A Telugu actor named Vijay Deverakonda became well-known across the country after Shahid Kapoor duplicated his Arjun Reddy and produced Kabir Singh, one of his most criticized movies. Liger, a Friday release starring Ananya Panday, marked Vijay’s debut in Hindi films. The movie, which was shot in Tamil and is supported by Karan Johar, is being billed as Ananya’s Tamil debut.
Most of us anticipated the Telugu film, directed by Puri Jagannath, to be sexist. He has previously produced movies like Pokiri, in which Salman Khan starred and which brought filmy sexism to new lows in Hindi cinema.
Although the movie Liger begins with an MMA battle, our hero Liger (Vijay) is fleeing through the streets in an effort to save Tania, the girl he despises the most (Ananya). Vijay refers to her as a “churail” (witch) who has ruined his life in the voiceover. The next two hours show how Liger trains to become a world MMA champion, the part his mother (Balamani, played by Ramya) played, and how Tania is a catalyst for his success.
Puri is excellent at repeating the stereotypes of patriarchy and demeaning women while recounting the narrative. It starts with the description of the heroine (who is, indeed, a “churail” who tempts men to stray from their life objectives). The flashbacks then show Tania stalking Liger and even attacking him without really getting to know him.
Balamani, Liger’s mother, is no better; she forewarns him of “churails” who would “wear ripped midis, grin, look all silly and then entice him away” from his life’s ambition of competing on a global scale. In actuality, the two main female characters—Tania and Balamani—appear to be the largest misogynists.
