<p><strong>Jagame Thandhiram</strong><br />Tamil (Netflix)<br /><strong>Director:</strong> Karthik Subbaraj<br /><strong>Cast</strong>: Dhanush, Aishwarya Lekshmi, James Cosmo and Joju George</p>.<p>Call him a hero and Suruli (Dhanush) squirms. He is more happy to be a villain for all seasons. And he keeps his word throughout the nearly three-hour-long movie. From his rustic territory in Madurai to the ritzy streets of London, Suruli the gangsta buzzes around in a lungi, bumping off ‘brown’ and ‘white’ opponents.</p>.<p>Our gunman is a gourmet too, whipping up parotas with the same ease as spraying bullets. In his spare time, he falls for Attila (Aishwarya Lekshmi), who croons her way into his heart.</p>.<p>Somewhere along the line, Suruli realises that scoring a kiss is not as easy as drawing blood. And it takes more time for director Karthik Subbaraj to realise that the exploits of a local rowdy don’t go too well with a story about Sri Lankan Tamil immigrants in distress. </p>.<p>‘Jagame Thandhiram’ gets far too ambitious when it tries to pack a global refugee tale in a Dhanush entertainment package. Of course, the actor delivers with his raw charm and wit, but he needs more ammo than crude bombs to become an international messiah. Half-baked history lessons don’t help either. </p>.<p>Dhanush is pitted against British mobster Peter (James Cosmo), who flaunts ‘White Power’ on his number plate. He also locks horns with Sivadoss (Joju George), a Sri Lankan Tamil-turned-Robin Hood, who is channelling his mafia funds into fighting racism. </p>.<p>The hero, or rather villain, has all the swag to endear him to fans. Suruli is so street-smart that it takes him just a few days to rise through the ranks of London’s underworld. And that too, with a tongue that knows only Tamil.</p>.<p>Okay, we are all for cinematic liberty. And we totally believe that our ‘Blackie Jackie’ can annihilate an army of white supremacists just like that. But no, we can’t trivialise a civil war.</p>
<p><strong>Jagame Thandhiram</strong><br />Tamil (Netflix)<br /><strong>Director:</strong> Karthik Subbaraj<br /><strong>Cast</strong>: Dhanush, Aishwarya Lekshmi, James Cosmo and Joju George</p>.<p>Call him a hero and Suruli (Dhanush) squirms. He is more happy to be a villain for all seasons. And he keeps his word throughout the nearly three-hour-long movie. From his rustic territory in Madurai to the ritzy streets of London, Suruli the gangsta buzzes around in a lungi, bumping off ‘brown’ and ‘white’ opponents.</p>.<p>Our gunman is a gourmet too, whipping up parotas with the same ease as spraying bullets. In his spare time, he falls for Attila (Aishwarya Lekshmi), who croons her way into his heart.</p>.<p>Somewhere along the line, Suruli realises that scoring a kiss is not as easy as drawing blood. And it takes more time for director Karthik Subbaraj to realise that the exploits of a local rowdy don’t go too well with a story about Sri Lankan Tamil immigrants in distress. </p>.<p>‘Jagame Thandhiram’ gets far too ambitious when it tries to pack a global refugee tale in a Dhanush entertainment package. Of course, the actor delivers with his raw charm and wit, but he needs more ammo than crude bombs to become an international messiah. Half-baked history lessons don’t help either. </p>.<p>Dhanush is pitted against British mobster Peter (James Cosmo), who flaunts ‘White Power’ on his number plate. He also locks horns with Sivadoss (Joju George), a Sri Lankan Tamil-turned-Robin Hood, who is channelling his mafia funds into fighting racism. </p>.<p>The hero, or rather villain, has all the swag to endear him to fans. Suruli is so street-smart that it takes him just a few days to rise through the ranks of London’s underworld. And that too, with a tongue that knows only Tamil.</p>.<p>Okay, we are all for cinematic liberty. And we totally believe that our ‘Blackie Jackie’ can annihilate an army of white supremacists just like that. But no, we can’t trivialise a civil war.</p>