Lijo Jose Pellissery‘s Malayalam film Jallikattu is a watershed film for Indian cinema, in more ways than one. India’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars 2021, Jallikattu boasts a sparkling cinematic brilliance that at once grabs attention and never lets go. Its cinematography is a sight to behold; and its storytelling can best be described as magnificent. Though it doesn’t exactly depict Jallikattu the sport, its impact is such that images from the film Jallikattu immediately flash in the mind’s eye whenever the sport is mentioned.
Now, another film is gearing up to put its stamp of instant recall on Jallikattu — this time, on the sport itself. That film is Suriya‘s ‘Vaadivaasal’. The makers V Creations have just revealed the logo and title look for Vaadivaasal; and what do you know — it features the prominent figure of a raging bull as the title logo.
Those not in the know, Vaadivaasal has a plot adapted from noted writer C.S. Chellappa’s 1959 novel of the same name. It is a classic bull-taming story that depicts the man-beast conflict in one of the sharpest and most evocative manners ever. It captures the fighting spirit and bravery of the protagonist Picchi, who wants to tame the bull Kaari, which had killed his father Ambuli several years ago. The story brims with several emotions – paternal love, the never-say-die attitude of the hero, and his burning need for revenge and closure. It is a dangerous mission Picchi has set for himself – the bull is wild, untamed and bloodthirsty. But Picchi is equally determined and unafraid. Man vs beast – who wins and who loses forms the core of the story.
Now that you know the basic plotline of Vaadivaasal, imagine Suriya in the character of Picchi. The intensity of his eyes, the iron will writ large on his expressive face and his mighty dare-devilry – aren’t they just perfect to depict the steely determination of Picchi? The choice of Suriya to play the lead in Vaadivaasal is therefore a masterstroke in our opinion.
Coming to the man who will helm Vaadivaasal – it is none other than the maestro, Vetrimaaran. Now recall the magic that Vetrimaaran wielded when he adapted M. Chandrakumar’s novel ‘Lock Up’ into the compelling crime thriller, ‘Visanarai’, and writer Poomani’s novel ‘Vekkai’ into the award-winning Dhanush starrer, ‘Asuran’. Given his illustrious career, it is a given that he will bring his terrific storytelling skills to conjure magic with Vaadivaasal.
Vaadivaasal is produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu, under his banner V Creations. Its music is being composed by another stalwart, G.V. Prakash Kumar.
In view of all of the above, we can say with conviction that Vaadivaasal will beat every recent film when it comes to cinematic brilliance, Jallikattu included. Suriya and Vetrimaaran have a legit blockbuster on their hands.
Wanna bet?