‘The Legend’ movie review: An absurd, campy Saravana Stores advertisement

Legend Saravanan’s big-screen debut as an actor is a laugh riot in the theatres for all the wrong reasons

(Originally published in The Hindu on July 28, 2022)

A few years ago, retail magnate Legend Saravanan appeared in the commercial for his Legend Saravana Stores. The man, who had only experienced backstage popularity earlier, was now subjected to incessant trolls that particularly targeted his looks. The quote-unquote ‘audacious’ move had a reverse effect of sorts, with the negative publicity only attracting more eyeballs. Exhibiting remarkable confidence, Saravanan decided to take a step further and produce and act in his own movie, with long-forgotten director duo JD-Jerry helming the project.

Perhaps it is with this same confidence, that Saravanan swoops onto the screen in The Legend and shatters the fourth wall with a note of gratitude to audience. The fourth wall is dead for good; there is no rebuilding it, and we begin to willingly suspend our belief. We then get scenes after scenes of what seem like commercials for awareness programmes. At one point, an outline of a woman’s body on a blackboard is redrawn into that of Mahatma Gandhi to drive forward a point. To make matter worse, every time Saravanan is about to speak to the audience, the camera finds its way to his front almost like a warning sign. Add the tacky set designs, bright costumes, excessive make-up — and Saravanan walking in slow motion — it won’t be an exaggeration to say that the film looks oddly similar to the many Saravana Stores commercials.

Even if one manages to turn a blind eye to all that, the screenplay doesn’t move an inch from a regular bad commercial potboiler. It isn’t difficult to ascertain the ideas that might have been agreed upon between the directors and the producer. A hero has to fight for a noble cause; in this case, it is the quest to find a cure for…

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Read the full review here: ‘The Legend’ review