Jai Bhim: My Pick for October

Jai Bhim is a powerful and moving Tamil-language film.

About the film: Jai Bhim is a 2021 Indian (Tamil-language) legal drama film, directed by T. J. Gnanavel, and produced by Suriya and Jyothika. The film stars the debonair Suriya, the versatile Lijomol Jose and Manikandan, with Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh and many others in supporting roles. It is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

The film deals with police bias, exposing the brutality and injustice faced by the people from the marginalised Irula tribe. What's very disturbing and unpleasant is that the film is based on a true story - a true story of injustice, shockingly unpleasant maltreatment by the police and criminalisation of scheduled tribes in so-called 'post-independent' India. The film is dedicated to Justice K. Chandru and based on a case which took place in 1993, when he was practising as a lawyer. He was inspired by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Justice Chandru's character was brought to life by Suriya's exceptional performance. Lijomol Jose and Manikandan, too, played their respective roles brilliantly.

I encourage you to watch this bold and thought-provoking film. Though it is based on a true story, it does contain certain elements that are dramatized for storytelling purposes. Nevertheless, it is powerful and sheds light on the harsh realities of caste-based oppression in India's social and legal systems, which unfortunately continues to prevail in many of the remotest villages, as well as in few urban environments in the country.