A scene from ‘Election’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Election It had every potential to be an interesting addition to the filmography of Vijay Kumar and director Thamizh. While the filmmaker’s first venture Seththuman This film dealing with the politics of caste and food, which put Vijay Kumar on the map, uriyadi, and its sequel, are politically charged works. But the shocking thing is that despite assembling a team for a film in the backdrop of local body elections, Election Fails to land a punch.

The film begins with a voiceover of Sasikumar explaining how local body elections have evolved over the years, and the clock stops in 2016 when Nadarasan (Vijay Kumar) cuts off a man’s hand in a bar in a scene Is. uriyadi, To explain what led him to violence, we go back in time and learn that Nadarasan, son of party cadre member Nallasivam (George Maryanne), is a happy-go-lucky guy, but due to a series of events he Gets involved in political politics. Dip. Wearing a white shirt is easy, but keeping it white is easier said than done, and Naderson’s life goes into a spiral as he tries to find his way in the game of politics.

Political films in Tamil cinema have always focused on the bigger picture and we have very few entries within the genre that shed light on grassroots level politics. of election The biggest strength is how it gets into the nuances of small elections and how small the stakes are for those directly involved. For some, contesting elections is a matter of caste and class pride; He believes that political positions are sacred and should remain within the family. For some, it is about making an issue, a maneuver to remind those in power that if they are denied their dues, they will take it upon themselves to get it . Among these are aspects like money which unfortunately have become paramount to moving oneself forward. Other political films that seem irrelevant even to mention are cited as primary factors or areas of concern Election, There is a wonderful scene that shows how a candidate’s election result affects their running mate.

Unfortunately, such scenes are far and few between. Despite the film being based on the broader theme of caste politics, Election Barely scratches the surface of it and it doesn’t make a strong case for the message it tries to drive home. In a classic example of dumbing it down and commercializing it to reach the masses, the core idea of ​​the film gets diluted between aspects like unnecessary songs. Just like Vijay Kumar’s previous film fight Club, Election There are also too many characters, and although you understand the importance of this from a writing perspective, it causes a lot of criticism; And you know it’s a problem when the movie’s runtime is only two hours.

A scene from ‘Election’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

some aspects of Election are enjoyable; Some of the dialogue – this is a dialogue-heavy film – works. I like the ones that walk’Panam illadhavan ujhaipan, panam irukuravan aruvadai sivan’ (Rich people take advantage of the hard work of the poor) and ‘Kalam Kalam Ah Irunkurthunala Thappu Seri Agidathu‘ (Just because something has been around for centuries doesn’t make it right). There are also these neat little touches by Thamizh, like using a shot of Charlie Chaplin’s famous globe scene great dictator And how two men inadvertently use a hammer and sickle during a fight, creating a notable communist symbol.

Vijay Kumar does a good job in the role of an angry young man who is manipulated by those around him who, unlike him, see politics not as a race but as a game of chess. But seeing his character become a mere spectator of the events makes you wish that the film was better.

Despite showing some glimpses of potential, Election succumbs to its shallow writing; It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas!

Currently elections are going on in theaters