Liger Movie Review: Ordinary Commercial Entertainer, Watch It Only For Vijay Deverakonda

Liger is as action-packed as it was advertised to be. The film is full of moments that create adrenaline rush. It somehow manages to create drama through the brash mother-son duo, amidst all the bam-bam.

Vijay Deverakonda takes us on a journey of a hyper-energetic youngster whose blood is boiling constantly. All this energy is channeled into his passion for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and he ends up in the fighting ring. That does not mean that now he can focus on his sport peacefully. Life keeps pulling him out of his ring to fight on the streets, and even a train, to survive in his career. The Pokiri connect in the train fight sequence was a spot-on money shot.

The mom-son relationship is aggressive and real, and it brings multiple smiles to our faces. Although one may not be able to handle a mom like her, one does wish for a mom like her; for a brief moment at least.

Story And Performances

Liger, played by Vijay Deverakonda, has three things that drive him. His love for his mother, played by Ramya Krishnan, his passion for MMA, and his inability to resist when Tanya, played by Ananya Pandey, flirts with him.

He is certainly an interesting character to follow because of his stubborn, confident, and impulsive nature, but once you start looking for something else about the film that is interesting, you will have to keep looking.

The MMA angle works to an extent, as Vijay looks the part, and acts the part. The action choreography is decent and manages to impress. However, liger faces little to no real challenge in his career, either on or off the rings. His relationship with his mother is initially amusing, but the mother ends up being too loud and hyper that one slowly pulls away from her character. Tanya is exceptionally annoying and while this is intentional for the most part, it still is a little too much to take and leaves us exhausted.

Vijay Deverakonda has worked hard, physically, and in terms of acting as well. His effort shows, and his performance does not give anything to complain about. But like a typical star vehicle, the film relies solely on him to keep us engaged, and this particular genre is dying, and it's time people moved on from wanting to make one more. The actor needs to realize there is more to a film than a dedicated and talented male lead.

Technical Aspects

The film looks glossy and aesthetic and leaves no effort in making the screens look appealing visually. The music is okay. The liger song is a little catchy, and the background score is vibrant enough. The editing moves the film forward too fast and while the energy is high, it gets tiring after a point. The shot where Ramya Krishnan looks up at the sky was done well and managed to pull us in with its framing.

What Worked And What Didn't?

Vijay Deverakonda's performance and screen presence worked. His stammering was very real and he has done his part well. Action sequences appeared real. The action choreography seemed well done to an untrained eye.

Pretty much everything else doesn't work in Liger. The story is uninspired, the characters appear fictitious (barring liger himself), the songs are passable, and the screenplay is all over the place.

Verdict

What could have been a crazy fun entertainer ends up being mostly crazy, and occasionally fun! If you are like me, and you have immense love for Vijay Deverakonda, and you don't mind ordinary commercial entertainers, and you can ignore everything else and focus on him, yeah you might enjoy this experience.