OTTplay Awards 2022! Know Your Winners: Tamil movie Jai Bhim wins Best Web Original Film (Popular)

The popularity that Tamil film Jai Bhim garnered after its release on Amazon Prime Video in 2021 was unprecedented. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Suriya-starrer, which skipped theatrical release during the second wave of pandemic last year, took the nation by storm, thanks to its hard-hitting content.

The movie directed by TJ Gnanavel was based on a real life incident which happened in Tamil Nadu in the early 90s. It touched upon the varied struggles faced by the Irular community and how corrupt officials tried to suppress their right to lead life with self-respect. 

About the winner

Jai Bhim opened to sensational reviews from movie lovers and critics from across the country. The film was available in multiple languages on the OTT platform, and viewers, irrespective of the state they belong to in India, could connect with its plot and empathize with the plight of the community. 

The performances of Suriya, Lijomol Jose and Manikandan stood out while Prakash Raj, Tamizh and Rao Ramesh, too, put up impressive performances. Suriya's character in the movie was based on K Chandru, the former judge of Madras High Court, who went all the way to ensure that the under-privileged community got their due. 

The film was adjudged as the Best Web Original Film (Popular) at the OTTplay Awards 2022 which was held in Mumbai recently. Director TJ Gnanavel and co-producer Rajsekar Pandian received the award and expressed happiness at the latest recognition the movie has earned.

Accolades

Upon release, Jai Bhim received widespread recognition and became one of the most talked about topics on social media for several months. The film was chosen to screen at various national and international film festivals, and ended up as a project which made its crew and Tamil cinema proud.  

Despite the film courting controversies for the portrayal of a character in it and a caste outfit filing a complaint against makers, the Madras High Court came up with a verdict recently which is favourable for the team. The movie was the second OTT release for Suriya after Soorarai Pottru. 

The journey of Gnanavel and Rajsekar

Director Gnanavel was a journalist before he forayed into filmdom as a director in 2017 with Kootathil Oruthan. The filmmaker had the idea of Jai Bhim in his mind for several years and approached Suriya's production house 2D Entertainment for bankrolling the film. But little did he imagine that Suriya himself would agree to play the lead role in the project. The rest, as they say, is history.

Rajsekar, on the other hand, is co-producing movies of 2D Entertainment, which is known for coming up with projects that are entertaining.

A pan Indian film in every sense

Rajsekar and Gnanavel thanked the jury for choosing Jai Bhim as the Best Web Original Film along with Vishnuvardhan's Shershah. Rajsekar said that the social impact the film had created was huge, and conveyed thanks from producers Suriya and Jyotika as well. 

After receiving the award, he said, "The film has been special for us because of the changes it brought to society. It dealt with the lives of people from a community which lacked basic amenities and voter ID cards. After watching the movie, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu announced that he will issue voter ID cards for everyone in the community. This was a great victory for us and the credit goes to director Gnanavel."

In his speech, Gnanavel thanked Amazon Prime Video for the opportunity the platform provided to showcase the film. "Through the OTT avenue, the film earned global exposure," he noted.

Upcoming projects

Rajsekar is busy with Vanangaan which has Bala at its helm. Suriya headlines the project, the shooting of which, has been completed to a major extent. He is also in charge of the Hindi remake of Soorarai Pottru which is currently being shot in Mumbai. Suriya will be seen playing a cameo in the untitled movie.

On the other hand, Gnanavel is set to make his Bollywood debut with the project titled Dosa King. The movie will touch upon a real-life story based on a woman's 18-year battle with the late founder of popular restaurant chain Saravana Bhavan.