The Tamil movie Bakasuran started screening in theaters on 17th Feb 2023. People have mixed views about this crime thriller. The action-packed drama centers around cyber harassment crimes happening to women in this modernized world. The movie talks about how women are exploited with sexual crimes while also projecting regressive ideologies about them.
The movie was produced and directed by director and writer Mohan G under the banner of G M Films corporation. Director Mohan G is famous for making films on controversial topics. His movies Draupathi (2020) and Rudra Thandavam (2021) also had debatable plotlines. Mohan’s unique touch is clearly visible in every shot of this film too.
The lead actors, Selvaraghavan and Natarajan Subramaniam, take us through this revenge thriller with their extraordinary acting. The movie also stars notable actors like Radha Ravi and Mansoor Ali Khan in supporting roles. The background score for this movie was composed by music director Sam C.S. while Devaraj S and Farook J. Basha worked on the editing and cinematography of the film.
Bakasuran Movie Review:
Let’s jump into the plot of the movie first. The story parallelly revolves around two characters – Bheema Rasu (Selvaraghavan) and Major Arulvarman (Natarajan Subramaniam). The movie opens with Bheema Rasu following a man into a forest and killing him deliberately.
He continues his gruesome murders, and we do not know the reason behind them. As we move on with the storyline, it is understood that the people Bheema Rasu has been killing all along were lustful adults who coax and convince young girls into prostitution.
On the other hand, the story focuses on ex-army officer Major Arulvarman, who now runs a YouTube channel where he educates people on criminology. Arulvarman’s life is comfortable and happy until one day; he learns that his niece has committed suicide.
Arulvarman is shocked and confused about her sudden demise. He later gets his niece’s mobile phone and discovers things that leave him in a state of dismay. With legal permission from the police, Arulvarman starts to investigate the case himself.
He later uncovers the truth about a group of people who sexually exploit women and convince them into prostitution. He slowly connects the dots to the murders Bheema Rasu has committed, and they both cross paths. He also learns the reason behind Bheema Rasu’s cold-hearted murders and realizes they both have the same motives.
The movie projects a strong message on how innocent women are lulled into these sex scandals, but the repetitive imposing of this has gone way over the lines. The voice of the director is well-heard throughout the movie, and in each scene, we feel like it was a woman’s or a girl’s fault that these assaults happened to them.
“If you had not opened a social media account, this guy wouldn’t have misbehaved with you!”, “If you had worn decent dresses, then that man would not have touched you!” is how the director voices the whole film, which makes it look like women are the ones responsible for the actions of men, and it falls upon us to make sure we are not being harassed by the men around us.
The references from this movie do not just justify the actions of the assaulters but also project it as the mistake of the women. This shows the regressive thoughts people have about women and the things they go through.
On the other hand, the movie talks about the importance of being open about the things you are going through with your parents. It also stirs up a strong message to the parents to understand and listen to their children when something goes wrong and to stop making the child feel like it’s his or her fault. It also highlights the significance of trust between the parents and the children.
Other than this, the best part about the movie was Selva’s acting. He blew our minds away with his natural dialogue delivery and aggressive body language, which was very much needed with this plotline. Though the plot disappointed us in a few areas, Selva’s acting made up for it. Natty also plays his part extraordinarily. The antagonists were also a weak link. The characters were underdeveloped and had no serious impact on the audience.
The screenplay was direct and emoted the sentiments clearly, though, at some points, the relatability with the characters was missing. As an audience, it was difficult to empathize with many characters in many scenes. The music held the film together, and the cinematography was brilliant. Though the film had a strong message, it failed to impact the audience with it. Overall, it was a decent movie!
Our verdict:
The film would have done a lot better if the regressive thoughts about women were excluded and the story highlighted more on the actual people at fault for the sexual crimes that happen to women.
In one line, “A regressive revenge drama that could have been better” is what Bakasuran is.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3.5/5).
Also read: Where is Grown Ups Filmed? Everything About Locations & Cast
