Here's everything you should know about Thalapathy's upcoming sports drama.

Slideshows

Bigil FAQs In Pics: What's the story of the Thalapathy starrer? Does Vijay play a triple role again? Who are the Bigil girls? Does Nayanthara play Michael's wife? and more...

The Atlee directorial is all set to release in a couple of days.

Team CE

Published:12th Oct, 2019 at 8:51 PM

The trailer, firstly, puts an end to the long-drawn discussion over the number of roles played by Vijay, thereby confirming that the film is the story of a footballer son and his gangster father.

The footballer character is named Michael, as reports had earlier indicated.

Michael - the football player - also gets a cracker of a introduction in the trailer, with the camera arching over Vijay as he points towards the crowd.

Watching Vijay in this scene, it's clear that the actor has taken quite some efforts to look young and vibrant for these portions.

The crowd in the stands looks all fired up, as Michael aces this index finger pointing-stance.

The film was initially said to be titled Captain Michael, with the acronym CM allegedly alluding to Vijay's political intentions.

Well, one can't say it is completely false, as the frames of Vijay wearing the band with the initial C show that he is indeed Captain Michael.

Vijay had mentioned in the audio launch that he had fun learning football with the crew during the shot-breaks.

Seeing ace the bicycle shots with ease, we can say that the actor has had fun playing a footballer on-screen too

Clearly, lots of efforts has gone into getting these shots perfect in the film.

All of Vijay's team mates that feature in the film are apparently real-life football players from North Madras.

Several football players, who have competed at the national level, have participated in choreographing the match sequences in the film.

Vijay had reportedly undergone a two-week football training camp before shooting the match portions.

The CGI that have been used in the matches also seem largely functional.

For the first time in Tamil cinema, a football stadium set was constructed to shoot the match-sequences and the climax.

The stadium set reportedly costed Rs 6 crore. Apparently, it worked out more economical for the makers than to rent an actual stadium for the entire period of the 50-day-schedule.

We also have easter eggs for the football lovers like the Messi sticker on the wall of Michael's room that reveals that he is a fan of the Argentian player

And full points to the ones who had guessed that Kathir and Yogi Babu are his teammates!

Yogi Babu's character apparently travels with Michael throughout the film.

The Michael character gets riotous 'mass' sequences, as seen in the trailer. This reference to the chewing gum tossing scene from Theri is sure to delight the fans

Michael also gets a firecracker of an intro with a call back to the 'hand-crossing greet' from Mersal.

Vijay also gets quite a few opportunities to indulge in his trademark sarcasm and puns.

This frame, right at the start of the trailer, hints at a rip-roaring bike chase sequence.

Vijay is all swagger in this call back to the bike chase sequence from the actor's last film, Sarkar.

Vijay has reportedly filmed 90 % of this chase sequence without using a stunt double.

This chase sequence was reportedly choreographed with the help of real-life racers by Anl Arasu.

Michael also gets his customary swag-walk in this scene set in a police superior's office. Expect some fire-crackers before this sequence.

Vijay even gets this rousing mass sequence, which reaches a befitting high point in the final frames.

The camera slowly arcs over Michael as he proceeds to lift his hands over his shoulders.

Michael's hand reach for his ears, and cover them. We wait for the payback.

And as the camera takes a 180 degree swirl to reveal the door, a job explodes outside the building. Quite a well-staged masala moment.

Michael also gets a couple of action sequence, one of which happen in his youth days as a player.

This scene, where Michael pulls off a chain from the cycle, is a classic.

The second action sequence, which happens on the road in the Nappier bridge, happens during Michael's stint as a football coach, as evidenced by the trailer.

This sequence, also choreographed by Anl Arasu, seems to involve some heavy duty stunts and acrobatics.

Vijay seems to be comfortable in these sequences, pulling off his trademark swagger, rather convincingly.

The bike seems to play an important role in this action sequence too.

Vijay also wields the rod and the axe in this fight sequence.

May be, an opportunity or two to spout a couple of punch lines, in between

Hey wait, there's also a cameo by the nunchaku.

Vijay is apparently taking on thugs, who have been commissioned by the villain, who doesn't want him to coach the girls, in this sequence.

Every man has a past, and not all stories are happy ones. This would resonate stronger if you consider the flashbacks of Atlee's previous works.

All his films feature a trigger event for the protagonist to open up about his tragic past, and here it seems to be a loss of lives from his own kin.

The frame he opens the box of his old goodies, I believe, would be the inception point of the story that answers why he became the man he is.

As most of know, Bigil isn't just an all-Vijay-show. The film also focuses on the journey of an underdog, girls-football team.

And as all the tales go, the path to glory is filled with tears. I suppose every player in the team represent the obstacles women face in life.

Indraja, daughter of Robo Shankar, plays a football player battling obesity issues

Reba Monica John reportedly plays an acid-attack survivor in the film.

Varsha Bollamma plays a aspiring footballer, who's forced into an early marriage by her parents.

Model-turned-actor Gayathri Reddy plays one of the players in the football team.

Aadhirai Soundarajan plays yet another player.

Padaiveeran-fame Amritha Aiyer plays the captain of the girls football team.

Mercury-fame Indhuja plays one of the key footballers, who express doubt in Michael's capabilities as a coach in the film.

Indhuja probably battles a shoulder injury in her journey to the finals.

Michael dons yet another avatar of the atypical coach of the all-women team, who leads them to glory, very similar to how SRK did in Chak De.

Is the football finger spin a nod to the Rajini scene in Baba?

Michael particularly taunts Indhuja over and over. Is that a strategy?

How much of a role would Michael play in their journey?

The girls are seen exercising and training for their matches.

This particular frame shows Indraja working out

Indhuja handles a large tyre in this frame, probably from Singa Penney.

And then, there are these shots from the girls' matches in the trailer.

All the actors who play footballers have played football at some point in their lives.

Amritha Aiyer is seen acing the mid-air overhead scissors kick in this frame.

Indraja Shankar takes a hit at the nets.

Multiple cameras was apparently used by cinematographer GK Vishnu for filming the match sequences.

Nayanthara is introduced in a wedding gown - probably, a callback to her first frame in her re-entry film, Atlee's Raja Rani.

Though her character is not named in the trailer, she is, reportedly, named Angel in the film. Also, Nayanthara and Vijay have collaborated in Bigil after a gap of 10 years.

In the wedding scene, Michael is just one of the attendees in the church and not the groom; which most likely means that he is there to shout a nay in the congregation and walk off with his ladylove.

This colourful frame is possibly from the Verithanam song, which offers some space for Vijay to flaunt his dance skills. Also, As a singer, this track marks Vijay's first collaboration with Rahman

Vijay romances Nayanthara in the melodious and romantic 'Unakkaaga' number, sung by Sreekanth Hariharan and Madhura Dhara. The track seems to underline a blooming romance between Michael and Angel.

In a rather sly scene, Angel takes a amusing pot-shot at Vijay's choice of films, saying that he has become heavily reliant on the action genre, and has forgotten his Kaadaluku Mariyadhai days.

Is this fire in North Madras an inciting event for Michael's call to duty?

Tise frame where a girl places the pile of medals over a graveyard indicates that truth will triumph for sure, and the team will win the finals

On second thoughts, the film might end with a huge sacrifice from the good guys as the candles clearly show that it's a Christian cemetery.

Coming to the father character, Rayappan, the excitement factor peaks right from the point he enters the frame in a Kaala-esque sequence, where the goons corner him hoping he is just another 'perusu'.

A ferocious fight sequence follows.

Vijay gets to do the famous Vesthi-fold-jump from Mersal, and pulls it off quite well.

But it doesn't take the gang long to realise that appearances are deceptive as the middle-aged character lands a death blow, coupled with a sarcastic 'senjita pochu'.

Vijay seems to have used a deep mature voice for the locan don character.

'Bigillu', Rayappan roars. The theatre is sure to go into raptures.

The make-up for Rayyappan has been kept to the minimal, which actually works to the character's advantage. The North Madras bigwig feels convincingly real.

The customary eye-closeup for Rayappan.

“Engalukku football ellam theriyadhu aana enga aattam Verithanama irukum!' A wolf-whistle moment for sure.

Rayappan, on his part, aces the swagger walk, this time, inside the court.

Vijay had played the father-son duo previously in Villu and Puli. Both the roles fetched him harsh criticisms. But, going by the trailer, it is safe to say that Vijay has done his homework this time.

Bollywood actor Jacky Shroff plays the antagonist. Is he a corporate villain or something more? Jacky was seen earlier in Tamil in Aranyakandam (where he played the aging don) and Maayavan.

Vivek reportedly plays a fellow football coach in Bigil. The comedian collaborates with Vijay after a gap of 11 years.

The trailer ends with the salutation Happy Diwali Nanba, and we have enough reasons to hope that Atlee is going to give us a dynamite of a film, more powerful than the one that blasts towards the end.