Always pay careful attention to how a heroine gets introduced in a film. It can tell you quite a lot about how much the makers care—about the female lead, about their interest in straying away from cliches, even about how entertaining it all is going to be. If, like in Gorilla, they do what has always been done—slow down music to something pleasant, shoot in slow-motion, have bubbles flying about—it’s time to brace yourself. Gorilla is a film in which Jiiva plays a character called Jeeva. In another film, I wouldn’t make a big deal of it, but in Gorilla, these are all little signs of how much they care… or not.

Director: Don Sandy

Jeeva is a conman and is a horrible piece of work. He steals in buses, poses as a doctor, and once the dull introduction of the heroine is unleashed upon us, he shows he’s no mug when it comes to stalking too. He follows her on his bike; he keeps calling her despite her evident irritation; and when she goes jogging, who should she see but him again. In one scene, she even seems disturbed that he has ‘liked’ every single one of her Facebook photos. He’s still a petty criminal in the film, and hardly your average hero; so you think all the unsophisticated pursuit is in keeping with his flawed character. Maybe he will reform. Maybe she will go medieval on him. It is then that you get the first of a long list of strange developments that tell you this film, and its director, don’t care at all about such nuances: The heroine does a sudden turn and falls in love. And you learn this barely a scene after she seems thoroughly annoyed by his existence. This time, she stands with a vague expression on her face, when something like a blush passes on her face. That is your cue that the persistence of our Dr. Stalker Robber has paid off.

For the remainder of this review (and there’s a lot more left, I assure you), please visit https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/jul/12/gorilla-movie-review-a-strange-mish-mash-of-genres-in-this-preachy-dud-ft-jiiva-shalini-pandey-12920.html