Liger
- Director
- Puri Jagannadh
- Studio
- Dharma ProductionsPuri Connects
- Release Date
- 24 August 2022
- Running Time
- 138 min
- Language
- Hindi
- Country
- India
- Budget
- ₹125.00 Cr
- Box Office
- ₹60.00 Cr
Review
Vijay Deverakonda's attempt at becoming India's action hero is derailed by a script that mistakes melodrama for substance and confuses spectacle with storytelling. The premise—a stammering MMA fighter's journey—had potential for genuine emotional resonance, but Puri Jagannadh squanders it by lurching between romance, sports drama, and an absurd third-act villain reveal that feels like it was stapled on from a different film entirely. Deverakonda himself tries, delivering some committed physical work in the ring, but he's betrayed by dialogue that oscillates between cringe-worthy and nonsensical. The supporting cast, including Ananya Panday as the love interest, merely occupies space; her character's motivations are paper-thin, and their chemistry is non-existent.
The technical aspects fare slightly better—the action sequences have moments of flair, and the cinematography occasionally captures Mumbai's energy. But these fleeting positives are buried under the film's fundamental problem: it doesn't know what story it wants to tell. Is it about overcoming a speech impediment? A romance? An MMA underdog tale? A revenge thriller against a fallen idol? The answer is all four, executed none of them well. The tonal whiplash is exhausting, and by the time Mark Anderson appears as a contrived deus ex machina villain, you've already checked out.
For a ₹60 crore investment that hemorrhaged money spectacularly, "Liger" represents a catastrophic misfire—expensive, ambitious, and utterly
Storyline
So okay, this guy Liger—his dad was this legendary fighter who died, right? And his mom is absolutely obsessed with making him the next big MMA champion. They move to Mumbai and he starts training like crazy with this coach. He's getting really good, crushing it in the sport, when suddenly he meets this gorgeous, rich girl named Tanya and just falls head over heels for her. But then things get messy because apparently she finds out about his stammering issue and just ghosts him completely.
Getting dumped actually fires him up though! He becomes unstoppable, wins the national championship, and gets picked to fight in this huge international tournament. But then—and this is where it gets wild—Tanya gets kidnapped a few days before his biggest match ever. When he finds out what happened, he learns her family's in serious trouble with some dangerous people because of money they owe. Her dad basically confirms that she left him on purpose so he could focus on his career.
So Liger has to make this impossible choice: stay and fight for his dreams or go rescue the girl he loves. Obviously, his heart wins and he goes to save her. But plot twist—the kidnapper isn't just some random goon. It turns out to be Mark Anderson, this legendary fighter that Liger has literally idolized his whole life. Now he's got to fight his hero in the most unexpected circumstances ever, and it's absolutely insane.