"Bigil" is a fine example of how a blockbuster unfolds and ends with 178 minutes of Vijayana. Yes, its a sports film and also has gangster movie shades. Hence, you see a combo of "Chak De" and "Baasha". Director Atlee has given a pass to many rules of soccer game but the energy levels never drop - infact the second half is the brightest second half ever seen in recent films. Vijay shines well both as father and son Bigil and this must be his finest performance. BGM by AR Rahman and almost all the songs scored are gold-diggers which will haunt you long. Go for 'Bigil' ('Whistle' in Telugu) even if you are not a Vijay fan. From the times of doing remakes of Mahesh Babu films and doing chocolate boy films, Vijay has come a long way. As for Atlee who is now sought after by the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and NTR Jr to direct films for them, this is crowning glory. If only the first half is pruned a bit, and those over-the-top football moments edited out, "Bigel" would have been a cult classic. The highlight of the film is the sequence of getting a housewife and an acid attack victim into the team - much impact without much ado there. Despite the director and the hero flaunting their religious leanings in close camera shots, the film will mint its way to the top this year at least in Tamil belt.
