Jai Bhim

“Jai Bhim” (2021) is a gripping Tamil legal drama by director T. J. Gnanavel featuring Suriya, Lijomol Jose, and Manikandan. In the backdrop of the actual events of 1993, the film narrates caste injustice, police violence, and the unyielding struggle for human rights with the tribal woman as the protagonist who fights for justice when her husband goes missing.

The film is based on the story of Rajakannu (Manikandan) and Sengeni (Lijomol), a young couple belonging to the marginalized Irula tribe who eke out a living catching snakes and rats. One day, following Rajakannu being called to catch a snake at the house of a wealthy man, a robbery is committed at the same house. Lacking any concrete evidence, the police arrest Rajakannu and his family members, brutally torturing them to get a confession. Sengeni, who happens to be pregnant, is also beaten. Rajakannu goes missing while in custody, but the police maintain that he has escaped.

Heartbroken and determined to locate her husband, Sengeni turns to Chandru (Suriya), a fearless and empathy-personified lawyer who takes on the cause of the downtrodden. With the assistance of Mythra, a social worker, Chandru accepts the case of Sengeni and lodges a habeas corpus petition, compelling the system to respond to the whereabouts of Rajakannu.

Although the legal battle rages on, Chandru exposes corruption and the police officers' perjury. He challenges the state version and gradually exposes the horrific reality of Rajakannu having been murdered through custodial torture and his murder orchestrated as an accident. Chandru holds on to his quest for justice even in the face of threats and intimidation.

In a landmark judgment, the court conducts a trial for murder against the guilty officers and grants Sengeni and her family. The film concludes on a happy note with Sengeni living in a new house, fulfilling her late husband's dream.

"Jai Bhim" is a raw and emotionally charged film that tests the mettle of legal resistance, courage, and justice in the face of mass oppression.