Jai Bhim (2021)

At 164 minutes, Jai Bhim has a few courtroom scenes that stop to deliver speeches the images had already made unforgettable. It’s a small complaint. This is Sengeni’s film. She’s a pregnant woman from the Irula tribal community whose husband is taken into police custody over a theft he didn’t commit, and she will not stop asking where he is. Lijomol Jose plays her with a stubborn, quiet dignity that holds everything together. Manikandan makes Rajakannu warm and gentle in the early scenes, which is why the rest hurts. The custody scenes are hard to watch, and the film means them to be. Suriya plays Chandru, the lawyer who takes her case without a fee, and he sometimes gets the star entrances of a louder movie. Prakash Raj brings a steady, searching calm as the senior officer assigned to find the truth. It holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 9.0 because it stays with one woman’s fight and never looks away from what she endured. $461.22 says you look up the real case before you fall asleep tonight.

What works: Lijomol Jose gives a powerful, dignified performance as Sengeni, and the careful legal procedure makes the fight for the truth gripping.

What doesn’t: A few courtroom scenes slip into speeches that repeat what the film already showed, and Chandru occasionally gets star-hero framing that pulls focus from Sengeni.

Who it’s for: Viewers who want a serious, moving legal drama about justice and are ready for some very difficult scenes.