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Movie Review : Liger
By: Tupaki Desk | 25 Aug 2022 12:29 PM GMT
'Liger' Movie Review
Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Ananya Pandey, Ramya Krishnan, Mike Tyson, Ronit Roy, Ali, Vishu Reddy, Getup Srinu and others
Music: Sunil Kashyap, Vikram Montrose, Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George-DJ Chetas and Jaani
Cinematography: Vishnu Sharma
Editor: Junaid Siddiqui
Producers: Puri Jagannadh, Charmme Kaur, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta & Hiroo Yash Johar
Writer - Direction: Puri Jagannadh
'Liger' is one film that has been making a lot of noise ever since it began. The combination of Puri Jagannadh and Vijay Deverakonda excited everyone. Due to the pandemic, the film was in the production stage for more than two years but it has finally hit the screens today. The promotions were huge and the trailer promised a racy action entertainer. With 'Liger' being Vijay's first pan-Indian release, there were huge expectations on it. Let us dive into the review straightaway to find if those expectations were met or not.
Story:
After his father's death in the Mixed Martial Arts National Championship, Liger (Vijay Deverakonda) and his mother (Ramya Krishnan) move to Mumbai. She is determined to turn Liger into a Mixed Martial Arts champion and takes him to a coach (Ronit Roy) who trains him. While Liger is on his way to getting perfect in this sport, Tanya (Ananya Pandey) enters his life. Liger falls in love instantly but after realizing that he has a stammering problem, Tanya leaves him. Vijay wins the national championship after getting motivated by the rejection. He decides to fight on International level too and what kind of challenges he faces during his journey forms the rest of the story.
Analysis:
A lot of films came out based on Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. In Telugu, we saw some super hit movies like 'Tammudu', 'Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi', 'Guru' and others. In Hindi, we have 'Brothers' and 'Sultan' which were made in a Mixed Martial Arts backdrop. The reason behind the success of these films is not just the bone-breaking action episodes. Even before the lead character enters the fighting ring, the emotion in their story wins our hearts. It is what makes us root for the character. The high feeling we get when the hero is kicking ass in the ring is mainly because of his emotional journey and solid backstory. It is what went completely missing in 'Liger'. There is no strong emotional point in the film and it is what makes it a routine story and there is no Puri mark hero characterization which turns the film even worse. One would expect Puri's hero to energize the proceedings despite a lack of a strong story like his previous films. But it did not happen for 'Liger' and Vijay is left with a huge burden of carrying the entire film on his caliber which proved to be unsuccessful.
Looking at the promos, many people drew comparisons with Puri Jagannadh's own work 'Amma Nanna Oo Tamil Ammayi'. The makers confidently said that there are no similarities between the two films but 'Liger' definitely looks like another version of Puri's blockbuster but with a different backdrop and more budget. But 'Liger' suffers from poor writing as it does not engage that audience at any point. While the mother sentiment in Ravi Teja's film squeezes our hearts, the track of Vijay and Ramya Krishnan is too loud. The heroine track in Ravi Teja's film is fun and adorable whereas it tests the patience of the audience in 'Liger'. The makers did not use the father track to bring out the necessary drama but explained the reason for his death in two lines. The love story is definitely the most absurd track written in recent times. She falls in love with him after seeing him in the fight and leaves him as soon as she knows about his stammering problem. After he becomes a champion, she comes back and claims that she left him in order to give him motivation. This way, 'Liger' fails to connect with the audience both in terms of family emotion or with the love track. Due to this, there is no drama in the film and despite all the valiant efforts of the hero in the ring, the film falls flat.
'Liger' is a bit better in the first half though Puri Jagannadh's style was nowhere seen. Vijay tried to engross the audience with his screen presence and acting. While the movie is going well with well-choreographed fights and decent scenes revolving around his stammer, the heroine gets introduced and takes the film downhill. The heroine thread is one of the biggest minuses of the movie as there is no logic behind the scenes which arrive quick and fast. The turn in the story given through his stammering problem failed to convince the audience. After an okay first half, people hope for things to get better in the latter part but it is where they are wrong.
The second half is what makes the film unbearable. Despite the good MMA fights and Vijay's tremendous makeover, the emotional connection is nowhere to be seen. The proceedings are quite flat as he becomes a national champion very easily and all the challenges he faces on the International level gets solved unconvincingly. All these happenings give a headache to the audience and the most disappointment arrives after the introduction of Mike Tyson's character. He was introduced in a grand manner but it is written in a very silly way and there is no impact whatsoever. Ending the film with 'Koka Koka' song abruptly is another weird idea. The over-the-top scenes, loud acting and unlimited shouting are what people will be remembering after stepping out of 'Liger' as there is nothing more to it.
Performances:
The hard work of Vijay is clearly visible on the big screens. He was perfect as an MMA fighter and did his best when it comes to body transformation. He looked like a real fighter during the action episodes. His screen presence and body language is great but Puri failed to utilize him properly. Leaving the story aside, the image of Vijay would have gone to the next level if Puri gave him a trademark hero character. But it did not happen.
Ananya Pandey is a big disappointment and it is mainly due to the poorly written character. Her acting did not help in any way. Ramya Krishnan did well despite the loud character. Mike Tyson's role did not live up to the billing and looked quite silly at the end. Vishnu Reddy as a villain and Ronit Roy as the coach were decent. Ali and Getup Srinu brought a few laughs while the rest of the cast were okay.
Technicians:
Around six music composers worked on 'Liger' but there was nothing special. They are very loud and were used in unnecessary situations. Sunil Kashyap's background score is different as it elevated a few scenes but brought down a few too. Vishnu Sharma's cinematography is quite good and the production values are adequate too. The richness is visible on the screen. The editing is quick and crisp despite a lot of unnecessary scenes.
Despite all the good resources at his disposal, Puri failed completely to utilize them. He made a big film with a wafer-thin routine story. The screenplay doesn't have any highs or twists to engage the audience. As said before, there is no emotion and everyone missed a Puri mark hero who would have lifted the film completely. 'Liger' turned out to be one of his weakest works.
Verdict: 'Liger' Turns Out to be a Reverse Punch
Rating: 2/5
Disclaimer : This Review is Just An Opinion of One Person. Please Do Not Judge The Movie Based On This Review And Watch Movie in Theatre
Cast: Vijay Deverakonda, Ananya Pandey, Ramya Krishnan, Mike Tyson, Ronit Roy, Ali, Vishu Reddy, Getup Srinu and others
Music: Sunil Kashyap, Vikram Montrose, Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George-DJ Chetas and Jaani
Cinematography: Vishnu Sharma
Editor: Junaid Siddiqui
Producers: Puri Jagannadh, Charmme Kaur, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta & Hiroo Yash Johar
Writer - Direction: Puri Jagannadh
'Liger' is one film that has been making a lot of noise ever since it began. The combination of Puri Jagannadh and Vijay Deverakonda excited everyone. Due to the pandemic, the film was in the production stage for more than two years but it has finally hit the screens today. The promotions were huge and the trailer promised a racy action entertainer. With 'Liger' being Vijay's first pan-Indian release, there were huge expectations on it. Let us dive into the review straightaway to find if those expectations were met or not.
Story:
After his father's death in the Mixed Martial Arts National Championship, Liger (Vijay Deverakonda) and his mother (Ramya Krishnan) move to Mumbai. She is determined to turn Liger into a Mixed Martial Arts champion and takes him to a coach (Ronit Roy) who trains him. While Liger is on his way to getting perfect in this sport, Tanya (Ananya Pandey) enters his life. Liger falls in love instantly but after realizing that he has a stammering problem, Tanya leaves him. Vijay wins the national championship after getting motivated by the rejection. He decides to fight on International level too and what kind of challenges he faces during his journey forms the rest of the story.
Analysis:
A lot of films came out based on Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. In Telugu, we saw some super hit movies like 'Tammudu', 'Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi', 'Guru' and others. In Hindi, we have 'Brothers' and 'Sultan' which were made in a Mixed Martial Arts backdrop. The reason behind the success of these films is not just the bone-breaking action episodes. Even before the lead character enters the fighting ring, the emotion in their story wins our hearts. It is what makes us root for the character. The high feeling we get when the hero is kicking ass in the ring is mainly because of his emotional journey and solid backstory. It is what went completely missing in 'Liger'. There is no strong emotional point in the film and it is what makes it a routine story and there is no Puri mark hero characterization which turns the film even worse. One would expect Puri's hero to energize the proceedings despite a lack of a strong story like his previous films. But it did not happen for 'Liger' and Vijay is left with a huge burden of carrying the entire film on his caliber which proved to be unsuccessful.
Looking at the promos, many people drew comparisons with Puri Jagannadh's own work 'Amma Nanna Oo Tamil Ammayi'. The makers confidently said that there are no similarities between the two films but 'Liger' definitely looks like another version of Puri's blockbuster but with a different backdrop and more budget. But 'Liger' suffers from poor writing as it does not engage that audience at any point. While the mother sentiment in Ravi Teja's film squeezes our hearts, the track of Vijay and Ramya Krishnan is too loud. The heroine track in Ravi Teja's film is fun and adorable whereas it tests the patience of the audience in 'Liger'. The makers did not use the father track to bring out the necessary drama but explained the reason for his death in two lines. The love story is definitely the most absurd track written in recent times. She falls in love with him after seeing him in the fight and leaves him as soon as she knows about his stammering problem. After he becomes a champion, she comes back and claims that she left him in order to give him motivation. This way, 'Liger' fails to connect with the audience both in terms of family emotion or with the love track. Due to this, there is no drama in the film and despite all the valiant efforts of the hero in the ring, the film falls flat.
'Liger' is a bit better in the first half though Puri Jagannadh's style was nowhere seen. Vijay tried to engross the audience with his screen presence and acting. While the movie is going well with well-choreographed fights and decent scenes revolving around his stammer, the heroine gets introduced and takes the film downhill. The heroine thread is one of the biggest minuses of the movie as there is no logic behind the scenes which arrive quick and fast. The turn in the story given through his stammering problem failed to convince the audience. After an okay first half, people hope for things to get better in the latter part but it is where they are wrong.
The second half is what makes the film unbearable. Despite the good MMA fights and Vijay's tremendous makeover, the emotional connection is nowhere to be seen. The proceedings are quite flat as he becomes a national champion very easily and all the challenges he faces on the International level gets solved unconvincingly. All these happenings give a headache to the audience and the most disappointment arrives after the introduction of Mike Tyson's character. He was introduced in a grand manner but it is written in a very silly way and there is no impact whatsoever. Ending the film with 'Koka Koka' song abruptly is another weird idea. The over-the-top scenes, loud acting and unlimited shouting are what people will be remembering after stepping out of 'Liger' as there is nothing more to it.
Performances:
The hard work of Vijay is clearly visible on the big screens. He was perfect as an MMA fighter and did his best when it comes to body transformation. He looked like a real fighter during the action episodes. His screen presence and body language is great but Puri failed to utilize him properly. Leaving the story aside, the image of Vijay would have gone to the next level if Puri gave him a trademark hero character. But it did not happen.
Ananya Pandey is a big disappointment and it is mainly due to the poorly written character. Her acting did not help in any way. Ramya Krishnan did well despite the loud character. Mike Tyson's role did not live up to the billing and looked quite silly at the end. Vishnu Reddy as a villain and Ronit Roy as the coach were decent. Ali and Getup Srinu brought a few laughs while the rest of the cast were okay.
Technicians:
Around six music composers worked on 'Liger' but there was nothing special. They are very loud and were used in unnecessary situations. Sunil Kashyap's background score is different as it elevated a few scenes but brought down a few too. Vishnu Sharma's cinematography is quite good and the production values are adequate too. The richness is visible on the screen. The editing is quick and crisp despite a lot of unnecessary scenes.
Despite all the good resources at his disposal, Puri failed completely to utilize them. He made a big film with a wafer-thin routine story. The screenplay doesn't have any highs or twists to engage the audience. As said before, there is no emotion and everyone missed a Puri mark hero who would have lifted the film completely. 'Liger' turned out to be one of his weakest works.
Verdict: 'Liger' Turns Out to be a Reverse Punch
Rating: 2/5
Disclaimer : This Review is Just An Opinion of One Person. Please Do Not Judge The Movie Based On This Review And Watch Movie in Theatre
