Jai Bhim, a Tamil language film overtakes top films like The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather on IMDb. It’s the latest in a long line of hard-hitting Indian films on the repression of Dalits, who are at the bottom of a rigid caste order, writes film critic Aseem Chhabra.
Police officers are shown separating a group of individuals depending on their caste at the start of Jai Bhim. Those from the dominant castes are being requested to go, while those who are Dalits (previously untouchables) or belong to indigenous communities are being asked to stay. Later, authorities arrest members in the second group with false charges.
Directed by Gnanavel and produced by Suriya’s 2D Entertainment, has a rating of 9.6 on IMDb.
The Shawshank Redemption, with a rating of 9.3 is at the second position ‘The Godfather’ is at the third position with a rating of 9.2.
Why has Jai Bhim become a massive hit?
The title of the film translates to, ‘Long Live Bhim’, a slogan popularized by followers of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar. BR Ambedkar was the chief architect of India’s constitution and also the country’s first law minister. Directed by TJ Gnanavel, and backed by Tamil star Suriya, the film tells the true story of a crusading lawyer. The film showcases the agony of a pregnant woman. The lawyer (Suriya) takes up the case filed by a pregnant lady whose spouse was arrested and later proclaimed missing.
“In the last 30 years, beginning with the observance of Ambedkar’s centenary in 1991, the Dalit movement has been growing in Tamil Nadu,” says film historian S Theodore Baskaran. “Forgotten Dalit ideologues of the 20th Century were redeemed from history. The ideas of [social activist and politician] Periyar and Ambedkar spread through the writings of many Dalit writers. In the last decade, some of the writers moved to cinema and made films. (Valium) But they used the usual ingredients like songs, fights, and melodrama.”
Jai Bhim was released on OTT platforms, there’s no box-office collection for the same. Some audiences are loving it. The 9.6 user rating on IMDb has propelled it to the number one slot online.