Bakrid is directed by Jagedeesan Subbu, who helmed the critically acclaimed film Sigai (OTT platform) and has Vikranth playing the lead. Vikranth had his own failures and found it difficult to get out of the comfort zone. Inspite of the failures, he continued to take good roles which came across, however small it was. I think it was Suseenthiran’s Pandianaadu which showcased him as a real talent. He did some good roles in Kavan and Gethu too. His last film as hero “Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu 2” dint do well. Every big hero in Kollywood had that one film, which changed their career. Bakrid will do the same for this talented actor.
The story revolves around Rathinam (Vikranth), who gets hold of his ancestral property after a long litigation and tries to restart farming in the forsaken land. However, he runs short of money and decide to seek some hand loan from an influential Muslim money lender. Incidentally, he happens to sight two camels - a mother and its offspring brought for slaughtering. The money lender gets furious with his guys as they bring the young camel along with the mother and they wonder what could be done with it.
Rathinam comes forward and offers to take care of the young camel. The camel becomes the eye of attraction for everyone in the village and the family start to develop a deep bond. However, the camel becomes ill and the veterinary doctor suggest Rathinam to take it back to its habitat in Rajasthan. The rest of the film deals with the issues faced by Rathinam in this journey.
The film unfolds in a period of one year between the festival and rightly titled as “Bakrid”.There are several messages the director conveys in the film at different point but never blows it out of proportion or goes overboard. Especially, I loved the scene where the father tries to make his daughter forget about the lays chips (read as junk food) packet she brought by playing bubbles with her. This clearly sets the families values. Even the problems created in the name of cow protection or slaughtering of animals is dealt neatly without exaggeration. While the film largely dwells on the man and animal relationship, its these subtle messages that makes it lively and relevant in today's world.
There are several moments which will make you blissful with the heavy dose of “feel-good” factors throughout - the North Indian lorry driver and his cleaner who try to fleece Rathinam first but later help him, the foreigner who decides to help Rathinam (the fact that he can speak Tamil language but people within our country refuse to learn other languages), the Rajasthani guy (from Tamil Nadu) who offer him Idli and Vada in the dessert, the veterinary doctor who treats the camel without any fee – the list goes on.
Vikranth is a revelation in Bakrid – he shoulders the entire film and nails the character or Rathinam. He has really worked on his body language, mannerisms, dialogues and delivers one of the best performance in recent times by any actor. The supporting actors also do a good job. Vasundhara Kashyap (Rathinam’s wife) is apt for the role. The lorry driver and the cleaner perform really well. The Malayalam actor who comes as his friend bring some laughter.
Technically, the films is good. D.Imman’s BGM and songs are good and apt for the film. Cinematography (by the director himself) is natural and gives an authentic feel. While you may think the film is very simple in narration and presentation, but am sure lot of efforts would have gone into the making to get the location and feel right and the very act of getting to shoot with a camel and related permissions. It’s a commendable job by the director in presenting the film realistic as possible. On the negatives, the film gets little dragging in the second half, especially the song which comes after Sarah is lost was long and could have been trimmed.
Bakrid is a clean film made with lot of heart and soul. Don’t miss this!!
Rating – 3.75/5
