Bison Kaalamaadan

Bison Kaalamaadan Movie Synopsis: There's only one thing that Kittan really loves and that's kabbadi. He navigates innumerable hurdles while following his passion, both personally and professionally.

Bison Kaalamaadan Movie Review: Bison Kaalamaadan is the latest addition to the Mari Selvaraj Cinematic Universe. Even though the director's films don't follow a single narrative, they are, more or less, connected by an emotional and ideological thread. First things first, Bison is not among its director's finest works. But the film, based on the life of kabaddi player Manathi Ganesan, is still effective and bears the signature stamp of its accomplished creator.

The filmmaker’s interest in using animal metaphors continues with this film as well. Of course, the title in itself is Bison. But beyond that, you see the ‘Bison’ truly come alive in the body language of Kittan (Dhruv Vikram) as he engages in a fight or plays a crucial kabaddi match.

The kabaddi matches throughout the film are grippingly and cinematically executed very well. Cinematographer Ezhil Arasu K captures the rustic intensity of the protagonist's tumultuous life. Nivas K Prasanna’s music doesn't try to standout. Instead, it seamlessly blends into the film's world. With a runtime of nearly three hours, Bison is super long and has a plethora of characters. Few of the characters who are introduced in the latter part of the film don't evoke the same emotion in us as the characters who we are introduced to earlier.

Bison isn’t just about Kittan’s journey. It's also about his relationship with his father (played by a moving Pasupathy). Their bond is the soul of the film. Madankumar Dakshinamoorthy deserves a special shoutout. He plays a teacher, who is a mentor figure to Kittan. Their teacher-student bond is endearing, even if it's overlooked in the latter part of the film.

Ameer and Lal’s casting proves how a good actor can elevate a role with their presence. Rajisha Vijayan and Anupama are mostly bystanders to what's happening but they’re good in their parts. The only hiccup comes with Rajisha’s dubbing. Choosing to go for a cookie-cutter dubbing voice for Rajisha definitely took away from the earthy tone of the film. Dhruv Vikram’s physical transformation for the film deserves applause and so does his acting. But, it has to be said that the actor fares way better when he has to let out intensity or aggression rather than moments of emotional outburst.

The film also does a good job transitioning from black and white to colour and from past to present. It's hard not to root for the film's protagonist considering the innumerable odds stacked against him. But, at the same time, Bison as well as Kittan feel emotionally distant. At several instances in the film, you don’t quite get a grasp of what’s going on in Kittan's mind or how he’s processing the incidents around him. You see his physical/external reaction but don't get a sense of his inner emotion.

With that said, Bison, despite its flaws, is meaningful, ambitious and gripping.