Birbal Movie Review

Birbal: Film Review – A Legal Thriller That Keeps You Hooked

Verdict: M.G. Srinivas gets it all right with an interesting plot, unique narration, and a well-performed cast.

Birbal – Finding Vajramuni is the first part of the Birbal trilogy series written and directed by M.G. Srinivas. It stars the director opposite debutante Rukmini Vasanth in the lead role and is supported by a strong cast including Vineeth, Sujay Shastry, Suresh Heblikar, Madhusudhan Rao, Keerthi Baanu and Krishna Hebbale. The film is produced by T.R. Chandrashekarunder the banner Crystal Park Cinemas.

What’s Birbal About:

Mahesh Das (Srini) is a fresher lawyer who gets his big break in a popular law firm, Hegde and Hegde Associates. Being a crusader, he voluntarily takes up the free legal service project with the motive of helping the underprivileged find justice. Destiny brings him to Vishnu (Vineeth), a young boy who is sentenced for the murder of a taxi driver. Mahesh realizes that Vishnu is innocent and reopens the case to find the actual culprit. He takes the help of his girlfriend and colleague Janhavi (Rukmini Vasanth) and his confidante Shastry (Sujay Shastry) in solving the murder case and hence proving Vishnu innocent. What begins with a closed murder case soon takes flight into another dimension with more murders involving the mafia and the underworld, thus exposing many dark vices of the society. Birbal, as the protagonist states in the film, is a fight between might and wisdom.

What Works:

The film is narrated through the point of view of four characters, with each of them revealing a new twist to the plot. Srini’s narrative technique is utter chaos in beauty. It takes you on a psychological ride where you meet different characters with different perspectives and outlooks towards life. The film uses simple logical reasoning with one thread leading to the other. The Srini-Sujaypartnership works wonders again. There are a bunch of hilarious comedy scenes throughout the plot that are easily nailed by the duo. Rukmini Vasanth delivers an impressive start to her career. Jahnavi as a young, independent and overtly ambitious woman is beautifully owned by the actress. Bharat Parasuram does a brilliant job with his camera. The film has multiple scenes in the crowded streets of Bangalore and the cinematography is spot-on with its perfectly brimming shots.

What Could’ve Been Better:

Birbal is an unusually lengthy movie for a suspense thriller. In the attempt to achieve a convincing perfection to the plot, the film talks about every single part of the investigation process. A slightly more coherent editing would have made Birbal a smoother watch. But the over-detailing also makes the film appear more realistic without any superhero-like miracles or larger-than-life twists.

Why You Should Watch:

Birbal is a well-researched and brave attempt that passes with flying colors. At no point does the plot of Birbal become too much for you as every twist in the film is reasonable and well-explained. Srinivas outdoes himself in acting, scripting, and directing his masterpiece film. The suspense is skillfully maintained throughout the movie making Birbal an engaging, thrilling, and entertaining experience.