Duniya Vijay has beaten the sophomore slump with Bheema. By repeating the hit formula of his directorial debut Salaga, and unabashedly catering to his target audience, Vijay has resurrected his two-decade-long career with his new actor-director role.
Bheema, just like Salaga, is a crime drama. The film, which talks about the dangerous consequences of youth substance abuse, is set in the slums of Bengaluru. Unlike a run-of-the-mill commercial outing that shows people, especially men, from poverty-stricken areas as generic villains, Bheema features some verydistinct characters from such neighbourhoods.
Working with 60 new actors, Vijay builds a world that sharply reflects the lifestyle of people from such localities. “When you set a film in a particular environment, it’s very important to depict the realities that exist there,” says Vijay.
Young film-goers, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds and lower middle class, are Vijay’s biggest fans. The actor became a star after Duniya, the 2007 blockbuster, in which he played a labourer in a stone quarry who struggled to build a tombstone for his mother’s grave. Perhaps, since then, the actor’s portrayals of a marginalised man’s fight for justice have earned him a young fan base who relate to the adversities faced by his characters.
Filmmaker Suri, who launched Vijay as a star with Duniya, takes a dialogue from the film as an example to explain Vijay’s journey in the film industry. “There is a line in the film that goes, ‘Just because someone is dark and poor, he or she isn’t a thief or a corrupt person‘. Vijay wants to tell his fans that in real life, a hero can be one among them,” says Suri.
In the lead-up to his two directorials, Vijay grabbed the attention of his fans through Charan Raj’s highly irresistible and funky songs, and even worked with singers from the Siddi community and Jenu Kurubas; his experiments paid off.
A still from ‘Bheema’.
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Special Arrangement
This association with the marginalised community, combined with Vijay’s vocal support for Ambedkarism, has caught the attention of industry insiders and fans. “When you talk about Ambedkar, people associate him with one community. However, Ambedkar, for me, is someone who advocates for equality irrespective of any group. I will continue to idolise Ambedkar. If you see in Bheema, I don’t show the plight of the poor. Even children from rich families get affected by drug addiction in the film,” he says.
The Tamil connection
Several slum quarters in Bengaluru house people from the Tamil-speaking population, who identify themselves as “Tamil-speaking Kannadigas.” Vijay hasn’t failed to address this crowd in both Salaga and Bheema.
In fact, in Bheema,Vijay gets introduced in a funeral song (‘Don’t Worry Baby Chinamma’), sung by Tamil singer ‘Gana’ Muthu. Gaana, born in the narrow lanes of north Chennai, is a genre of music that offers freedom from poverty for the subaltern. Funeral singers took the genre to Tamil film music.
In the film, the death of a prominent character is observed through song and dance, even as the protagonist is seen drinking. The entire procession with these activities is a custom witnessed in these neighbourhoods. It’s their way of paying respect to the dead. Even in Salaga, Tamil folk singer Anthony Daasan sang the funeral song ‘Suri Anna’.’
Successful, but not perfect films
However, even though Vijay’s films convey a message, they falter in the representation of issues prevailing in society. Bheema attempts to draw a picture of the harmful effects of violence, drugs, and drinking on youngsters. But while doing so, the film’s focus is more on the detrimental acts than on their consequences, so much so that some scenes border on glorification.
In contrast, Suri’s films, such as Jackie (2010)and Kadipuddi (2013), sees the protagonist, despite having some typical commercial cinema hero traits, being vulnerable and fit perfectly inside the milieu he came from.
“My style of representing a society comes from my learnings and mentors. I have worked with Jayanth Kaikini and Surendranath, and they have shaped my thinking. My work is influenced by what I read as well. Vijay will learn as well; he has just made his second film,” Suri says.
Vijay also defends his ideas in Bheema. “If you notice, a young boy blames the hero for smoking and drinking and dares him to lead by example. That’s a moment of realisation for the hero, leading him to quit his addictions. At the same time, some of my choices are driven by the demands of commercial cinema. A ‘mass’ crime thriller is like serving a dish to so many people. I need to please them all,” he reasons.
The content aside, Suri attributes Bheema’s success to Vijay’s “hard work.” Vijay’s efforts in reaching the film to a large section of the audience were evident in his promotional strategies.
“Be it setting up an interview in the most unexpected place like a graveyard or collaborating with actor Ganesh (his contemporary) to talk about each other’s upcoming films in a video interview, Vijay is extremely inventive about marketing his film,” notes film critic Kairam Vaashi.
“He gets his hands dirty and sets up the entire interview himself, right from deciding on the venue to choosing the equipment. He treats it like shooting a film,” he adds. Vijay was also smart enough to capitalise on the film’s post-release buzz with relentless promotion, adds Kairam.
While sticking to a particular formula has helped Vijay establish himself as a director, one hopes he surprises his audiences by serving them something new to stay relevant.