Bairavaa
Step into the vibrant world of Tamil cinema with 'Bairavaa,' a high-octane action thriller that captivated audiences with its blend of social commentary and gripping narrative. This film plunges into the dark underbelly of corruption, setting a lone hero against a powerful, ruthless adversary. It's a story that explores how far one man will go to seek justice for the innocent, employing wit, brawn, and audacious strategy to overcome overwhelming odds. Bairavaa features superstar Vijay in a dual role, portraying a collection agent who transforms into a relentless vigilante fighting for social justice. The plot ingeniously weaves together themes of corporate fraud, medical malpractice, and personal vendetta, culminating in a series of dramatic and unexpected twists. Despite mixed critical reviews, the film was celebrated for its robust action sequences, powerful dialogues, and Vijay's compelling performance.
AI Summary
Step into the vibrant world of Tamil cinema with 'Bairavaa,' a high-octane action thriller that captivated audiences with its blend of social commentary and gripping narrative. This film plunges into the dark underbelly of corruption, setting a lone hero against a powerful, ruthless adversary. It's a story that explores how far one man will go to seek justice for the innocent, employing wit, brawn, and audacious strategy to overcome overwhelming odds.
- Bairavaa features superstar Vijay in a dual role, portraying a collection agent who transforms into a relentless vigilante fighting for social justice.
- The plot ingeniously weaves together themes of corporate fraud, medical malpractice, and personal vendetta, culminating in a series of dramatic and unexpected twists.
- Despite mixed critical reviews, the film was celebrated for its robust action sequences, powerful dialogues, and Vijay's compelling performance.
Bairavaa: A Tale of Justice and Vengeance
A Righteous Collection Agent
Our story begins in Chennai, introducing Bairavaa—a resourceful and somewhat unorthodox collection agent for ICCI Bank. He's a man who gets the job done, even if it means employing a few unconventional tactics to recover debts. But his world is about to change when he crosses paths with a young medical student.
A Chance Encounter
At his manager's daughter's wedding, Bairavaa's attention is captured by Malarvizhi, a bright medical student from Kallidaikurichi. He's instantly smitten, initiating a charming pursuit to get to know her better. However, a tense incident at the bus station reveals a darker side to Malar's life.
A Desperate Plea for Justice
Bairavaa witnesses Malar cornered by thugs, intent on harming her over an alleged attack on a Union Minister's son. Though they back off at the mention of one 'PK,' Bairavaa confronts Malar. She then reveals a harrowing tale of injustice and corruption, drawing him into a fight far larger than himself.
The Villain's Web of Deceit
Malar's ordeal began at PK Medical College, run by the nefarious Periyakannu—a butcher-turned-influential gangster and politician. This college, a front for PK's illicit activities, lacked basic facilities, endangering its students. When Malar and her friend Vaishali dared to expose these conditions to the Medical Council of India, their lives took a tragic turn.
A Tale of Betrayal and Loss
To silence the complaints and revoke the college's suspension, PK arranged a horrific deal with corrupt MCI officials. Vaishali became a victim of this heinous scheme, found raped and dead the next morning. When Malar's father, a police officer, began investigating PK's involvement, he too was brutally murdered in retribution.
Unyielding Spirit
Despite unimaginable loss, Malar refused to be silenced. She filed a petition against PK, securing a court order that protected her from expulsion and harm while the case was ongoing. Though PK outwardly respected the verdict, he continued his harassment through subtle — but devastating — means, cutting off her utilities and waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
Bairavaa Takes a Stand
Upon hearing Malar's heart-wrenching story, Bairavaa's casual demeanor hardened into resolute determination. He pledged to help her fight PK and secure justice for Vaishali. His first move: confronting the goons who had threatened Malar, before heading to Kallidaikurichi to face the powerful gangster on his home turf.
Unconventional Tactics
Bairavaa's approach was anything but conventional. Posing as an income tax officer, he boldly raided PK's mansion, seizing crucial evidence linking the gangster to Vaishali's death. This audacious move put PK in a bind—he couldn't kill Bairavaa without losing the evidence, leading to a tense standoff as both men played a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
A Calculated Risk
Despite Bairavaa's efforts, PK eventually recovered and destroyed the evidence, leaving our hero with little time to find new proof. Facing immense pressure and multiple assassination attempts, Bairavaa realized he needed to exploit a weakness within PK's inner circle. He set his sights on Kottai Veeran, PK's loyal right-hand man, to turn him into an approver.
The Masterstroke
Bairavaa discovered Kottai Veeran's profound love for his recently deceased wife. Seizing the opportunity, he swapped PK's asthma inhaler with nitrous oxide. During Kottai Veeran's wife's funeral, PK's uncontrollable laughter due to the gas enraged Kottai Veeran, severing his loyalty and turning him against his boss—a truly unexpected twist of fate.
The Final Confrontation
With Kottai Veeran's betrayal, PK retaliated, hacking his former confidant. Bairavaa, though wounded, continued his relentless pursuit. In a stunning maneuver, he framed PK for plotting to assassinate the Prime Minister near a nuclear power plant. The government's 'shoot on sight' order cornered PK, setting the stage for a dramatic climax.
In the climactic showdown, Bairavaa, disguised as an NSG commando, brutally subdued and eliminated PK, ensuring justice was finally served. The court ruled in favor of Malar, relocating the students from the fraudulent PK Medical College. Bairavaa, now married to Malar, spoke passionately about the importance of ethical education, and Vaishali's last rites were respectfully performed, bringing a poignant closure to their ordeal.
Crafting the Thriller
The Director's Vision
Before 'Bairavaa,' known tentatively as 'Vijay 60,' superstar Vijay had reportedly been approached by a dozen directors for his next project. He sought a role that would push him out of his comfort zone, leading to a highly anticipated selection process. Ultimately, the producers, Vijaya Productions, confirmed Bharathan as the director, entrusting him with the task of bringing this compelling story to life.
Assembling the Cast
The casting process was meticulously planned, with Keerthy Suresh ultimately securing the lead female role alongside Vijay, marking their first collaboration. Aparna Vinod joined as the second female lead, with a pivotal role carrying the story forward. A formidable cast of supporting actors, including Jagapathi Babu and Daniel Balaji as antagonists, further enriched the narrative.
Bringing the Story to Life
Production for 'Bairavaa' officially commenced in Chennai in early April 2016. Early filming included a vibrant introductory song for Vijay, choreographed by Dinesh master, setting the energetic tone for the film. Key scenes were shot across various elaborate sets, including a detailed court setup in Poonamallee and a festive temple setting at Binny Mills, showcasing the film's grand scale.
The Sound of Bairavaa
Santhosh Narayanan was brought on board to compose the film's music, collaborating with Vijay and Bharathan for the very first time. The soundtrack, eagerly awaited by fans, was originally slated for a grand Christmas release in 2016. However, due to the passing of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and the aftermath of Cyclone Vardah, the album was released digitally a day earlier, on December 24th.
Release and Reception
A Grand Release
'Bairavaa' hit screens worldwide on January 12, 2017, coinciding with the auspicious Pongal festival week—a prime release window in the Tamil film industry. The theatrical rights for Tamil Nadu were acquired by Sri Green Productions, while Ifar International handled distribution in Kerala, ensuring a wide reach for the much-anticipated movie.
Critical Voices
Upon its release, 'Bairavaa' garnered a mixed to positive reception from critics. M. Suganth of The Times of India, while giving it 2.5 out of 5 stars, highlighted the film's 'robust action blocks' and praised Vijay's ability to elevate even poorly written scenes, acknowledging his consistent entertainment value.
Sify, rating the film 3 out of 5 stars, credited the engaging entertainment to two intelligently choreographed action sequences—a cricket stunt and the interval block—and a touching flashback. They further lauded Vijay for once again demonstrating his capability to carry an entire film on his strong shoulders, with Keerthy Suresh also delivering a commendable performance.
Article
Bairavaa
Bairavaa is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film The film was written and directed by Bharathan, and produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy. The film stars Vijay in the titular role alongside Keerthy Suresh, Jagapathi Babu, Daniel Balaji, Sathish, Thambi Ramaiah, Mime Gopi, Sija Rose, Harish Uthaman and Aparna Vinod.
The music was composed by Santhosh Narayanan, while the editing and cinematography were handled by Praveen K. L. and M. Sukumar. After entering production in early 2016, the film progressed under the tentative title of Vijay 60, before being named as Bairavaa during September 2016.
Bairavaa was released on 12 January 2017 and received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Bairavaa
Bairavaa is a collection agent for ICCI Bank in Chennai, willing to employ even violent means to get back money from debtors. During his manager's daughter's wedding, he comes across Malarvizhi, a medical student from Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district, and falls in love with her. He cutely talks to her and tries to get to know her. When he goes to the Koyambedu bus station to propose his love to Malar before she leaves Chennai, he notices her cornered by a group of thugs who plan to kill her as she is allegedly involved in an attack on Union Minister's son Charan. However, they back off after Periyakannu alias PK from Tirunelveli calls them and tells them not to harm her. Bairavaa confronts Malar, who reveals why PK spared her life.
Past: Malar studies at PK Medical College in Tirunelveli, whose chairman is PK, a butcher-turned-influential gangster and politician, who runs Tirunelveli along with his right-hand man, Kottai Veeran. The college has no basic facilities, including a proper building and good doctors. Malar and her friend, Vaishali, filed a complaint against the college to the MCI, who decided to suspend the college after noting the poor facilities. To save his reputation, PK makes a deal with the MCI officials to revoke the suspension in exchange for them to sleep with a girl from the college. Vaishali is the girl chosen by the officials, where she is later found raped and dead from next morning. Malar's father, who is a police officer, begins the investigation into PK's involvement in Vaishali's death, but PK kills him in retribution.
After her father's death, Malar filed a petition against PK in court, where the judge ruled that Malar could not be expelled and must not suffer harm until the court resolves the case. Though PK respects the judge's decision, he harasses Malar indirectly through the college lecturers and cuts her power and water supply. He plans to kill her once the judge declares the verdict in his favour. During the wedding, Malar gives the video evidence of Vaishali's assault to Charan since he can access the NIC to investigate the video. Later, PK's henchmen attack Charan, who takes the video evidence and blames Malar.
Present: On hearing Malar's story, Bairavaa decides to help her fight PK and get justice for Vaishali. He beats up the goons there and leaves for Kallidaikurichi with Malar. Posing as an income tax officer, Bairavaa conducts a raid at PK's mansion, taking away all the evidence which holds PK responsible for Vaishali's death. PK then rushes to Malar's house to recollect the proof, but Bairavaa won't give it up. PK can't kill him either because he won't get the evidence. He decides to spare Bairavaa and taunts him until he gets the proof. He sends Malar's brother-in-law to recollect the evidence from Bairavaa. He slaps Bairavaa, but Bairavaa hits him back and leaves him empty-handed. Kottai Veeran's goons kidnap Bairavaa and bring him to Kottai Veeran, but he fights them off.
Eventually, PK gets back the evidence and destroys them, leaving Bairavaa with no evidence to implicate PK, though he gets five more days from the court to get the required proof. Right after the court, PK's goons try to light up Bairavaa to burn him alive and do a petrol bunk murder attempt, but he makes it out alive barely. Malar's sister's daughter gets kidnapped, so Bairavaa bravely saves her, but he gets shot and hit with a metal rod. Kottai Veeran captures him, but he eventually escapes. Bairavaa then learns that Kottai Veeran's wife has died and decides to take advantage of Kottai Veeran's love for his wife to get him on his side and make him approver against PK.
Bairavaa switches PK's asthma inhaler with nitrous oxide. PK, who inadvertently inhales the gas before going to Kottai Veeran's wife's funeral, begins to laugh uncontrollably, even during the funeral, causing Kottai Veeran to turn against him and accept Bairavaa's offer of becoming approver. In revenge for betraying him, PK confronts Kottai Veeran and hacks him to death. Bairavaa lures PK's goons to an abandoned building and fights them. He gets hacked by the same weapon that killed Kottai Veeran but makes it out barely alive. He then frames PK for plotting to assassinate the Prime Minister of India while he is on the way to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. The news spreads across India, and the government orders to shoot PK on sight.
Realising that the commandos cornered him, PK tries to kill Bairavaa by shooting and choking him brutally, but Bairavaa subdues him and escapes. He then disguises himself as a NSG commando, where he blends in with the real NSG commandos, who have arrived at the building and brutally kills PK. The court declared a verdict favouring Bairavaa and Malar and shifted the PK Medical College's students to another college. In a press conference, Bairavaa revealed the importance of education and that other private colleges should also have basic facilities to educate children. Bairavaa and Malar marry and live happily. The family performs Vaishali's last rites.
Production
Pre Production
Sources say that almost 10 directors had approached Vijay for his 60th film. Giving his time and thoughts to the directors and their stories, Vijay would soon make a decision, and it was also quoted that Vijay wants his every third film to bring him out of the comfort zone and experiment with diverse roles and genres. The following are the storytellers who lined up: S. J. Suryah, Samuthirakani, Hari, Bharathan, Karthik Subbaraj, Mohan Raja, Prabhu Deva, and M. Sasikumar. It was earlier reported that S. J. Suryah had given his one-liner to Vijay, who gave his nod. It was also said that Suryah had signed A. R. Rahman to compose the music and the film was going to be produced by Chandraprakash Jain. More to the speculation, Bharathan had narrated his script, and Hari might direct the story funded by Vijaya Productions, who were also the producers of Ajith Kumar's Veeram, finally Bharathan was confirmed by the producers to direct the film.
Development
In September 2015, Vijaya Productions signed on to finance a project directed by Bharathan, which would feature Vijay and Keerthy Suresh in the lead role. This is the first time Vijay and Keerthy Suresh act together. Aparna Vinod, who debuted in the Malayalam film Kohinoor, also plays a pivotal role in the film. Bharathan continued to write the script through late 2015, while it was announced that Vijay would join the team to start filming after the completion of his other venture, Theri (2016). The technical crew of the film includes Santhosh Narayanan as the music director, Praveen K. L. as the editor, M. Prabhaharan as the art director, Anal Arasu as the fight master, and lyrics taken care of by Vairamuthu.
Casting
Names of Miya George, Kajal Agarwal and Aishwarya Rajesh where making rounds for the female lead in the movie, with the former having clear dominance.After that, Keerthy Suresh and Aparna Vinod where finalised . Alongside the lead actor, it was revealed that Sathish, Y. G. Mahendra, Sriman, Aparna Vinod, and Harish Uthaman would be a part of the film. Papri Ghosh has been signed as the third female lead after Keerthi Suresh and Aparna Vinod. It is also reported that Vijay would be donning dual roles in the film with one of the characters speaking Nellai Tamil dialect and the other character appearing with a tonsured head. The film would also have one more heroine for Vijay, who is kept under wraps. Malayali actress Aparna Vinod is the latest addition to the cast of this movie. The actress has signed on the dotted lines recently to play the second female lead in the flick. Speaking to the Times of India, Aparna has claimed that she never expected to bag such a big film project, and she is happy to be working with Vijay in the film. Talking about the role, she said, "She plays a village belle, a vital character that will carry the story forward." Meanwhile, it is said that the first look of "Bairavaa" along with the title will be out on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, 5 September 2016. Producer and actor R. K. Suresh was rumored to be the third villain in this movie, joining the likes of Jagapati Babu and Daniel Balaji.
Filming
The film began production in Chennai in early April 2016, and an introductory song for Vijay was shot in the city. In the first schedule, Vijay, comedian Sathish and heroine Keerthi Suresh were shot for their roles. The shooting for two song sequences has been completed in the first schedule. The first song was the colourful opening song which was choreographed by Dinesh master.
The first schedule of the movie took place at EVP, Poonamallee in a court set up on 11 April 2016, and the scene reportedly features Vijay, Jagapati Babu and others.
The temple set was erected in Binny Mills as a festival and the scene featured Vijay, Keerthi Suresh, Harish Uthaman, Sathish, Sija Rose, Thambi Ramaiah, and others. The choreographer of the songs was Dinesh. And the entire filming was wrapped up on 4 January 2017.
Soundtrack
Bairavaa
Santhosh Narayanan was signed to compose the film's music and collaborated with Vijay and Bharathan for the first time. Vijay and Priyadarshini recorded a song for the film. The music album of Bairavaa was about to be released in a grand event on 25 December (Christmas) 2016. However, it was cancelled due to ex-chief minister Jayalalithaa's death and also the aftermath of Cyclone Vardah. The songs were launched digitally on 24 December 2016.
The song "Varlaam Varlaam Vaa Bairavaa" is played for a fight sequence in the 2017 Hindi film Golmaal Again.
Release and distribution
Theatrical
Bairavaa released theatrically worldwide on 12 January 2017 coinciding Pongal week.
Distribution
The Tamil Nadu theatrical rights were sold to Sri Green Productions. The Kerala theatrical rights were sold to Ifar International.
Home media
The satellite and digital rights of the film were sold to Sun TV and Sun NXT.
Reception
Critical reception
Bairavaa received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
M Suganth of The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "There are some elements that work... like the robust action blocks, which keep reminding us of how the film could have been so much more than what it is now, the references to Vijay (the one that appears just before the interval, during an action scene, is one of the few highlights) and the star himself. By now, the actor can play these roles in his sleep, and he tries his best to keep things entertaining. He even makes us take a poorly written and staged courtroom scene with all seriousness." Sify gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "The movie keeps the audience entertained, thanks to the two intelligently choreographed action sequences (cricket stunt and the interval block) along with a touching flashback. As usual, Vijay once again proves his capability of carrying a film on his strong shoulders. Keerthy Suresh as a homely girl from Nellai, played her portions well. Bharathan's catchy punchlines that every mass dialogue of Ilayathalapathy receives the thundering response and makes the movie an engaging entertainer". The Hindu rated 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Compare Bairavaa with Chiranjeevi's new film, which looks like every scene has been polished with Brasso." Ananda Vikatan rated the film 41 out of 100.