Many of Tamil superstar Suriya’s films have been remade into Bollywood movies, repackaged for a wider Hindi-speaking audience, with some becoming huge money-spinners in their own right. It’s a feat that speaks volumes of the actor’s ability to pick projects that strike a chord with audiences, irrespective of the languages they’re remade in.
Suriya, who recently sold the rights for a Bollywood remake of his 2020 acclaimed film Soorarai Pottru, will hope to repeat the same magic with his latest release Jai Bhim. In the legal drama, to be released on Tuesday in time for Diwali, the actor plays real-life lawyer-turned-judge K Chandru, known for his gratuitous work for the poor and his advocacy.
It’s a film close to the actor’s heart, and one borne out of his years of activism through his non-profit Agaram Foundation, an organisation he set up in 2006 to provide free education to school dropouts.
“Every time a film is made, it’s definitely a new journey. But this one is special,” the actor, born Saravanan Sivakumar and known by his mononymous stage name, said recently. “This is a beautiful film made by a beautiful team. It’s one of my best films and I hope the whole country will connect to it.”
Written and directed by TJ Gnanavel, a former journalist and an activist who helped Suriya set up Agaram Foundation 15 years ago, Jai Bhim is a retelling of a 1993 incident in Tamil Nadu, South India, where a tribal man who was arrested on false charges disappears from police custody. Seeking answers, the man’s helpless wife turns to a lawyer, played by Suriya in the film, who agrees to take up her case for free.
Suriya first heard about the story through one of his foundation's projects, he tells The National.
“We started working with this tribe called Irulars. There are about 200,000 of them in Tamil Nadu, many of them without voter IDs or a community certificate, without which they cannot send their children to school. They live outside the city, many without electricity or basic housing and we were helping to get their children into schools,” he explains.
“I was introduced to Chandru sir by Gnanavel and that’s how we came across this particular incident. Here’s a man who dedicated his life to helping the powerless and I really wanted to tell his story, even if it was just focused on one of the many cases he worked on.”
With Chandru’s blessings, Gnanavel began to work on the story, with Suriya’s 2D Entertainment, a company he owns with his wife, the actress Jyothika, as producer. They chose the title Jai Bhim, which translates to "victory to Bhim", a popular slogan used by followers of BR Ambedkar, the Indian social reformer who’s revered as the father of the Indian Constitution.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Ten days after production began, Covid-19-imposed lockdowns halted shooting in 2020. Then, soon after filming resumed in February this year, Suriya contracted the virus, leading to a brief spell in the hospital.
“It was a terrible time,” Suriya recalls, saying that it knocked him off schedule by four months.
It was also around this time that he decided the film would release on Amazon Prime Video, foregoing the traditional theatrical release as cinemas remained shut owing to the pandemic.
“I know there’s nothing like watching it in the cinema, but with Amazon, we are able to reach new audiences and I’m very happy about that,” he said. “The film has already been more than two years in the making and we didn’t know how things were going to be with regards to theatres and we were keen for audiences to see it.”
In his more than two decades in the industry, Suriya, who made his debut in the 1997 Tamil film Nerukku Ner, has played everything from a loveable con man in Pithamagan (2003) to a man suffering from anterograde amnesia in the 2005 blockbuster Ghajini. His Singam trilogy, in which he plays a freewheeling policeman who does not hesitate to bend the rules, are among his most popular films.
But playing a lawyer was a brand new experience that he relished.
“After three or four cop films, it was a contrast and I was out of my comfort zone,” Suriya said. “The body language is very restricted in this film as I had to stay true to a real-life character.
“But we had a lot of help from Chandru sir and his wife, who helped us with the writing and also visited the set a number of times. Also, my wife did a film, Ponmagal Vandhal, in which she played a lawyer and she was brilliant in it. She gave me a lot of tips and also encouragement that I was doing the right thing.”
He hopes Jai Bhim will inspire a new generation.
“Essentially, it’s about how one person can bring change and how people stand [up] for others and fight the system,” he said. “What we’re really doing is celebrating unsung heroes.”
'Jai Bhim' is out on Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday, November 2
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2007: Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla and Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2012: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2013: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2014: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria)
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Results
4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.
5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass
5.45pm: Handicap; Dh175,000 (D); 1,200m
Winner: Beachcomber Bay; Richard Mullen; Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,800m
Winner: Muzdawaj; Jim Crowley; Musabah Al Muhairi
6.55pm: Handicap; Dh185,000 (D); 1,600m
Winner: Mazeed; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,200m
Winner: Riflescope; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
RACE CARD
6.30pm Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m
7.40pm Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m
8.15pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m
THE%20SPECS
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Abu Dhabi race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
6pm: Liwa Oasis (PA) Group 2 | Dh300,000 | 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 (PA) Group 3 | Dh300,000 | 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
