Liger Movie Review

Liger is supposed to be South superstar Vijay Deverakonda’s big Bollywood debut. Does he really need it, considering his dubbed films are already a hit over OTT? The film was unfortunately stuck in production hell, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, and one can see that the gaps really affected it. It doesn’t live up to the hype it generated. Vijay Deverakonda has a certain screen presence and can surely act; there has never been any dispute about that. And he underwent an amazing physical transformation to look like a professional MMA fighter.

Liger (Vijay Deverakonda) is called that because his father, who was a fighter himself, was called Lion Balaram. His mother, Balamani (Ramya Krishna), identifies herself as a tigress, so he’s a crossbreed between a lion and a tiger, hence Liger, get it? Balamani sure is a tiger mom who wants her son to be even bigger and better than his father. So she lands up in Mumbai and requests a famed MMA coach, played by Ronit Roy, to take him as a pupil. Liger is so naturally gifted that he beats up all the students of his master on the first try. Both his coach and his mother, time and again, tell him to stay away from women, but he predictably falls in love with a spoiled rich brat, Tanya (Ananya Panday), who is a social media influencer. Though, in a hilarious twist, she rejects him because he suffers from a speech disorder. But wait, near the end, it’s revealed that she was only acting to hate him, so he’ll hate her and that hate will fuel his ambition to be the number one MMA fighter. Talk about reverse psychology or something. In due course of time, Liger becomes the national champion, and then, thanks to a rich patron, lands in America for the international championship. The patron’s daughter, who turns out to be Tanya, gets kidnapped, so Liger goes on a rescue mission, obviously. And lo and behold, the man behind the kidnapping turns out to be Liger’s childhood hero, Mark Henderson (Mike Tyson), the former undisputed MMA heavyweight champion. By this time, things get so convoluted that you really don’t care what’ll be served up next.

The fight choreography is excellent indeed. Whether it’s the fight scenes in the gym, in the ring, or with Mike Tyson, every fight sequence is crafted intelligently. Though it’s hard to fathom how Vijay Deverakonda can beat someone as huge and solid as Mike Tyson. Still, the action scenes are slick and the best thing about the film. And Vijay Deverakonda has worked hard to get his kicks, punches, and fighting stance right. He looks every inch an MMA fighter. But even his well-oiled, well-muscled shoulders aren’t enough to save this film from faltering. Ramya Krishnan shows spark in her role as the mother, Ronit Roy tries hard to channel his inner Mr. Miyagi, and Ananya Panday tries to be the cool influencer but is done in by bad writing.

All-in-all, Liger is a case of missed opportunities. Vijay Deverakonda is a genuine star and certainly could have hoped for a better film than Liger to be his Bollywood debut. Even his infinite charm and dedication aren’t enough to uplift it.