
various
sports-based
movies
that
have
come
out
in
Bollywood,
especially
Chak
De
India.
But
Atlee
has
placed
the
theme
in
a
very
interesting
and
familiar
premise
with
the
much-needed
masala
elements.
As
a
result,
what
we
get
is
a
complete
sports-based
film,
which
also
serves
its
purpose
as
a
mass
entertainer,
driven
by
a
superstar.
With
a
huge
star
like
Vijay
leading
from
the
front,
a
sports-based
film
can
fill
in
those
void,
which
probably
a
mass
movie
audience
would
want
to
see
in
films
of
such
a
genre.
At
the
same
time,
it
wouldn't
be
wrong
to
say
that
Bigil's
two
halves
lie
in
different
poles,
as
far
as
the
entertainment
factor
is
concerned.
Bigil
does
take
its
own
time
to
get
into
that
groove.
Atlee's
writing
in
the
first
half
goes
for
a
toss,
with
the
film
meandering
on
predictable
lines.
Even
the
flashback
sequences
lacked
any
punch
barring
the
portions
conveying
the
father-son
sentiment.
Loose
writing
does
impact
the
initial
portions
heavily.
The
romantic
sequences
would
have
been
pretty
average
on
paper,
but
the
presence
of
Vijay
and
Nayanthara
make
them
watchable.
Bigil
finds
its
soul
in
the
second
half.
We
get
to
see
an
entirely
different
writer
and
director,
who
is
charged
up
to
convey
what
the
film
intended
to
do.
From
the
bet
match
that
happens
in
the
second
half,
Bigil
goes
for
an
entirely
different
ride,
which
is
exhilarating,
inspiring
and
emotional
to
the
core.
Atlee
should
be
commended
for
how
he
has
handled
the
women
empowerment
sequences
without
being
preachy.
The
sequences
leading
to
the
'Singapenney'
song
are
just
priceless
and
form
the
perfect
platform
for
the
movie
ahead.
Even
the
mass
sequences
looked
fresh,
which
was
not
the
case
in
the
first
half.
For
instance,
the
police
station
sequence
was
pretty
inventive
that
kept
the
audiences
guessing
despite
being
a
routine
mass
scene.
Performances
Vijay
appears
as
Michael
and
Rayappan.
His
portrayal
of
Rayappan
is
one
of
the
best
in
recent
times
with
the
actor
in
him
bringing
a
complete
change
in
his
body
language
as
well
as
voice
modulation.
He
is
also
impressive
as
Michael
-
the
coach.
Watch
out
for
his
performance
in
the
emotional
moments,
where
he
inspires
everyone
with
his
words.
Nayanathara
plays
the
leading
lady
and
her
presence
is
there
throughout
the
film.
In
fact,
it
is
she
who
mouths
some
of
the
most
important
dialogues
in
the
second
half.
The
'Singapenney'
gang
is
simply
awesome
with
each
one
of
them
coming
up
with
a
credible
performance.
While
Yogi
Babu
scores
with
his
comic
numbers
in
the
first
half,
it
is
Vivek
who
takes
over
the
baton
in
the
latter
half.
Kathir
does
his
part
pretty
well
but
it
felt
like
he
was
underutilised.
Jackie
Shroff
looked
good
in
his
role
and
the
dubbing
was
also
perfect.
Technical
Aspects
AR
Rahman
has
set
the
songs
according
to
the
mood
of
the
film
and
'Singapenney'
is
the
one
that
will
stay
with
you
after
leaving
theatres.
He
weaves
magic
with
his
BGM
in
the
second
half,
with
the
notes
leaving
the
audiences
inspired.
Editor
Ruben
has
done
an
excellent
job
in
the
second
half
but
he
could
have
given
more
attention
to
the
first
half,
which
looked
elongated.
The
cinematography
work
was
also
good.
Verdict
Bigil
might
have
a
lot
of
déjà
vu
moments
but
still,
Atlee
manages
to
steer
the
attention
of
the
audiences
in
the
right
direction,
especially
in
the
second
half,
which
lifts
the
film
to
another
level.
In
total,
the
film
will
leave
you
inspired
and
emotional.