One of the most heavy budget movies of 2024 is Suriya, Bobby Deol starrer ‘Kanguva’ directed by Siva. Right from the first day, the movie was dominated by negative reviews and was subjected to trolling and several backlashes for the way the movie was executed from music to the screenplay. Although the movie was, as expected, an average commercial movie that has a potential plot and sub – plot that is a signature of the maker. People have seen Siva’s movies before and would have gotten some assumption about the way he deals with emotion as his primary tool.
Kanguva movie Worldwide Box Office CollectionUnlike any of his past ventures, ‘Kanguva’ was highly anticipated for months, setting a great pressure for the makers for two reasons- The Budget and The Calibre of Suriya. With great imagination and big cast, the responsibility to deliver a film that should be covering all the aspects of a high budget movie. Especially when the film demands a huge set and location that is delivered convincingly in ‘Kanguva’. The other aspect is probably the toughest to crack as apart from casting the actor for the role, the expectations that come with the actor falls on the hands of the director too. ‘Kanguva’ with such high stakes met with other hurdles from production perspective and release that was postponed.
Jyotika’s Defence
Actress Jyotika took it to her Instagram, defending the film and the makers as a “Cinema Lover and not as Suriya’s wife”, the post with a long caption that read, “Kanguva – a spectacle in cinema. So proud of you Suriya, for the actor you are and how you dare to dream to take cinema forward. Definitely the first 1/2 hr doesn’t work n the sound is jarring! Flaws r a part of most Indian films, so that’s only fair, especially in this kind of a film wherein one experiments largely! N it’s just the first 1/2 hr from the whole 3 hrs. But to be true, it’s an absolute cinematic experience! Camera work n execution never before seen in Tamizh cinema”.
The actress maintained a mid ground also accepted the flaws and negative aspects pointed out by the fans but further took the string stand, defending the makers of the movies and questioned the criticism that seems to be biassed for the actor and the makers, mentioned even before the movie got released.
“It’s sad that they chose this much negativity for Kanguva on day 1, even before the first show was over (seemed more like multiple group propagandas) when it actually deserves an applause for the concept and effort taken by the team to create 3D and such a magnificent visual!” The post read where Jyotika also spoke of how critics and fans are still ignoring the fact that many Indian movies with plots of hero harassing and bullying the heroine or movies with double meaning dialogues are not getting such severe hate.
Kanguva’s Backlash and Factors
Although the movie opened with housefull shows, the reviews after first shows went downhill for the makers and especially for Suriya’s fans. The actor is making a comeback after 2 years, not a conscious hiatus but working on himself for a role that he believed to be worthy and backed the project with all his might. It is evident that Suriya has transformed so much to take on the course of the movie, with a majestic physical change to a promising plot that looks convincing and also matches the calibre his fans are expecting from him after the short break.
Kanguva Movie ReviewThe movie with its heavy promotion that was met with warm welcome from fans was turned over when the production house was under fire for legal issues just before the release. The internet caught the smoke of it and started with the negativity which then grew with the release of the movie. The screenplay as Jyotika mentioned was lagging at times but that also meant the growing backlash for ‘Kanguva’ is massive for a commercial film. Heavily hyped promotions that promised for a ‘never-seen-before’ movie or the hefty comparisons with movies like ‘Bahubali’ didn’t mature to the favour of the cast and crew.
The Good and Bad aspects in the Media
The internet was not even divided for the most part of the fanbase and critics were focused on placing the bad parts of the movie upfront while mentioning the good aspects later even in doing video reviews or comments that are left under several outlets. It is to be known that comparatively the negative aspects are prominent with the majority of the people pointing that out, as the internet seems to be the place for a quick read of reviews and news that are slowly losing the depth of understanding the subject with explanation.
Jyotika’s questioning is based on the fixation of people over repeatedly pointing out the same aspects of the film that are criticised, while losing sight of some of the positive aspects like Suriya’s performance, the efforts the crew has put into building the world of ‘Kanguva’ and the sheer dedication the whole team has provided in giving a convincing periodic timeline. It is undeniable that director Siva has truly outdone himself with the visuals and framing for the movie from giving different accents for the five islands to filters separating the said five to bringing in the aura of animalistic behaviour and showcasing Suriya with certainty is applaudable.
This sudden outcry from Jyotika who is never active on her social media except for special accounts, this is probably the first time she has defended a project of hers of Suriya’s. The comment section is filled with opinions that are mixed with many questioning whether she has even watched the film and even harshly contrasting her defence. Some are supportive of her stand and understand her perspective of the massive flood of hate and troll the movie is receiving that is still fresh.
