Liger is a film written and directed by Puri Jagannadh, and produced by Karan Johar, Puri Jagannadh, and Charmme Kaur under the banners Dharma Productions and Puri Connects. It features Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Pandey in the lead roles while Ramya Krishnan, Ronit Roy and others play crucial supporting roles. The film also has Mike Tyson in a cameo.
Liger (Vijay Deverakonda) is a martial arts fighter who wants to become the National Mixed Martial Arts champion, something his father failed to achieve. He joins an academy in Mumbai and trains hard but is distracted by his love interest Tanya (Ananya Pandey). After winning the event, his aim is to take part in UFC. How he manages to achieve this dream forms the rest of the plot.
For a sports drama like Liger to work, the film has to show us how the protagonist learns a sport, the downfall, the difficulties in achieving a goal, the emotional battles, what is at stake and more. However, this film misses these details. For a very long time you keep wondering what the film is trying to convey because it meanders around aimlessly.
Right from the hero introduction fight, Liger's character is invincible. Even the relationship between him and his mentor isn't established properly. The training sessions are just a few montages of Liger working out in a gym. Neither is the relationship between Liger and his mother or his girlfriend shown properly.
The film has plenty of songs and each of them are huge speed breakers for an already weak screenplay. Another issue is that all the songs are identical with respect to the mood and have no relevance to the plot whatsoever. For instance, there's a scene where Vijay Deverakonda is scolded heavily by his coach and mother for going behind Ananya Pandey, and he also regrets his actions. Immediately the scene cuts to a peppy love song.
The only saving grace of the film is Vijay Deverakonda's performance which reminds us of his role in Arjun Reddy. He really shines in the fight sequences, especially towards the climax. Ananya Pandey's role lacks any meat and only comes to life during the songs. Mike Tyson's inclusion in the pre-climax and climax scenes looked wasted and he could have been used far better.
The stunt choreography is also quite stylish and has been shot well. Except the stunts, the camerawork and the music don't offer much to the film. The cinematography is unstable, with the camera moving around without a purpose, and the music is too loud. In a few places, the music gives us cues on how to react to the proceedings on screen.
Overall, the film is average technically and below par when it comes to writing. A lot of scenes look inspired from other movies, and are predictable. This affects the engagement of the film badly. A lot could have been better, but if you're a Vijay Deverakonda fan, Liger is a strict one time watch for you. For the rest, there are literally no factors that redeem the film at any point.