Spoiler-Free Review of “Bison Kaalamaadan”

Mari Selvaraj peaks with his latest directorial, Bison Kaallamadan, the third film of Dhruv, the son of actor Vikram.Although Mari Selvaraj does not abandon his favourite themes of caste and politics, these both take the back seat in this tense and emotional sports drama that is based on the true story of Vanathi Ganesan.

Kitaan (Dhruv) has to fight against prejudice and a very repressive environment in the pursuit of his dream to become a Kabaddi player. Trapped in a village obsessed with communal and caste differences, as well as the ridiculous egos of some of the men in the village, Kitaan faces huge obstacles in the pursuit of his dream. His father, Velusamy (Pasupathy) soon becomes his biggest cheerleader, but their stance against the repressive village has violent and deadly consequences.

Pasupathy, Lal and Ameer play strong supporting roles with equally impressive performances from Rajisha Vijayan, Anupama Parameswaran, Haritha Mutharasan, K. Prapanjan and Lenin Bharathi.

Regular Sigaram readers would know that I am not a big fan of Mari Selvaraj, nor was I impressed with Dhruv in Adithya Varma or Mahaan but they have both silenced their critics in Bison Kaallamaadaan. The film’s trailer also did nothing to boost excitement and does not do the film justice.

Mari Selvaraj has created a complex and neatly executed screenplay with hard hitting words that ring with authenticity. He foregrounds the human element and refreshingly keeps the caste and politics somewhat to the background.

Dhruv has delivered one of the finest performances by a lead actor this year. Powerful expressions, thoughtful dialogue delivery and the ability to realistically convey a multitude of emotions without resorting to melodrama makes this performance award-winning material. Equally impressive is the physical preparation he would have done for this physically demanding role.

Pasupathy has always been a classy actor and he ensures that his portrayal of Kitaan’s father, Velusamy, is not overshadowed by Dhruv’s acting performanceor the depth of the film’s characterisations.

Rajisha Vijayan, playing Kitaan’s sister, Raaji is in a delightful role while Anupama Parameswaran as Raani also delivers a fiery performance. Ameer and Lal, playing the village rivals, do a convincing job while Azhagam Perumal, K Prapanjan and Lenin Bharathi are the best of the others.

Mari Selvaraj’s move to replace his regular music composer, Santhosh Narayanan, with Nivas K Prasanna has yielded handsome dividends. Apart from the moving songs, he also impresses with the depth and creativity of his background score.

One cannot over-emphasize the contribution by cinematographer, Ezhil Arasu K. Every frame is a visual masterpiece, oscillating from creative lighting, to unusual angles and very creative framing.

Bison is a magical journey into the world of the rural; town of Vanathi where warts and all are revealed with disturbing realism, forming a kind of antithesis created by watching Dhanush’s Idli Kadai.

Bison scores a strong 9 points out of 10.

It is currently being screened in South Africa at Killarney Mall,